Back in 2016, Jon Miles was working as an assistant manager in a BP garage. Within four years, he’d end up in charge of AO Mobile’s entire sales team. All it took was a friendly approach, a positive attitude and a company that believed in his potential.
With his effortlessly friendly manner and drive to get the best out of people, the management life had always been calling for Jon. So much so, Jon decided to forgo university in favour of an Assistant Manager role offered to him at Budgens supermarket, which led to a similar role at a local BP garage. It was after a couple of years in this position that he realised there was going to be little room for further progression.
Knowing he was capable of achieving more in the right environment, he took on a customer service role at Mobile Phones Direct (AO Mobile’s name before AO stepped in). Though he’d no longer be working in a managerial capacity, friends who were already working there told him it would definitely be worth the professional detour.
They weren’ wrong. Jon’s natural way with people made him a brilliant salesman, and quickly established himself as a standout member of the team. After expressing a desire to manage, he was given further training and a position in account management. Despite loving the job, the two year mark saw Jon starting to fancy a change of scenery. And so, he bid a fond farewell to his friends and left for a similar role in another company.
But his AO Mobile story doesn’ end there.
While he tried to settle into his new job, he couldn’ shake the feeling that he’d left something quite special behind. It was made worse when he spoke to his old colleagues, who’d told him that everything was getting even better now that AO had become part of the equation. The offices had been revamped with new facilities, there was more HR and managerial support and the potential for professional development was bigger than ever.
It was all too much to bear hearing about; Jon knew he had to go back to AO Mobile. Fortunately, all it took was a quick conversation and he was welcomed back into the company in a sales position.
Within weeks of his re-arrival, a post for the Customer Experience Team Manager position opened up. A perfect match for his varied experiences so far, he was encouraged by senior AOers to put in an application. By April 2019, Jon had bagged the new role, and found himself at the head of the Customer Experience team.
As if that wasn’ enough progression for one year, it wasn’ long before Jon was presented with a brand new opportunity. With AO Mobile’s Sales Manager leaving the business, heads quickly turned in Jon’s direction. Everyone knew he was the right person for the job – no one more than Jon himself, who jumped at the chance to accept this new challenge.
Now the Acting Sales Manager, Jon is in charge of the biggest team of his career so far. To support him, AO have placed him on a Management Development Programme, which will see him work on the job to acquire a fully accredited management qualification.
A far cry from the glass ceilinged days of his past retail positions, Jon’s journey at AO Mobile has been characterised by progression, development and – perhaps most importantly – a lot of fun! The famously exciting internal culture is what drew Jon to the company in the first place (twice, in fact!), and being part of AO’s ambitious roadmap means that he can look forward to even bigger opportunities further down the line.