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Dear
Potential New Client and/or Existing Customer,
We hope that our website is informative and easy for you to navigate.
You can
Book a Nanny Online
or play an arcade game in our
Children's Play Room
.
You can
Purchase Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products
If you are a Nanny, check out our
Nanny's Area
and our
Employment
page for new and exciting job placements.
If you are a Parent, we would hope you will continue to read on and enjoy our description of Cinderellas. We are the second largest Nanny Agency in South Australia.
We invite you to inspect our
Pricing Policy
.
Why not create a "magical birthday party" for your child and visit the
Children's Parties
page. Let us make your child's day an occasion to remember!
This website received over 42,000 hits in the month of February 2005!
Please make sure you check out our
Friend's & Sponsors
Page before you leave our site!
WHY TRUST CINDERELLAS?
Let us start by proclaiming: Cinderellas is a “trusted provider of child care” here in Australia.
The Agency provides affordable, caring, well trained and carefully screened nannies & babysitters to families requiring child care in their own home.
We believe a Nanny Agency is only ever as good as its nannies & babysitters & therefore we are always on the lookout for enthusiastic carers who wish to join our successful team.
Cinderellas Services Pty Ltd is a Government Licensed, fully insured Nanny Agency with an intimate and productive working relationship with The South Australian Police Force.
We are conscious of the increased demand for in-home child care, and have
found that we are more than able to help families who need flexible, affordable
& qualified help, & require it urgently.
The Agency is constantly receiving enquiries from families who require emergency
child care.
Increased competition in our marketplace has brought prices
down, improved the quality of services to families and increased the awareness
of in-home care as an effective and more flexible commodity to be utilised
by families who in our view, see it more and more as a necessity rather
than a luxury.
Cinderellas has the infrastructure, we have the people and we have the motivation
to provide a first class service to all families who use us. Cinderella’s
has grown immensely since our humble beginnings in 1990.
OUR COMPETITION KEEPS US ON OUR TOES!
We feel that we are able to compete on an equal basis with our major competitors; Dial An Angel
& Nanny SA.
Our strict selection criteria & background / reference checking, allows only the best nannies to register with our Agency.
The Agency operates during normal business hours, yet we
are contactable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
INTRODUCING DEBBIE...
Debbie manages our Agency.
Due to the current insurance climate, the Nannying industry in Australia
was faced with the dilemma of an insurance broker with a monolpoly on nanny
insurance.
The Debster was so committed to finding an alternative to Aradlay Insurance Brokers,
that she managed to do something that no other Agency, Insurance Broker
or individual was able to do – source an alternative insurance broker.
Mind you, other Nanny Agencies and Insurance Brokers had not sourced an
alternative since 1990! Her success is measured by the fact that Nanny
SA and others have now started using the broker Deb found.
Debbie is a wonderful ambassador for Cinderellas Services Pty Ltd.
On a personal level, she is a wonderfully dedicated mother and wife; and on a professional level, she displays a superior level of expertise in the field of child care and an enviable reputation for outstanding business accumen amongst her staff and peers.
"Sounds too good to be true?"
I thought so too!
...that's why I married her!
Our customers and carers are happy with the service we provide and this is largely thanks to Debbie's efforts and committment to The Agency, our nannies and our customers.
We offer a professional and quality service.
CARING FOR FAMILIES SINCE 1990
The
Agency was formed on the 18th of August, 1990.
Cinderella’s began
as a vision to create a safe, in-home childcare environment within our
community.
As parents ourselves,
we realised the need for such a service. If you require an evening out,
extra help around the home or a nanny to run the household while you attend
to work commitments, Cinderella’s can offer a family security, peace of
mind and the choice to lead the lifestyle they desire.
The
Agency not only helps to care for and protect the children in our community
but also creates many wonderful and rewarding employment opportunities
for all of our carers.
The
Agency’s market is restricted to only Australian States and Territories.
Our product is intangible.
We
introduce our clients to some of the most caring, enthusiastic & professional
nannies & housekeepers in the childcare industry.
All
of our Babysitters & Nannies are insured, have under-gone a Police
check and are regulated by Licensing & Standards, a branch of The
Department of Employment, Training & Education, S.A.
The nannies and the Agency are bound by the strict guidelines of The Children’s Services Act, 1985.
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT TO OTHER AGENCIES?
The success of Cinderella’s is based on our philosophy that we are more than just a Nanny Agency, but rather an extension of our client’s family.
In our eyes the well-being of all children in our care is paramount.
There are many factors that have led us to believe our business is succeeding.
1. The Agency only recruits the “perfect” carer.
When interviewing a potential carer, we ask the question: “Would we leave this carer in charge of
our
home and
our
child?”
It is the most crucial question of the interview and is why we have only employed the services of approximately 90 carers from the thousands of applications we receive.
2. Cinderella’s is known for its personal touch and our ability to listen, evaluate and tailor our service to the right family, with the right carer and to the right budget.
The Agency is growing, yet we have a great relationship with our staff and clients due to the amount of time we are able to devote to them and their lives & their special, individual circumstances.
3. The Agency is family orientated.
As we are parents ourselves, we understand how important it is to spend as much time as we can with our child.
We love our daughter and it is not unusual to have our child and her friends at Cinderellas while Mum & Dad are working too!
We have listed this as a reason for the success of Cinderella’s because – the fact that we are there for our carers and clients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week yet we are still able to raise our daughter in the way we have chosen to - (to be together as a family as much as possible), without neglecting the thousands of families & carers who rely on us to be there for them 24/7.
Cinderella’s doesn’t need to make a lot of money in order to be successful in our eyes.
Cinderella’s vision for the future is a bright one.
We will endeavour to provide a quality service to all clients Australia wide.
We plan to franchise a Cinderella’s Agency in every State and Territory of Australia.
We endeavour to create a brand name that is based on reputable and quality service and product and will benefit predominately from word of mouth recommendation.
Our customers want to deal with Cinderella’s because we offer a personalised quality service. Our clients know that our service is reliable and trustworthy.
They know that Cinderella’s professionalism is something they can count on.
The Agency is contactable 24/7 and is quick to action in the event of an emergency or crisis.
We know that the service we provide could be termed a “luxury”. We also realise that with today’s current economic climate, it can most likely be a service that is a necessity for most Australian families. Not everyone can afford their own nanny and that is why the Federal Government provides a rebate for families that use our service.
We have identified that there is a dire need for our type of service.
Our customers also expect us to conform to the current legislation as to the correct operation of our Agency.
The clients need us to provide a service that caters to their own unique family situation and also suits their own individual budget. We try to help everyone who comes to us for help, even if it means passing them onto the relevant private enterprise or Government body that may be able to render assistance, if we can not.
We recommend to families requiring a Nanny, to research all Agencies providing a service in their community / locality.
In our individual case, it is not uncommon for our Agency staff to recommend the prospective client try at least Dial An Angel – Ph: (61-08) 8267 3700 or Nanny SA - Ph: (61-08) 8361 3511, when conducting their research.
We want to help families find their “perfect Nanny”.
Our customer surveys help us 1. Develop our staff & 2. Provide an improved service to families.
Each family is unique. We constantly have to match the “perfect” nanny to a family. We do this on a daily basis, and we believe we are getting better at it every day!
We document all feedback and try to incorporate all good ideas back into the way in which we bring carer and family together.
We differentiate our service from our competitors by spending more time to get to know the situation and requirements of our customers. We know we are spending more time and are providing a more personable service from the feedback we receive from our clients and carers.
At Cinderella’s we monitor the success of our business very carefully.
The Agency believes that we have an edge over our competition because we offer a “complete service”.
Cinderella’s has adopted what we like to call a more modern approach as to how we provide assistance to our clients.
Perhaps we call it a “modern” approach, but some would say they are “old time” principles and values, used in business decades ago.
We believe in spending time in getting to know our clients. We interview our clients almost as thoroughly as we interview our carers. After all, we are attempting to match two parties that are expected to bond immediately. Our carer is also responsible for probably the most expensive asset in the family’s name – the house, and is responsible for the most priceless part of the family – the children.
Our customers expect us to deliver quality and peace of mind!
We are expected to be outstanding in every situation and we rarely fail at proving our worth to our clients.
Our carers are fantastic, and we love all the families they work for very much.
We ask our clients to contemplate: ‘exactly what do I expect from my child’s Nanny?’ We want them to consider their family’s values and beliefs.
Think about what they consider to be valuable parenting techniques.
Imagine what type of person would fit in well with their daily routine? Consider the needs of their children and how a professional carer can accentuate their life experience and give them the time and peace of mind to pursue other activities that are important to their existence.
YOUR NANNY IS THE FACE OF OUR AGENCY
Cinderella’s maintains an extensive database of professional Nannies/Housekeepers, Babysitters & Cleaners.
We do prefer to arrange for parents & the carer to meet for an interview, however when time and forward planning does not permit, childcare assignments are possible at short notice, almost all of the time.
Our Nannies and Babysitters are dedicated to their chosen career in childcare.
Whether their assignments are long-term or overnight, our staff treat every family with respect and kindness and maintain a professional attitude and demeanor at all times.
Our team are encouraged to remain positive and motivated when caring for children.
Cinderella’s only hire carers that meet our stringent government regulated guidelines and who are eager to please, yet willing to learn.
Our carers remain respectful of the client’s home at all times and always consider the family and it’s needs.
Our staff are highly skilled and all possess an amazing love for children of all ages.
We attract and retain our customers by bold modern advertising techniques, personalising our service and treating each family as important as the next.
Our telephone conversations often involve one on one advice about how to introduce a nanny to your family, identify what qualities they may be attracted to in a nanny, and how to make the adjustment smoothly and effectively.
We promote our business with a bright, informative web page, target our advertising at parenting publications such as Adelaide’s Child, and support the Child Safety Handbook issued by the SA Police Department.
All potential clients are posted or emailed an informative brochure and pricelist accompanied by a business card.
Bookings are confirmed the day they are placed before 6pm or within the hour if it is urgent.
It is our policy that clients are not left waiting for confirmation.
We make it easy for customers to do business with Cinderellas because we provide such a wonderful service to the community.
Our service speaks for itself. The Agency helps to relieve the stress and headache of finding your own nanny.
We interview, screen and match the ideal nanny with your family.
Customer satisfaction is measured predominately by telephone feedback.
The easiest way in which we can determine a customer is satisfied by the service we have provided and by the standard of care the carer has delivered is by a repeat booking in which the client has requested a specific carer to return to the family’s employ.
The Agency’s established customer service standards are outlined and specified to our carers in our Staff Handbook.
We outline to the customer initially by telephone what they are to expect from The Agency and their carer, and then the carer demonstrates this in the course of their employ for the family.
Our objective is to enhance the working environment; To provide conditions where every staff member and/or contractor is treated with respect and provided with the opportunity to develop their skill in a safe and harmonious working environment.
Our carers are taught:
Show concern for & interest in the customers and their requirements.
Display courtesy and tact and adopt a happy outlook and demeanour.
Be alert, attentive and ready to assist.
Be concise and audible and be aware of your tone of voice.
If a difference of opinion or disagreement occurs with a customer, do not become involved in an argument, but refer the matter quickly and diplomatically to the Agency.
Be patient, understanding and professional in your approach to the customer at all times.
A friendly greeting and smile is especially important on an assignment.
REMEMBER, IT IS THE CUSTOMER WHO’S PATRONAGE OF THE AGENCY THAT GENERATES THE REVENUE FROM WHICH YOU ARE PAID.
Although we had outlined an acceptable performance guideline in the staff handbook, we did find that not all nannies understood what we believed to be a “common sense” approach to how we expected them to perform their duties.
A second list of our expectations was formulated to address this concern:
BABYSITTER’S GUIDELINES
All booking fees and any monies owing are to be forwarded to the Agency within 10 working days of the commencement of an assignment.
Child carers must be clean & neatly presented at all times.
You must call the Agency upon completion of an assignment. You will inform the Agency of all monies exchanged & total amount of hours you worked. You must provide this information within a 24 hour period. If you are unable to speak to a staff member personally, a message left on the answering machine, including this information will suffice.
If an assignment is cancelled & you are notified by the client before the Agency is notified, you must inform us immediately.
All clients you are introduced to by Cinderella’s Babysitting & Domestic Help Services are not to be privately pursued. If you are asked by a client to work for them on a private basis and not through the Agency, Cinderella’s Babysitting & Domestic Help Services must be informed immediately. In this awkward & potentially dishonest scenario, the client may be required / liable to pay a “Placement Fee” of up to $500. It is also important to note that at your interview, you signed a document stating that you would not enter into any private contractual agreements with any person/s introduced to you either directly or indirectly by Cinderella’s Babysitting & Domestic Help Services. Reiterating: if you are approached by a client to work for them privately, it is imperative you disclose this information to the Agency immediately. Failure to disclose this information may result in serious legal ramifications.
Always make sure the parent’s leave you an emergency contact number.
Make sure you have your identification badge with you on an assignment.
Cinderella’s Babysitting & Domestic Help Services does not condone the smacking of children. With regards to discipline, do not use any method other than what the parents’ advise. It may prove prudent to have disciplinary procedure clearly outlined in a written document, & signed by yourself & witnessed by the client.
While on an assignment, if the situation arises where you are asked to take a child in your care outside the home for any reason, this by definition is an excursion and we advise you get written parental authorisation. This also applies to any medication you are asked to administer to a child in your care.
Only use the telephone if it is absolutely necessary. See 11 .01 Staff Handbook
Assignments are to be conducted alone and without visits from friends or family. See 6 .03 Staff Handbook
Please tidy up any mess made by yourself or the children throughout the assignment, thus leaving a clean & neat environment for the parents to come home to.
No alcohol or drugs are to be consumed before or during an assignment. See 3 .01 & 4. 02 Staff Handbook
Always conduct yourself as an honest, well-mannered & sincere professional. Remember, you are representing the Agency and a team of nannies & babysitters who rely on our good name & reputation for their livelihood.
If you have a disagreement with a client, handle the situation with honesty & integrity and report the grievance to the Agency immediately.
CHECKLIST FOR ASSIGNMENTS
1. Remain professional at all times. Always remember the client is paying for the luxury of your service.
2. You must present your identification card upon meeting a client for the first time.
3. Always arrive 10 minutes earlier before assignment is to begin. This allows you and the parents’ time to discuss the child/ren’s routine.
4. Always leave immediately after the completion of an assignment.
5. All telephone conversations with your client must be kept to a maximum of 5 minutes. This may seem pedantic; however there exists some very valid reasons for this rule. (Some Nannies have kept busy clients on the phone for long period’s of time, taking them needlessly away from their family).
6. Always carry your emergency phone numbers with you on each assignment.
7. Always respect the client’s privacy. If they remain at home while assignment is in progress do not disturb them for any reason other than an emergency. The client will approach you if they feel like conversation.
8. When meeting client’s for the first time, house visits should be no longer than one hour.
9. Make the client feel important, let them do most of the talking and try to keep discussion about your personal life to a minimum.
This checklist has been formulated from the feedback we have received from our carers, and from our past and current clients.
We are aware that this checklist is strictly speaking, only a guideline in fostering a good client-carer relationship. We strongly believe that the carers registered with our Agency will use common-sense & tact, in building a good working relationship with clients provided to them by the Agency.
OUR STAFF ...THE TEAM IS IN GOOD ORDER!
Cinderella’s is extremely particular about the staff we employ and their performance level in return.
All carers and office staff must be honest, reliable and loyal.
They must be dedicated to childcare and committed to our Agency and to following our work ethic.
It is paramount that they are in good physical and mental health and we expect them to be morally grounded individuals possessing an impressive work ethic.
We expect our nannies to be interactive with their charges and focused at all times while on assignment.
We help all members of Cinderella’s to develop these skills by creating a positive working environment and advice upon request.
Everyone at Cinderella’s is treated as an important member of our team.
We realise that every person is unique, as we all respond to situations differently.
All staff are given the respect and encouragement they need as individuals to reach their full potential.
We offer our nannies the flexibility to pick and choose the hours and days they would like to work and always allow room for negotiation when conflict may arise.
Our nannies know that we are approachable and professional at all times.
Our Agency prides itself on developing and maintaining a safe workplace. Our Staff Handbook discusses issues such as Sexual Harassment and we have in place an Equal Opportunity and OH&S Policy sighted and signed by all our staff.
It is Government regulation that all nannies have their own individual public liability insurance for their protection and the families they work with.
Cinderella’s prefers nannies to hold a current first aid certificate.
We develop the skills and competencies of our staff predominately by on the job training.
Our affiliation with The Pam Arnold Nanny Training College is invaluable as a source of accredited advice on current and correct caring procedures.
Cinderella’s was invited to take part in the accreditation of a Nanny Course promulgated by The Pam Arnold Nanny Training College, late in 2003. The proprietor of the college was so impressed by our Staff Handbook, OH&S and EEO Policies that they were incorporated into the Childcare Training Course Modules.
Cinderella’s now recruits nannies, fully trained and endorsed by Pam Arnold herself!
Our association with The Pam Arnold Nanny Training College benefits our business by providing us with outstanding carers and benefits the college by providing their graduates with an opportunity to gain real employment opportunities.
Cinderellas recognises nannies that perform at an outstanding level by the number of repeat bookings they generate through the business.
Our nannies’ popularity is measured by our clients’ phone calls and feedback.
Our nannies are rewarded for their efforts by gaining top priority for placements that come through.
If a nanny is performing at top level, then we promote her / him as much as we can by recommending them to new clients.
At Cinderellas, we encourage our nannies to do their best at all times.
If our clients pass on positive feedback, we inform our nannies of this in order to motivate them to excel even greater.
Once a year we present our top nanny with a certificate of achievement and gift voucher as a way of displaying our appreciation.
We realise how important it is for our nannies to feel valued and treated with the respect they deserve.
After all there would be no Cinderellas without them.
Cinderella’s has a business plan.
The goals and objectives of every driver of the business are stipulated in the business plan.
These goals and objectives are reaffirmed on a weekly basis to management.
The strategy for the development of The Agency is to adhere to the business plan.
We determine the strategic and long term direction of our business by monitoring graphs that reflect our performance daily, weekly and monthly. We also identify how may repeat bookings we are gaining monthly in comparison to new ones.
We monitor which locations our bookings are placed at. This helps us to target future advertising campaigns.
We observe and monitor the movements of our competitors. We consider their advertising strategies, exactly where and how they are doing this.
We look at their adverts, the colours, impact, text, themes and how they compare to ours.
Management will conduct meetings where new campaigns are discussed and the level of business activity for the week is assessed.
We also report back and discuss any issues that may have surfaced during the week between nannies and clients.
We identify any risks to the business at these meetings and discuss the positive or negative outcomes of these.
If negative we refocus and redirect our energy into formatting different options to attain positive results.
Our Agency plans and implements improvements to our business by carefully analysing our graphs, meeting customer demands and taking into consideration any suggestions our nannies may have.
Cinderellas strives on perfection and although the service we provide is A Class we believe there is always room for improvement.
Recent changes in technology will help us grow, no doubt.
Our web site was launched on Wednesday the 14th of April, 2004. The internet has not only exposed us to more potential clients, but has also inspired us to grow our business outside of Adelaide at an increased rate.
The web site has achieved record breaking levels of interest since its launch.
The Alexa Web Site Ranking shows that our web site is arguably one of the most popular babysitting sites on the internet today!
Opportunities do exist to formulate international relationships with similar enterprises. This is an exciting time for Cinderella’s, just as it is an exciting time for the industry.
With the current shortage of after school hours care positions available in child care centres; our type of service will only become more attractive to potential custom.
Cinderella’s has no immediate plans to occupy a formal business premise / shop. We are happy to run this viable enterprise from a home base at the present time.
It is exciting to know that thanks to our fantastic web designer Andy Ide, we will be expanding into another driver for our business – online children’s product retailing.
The technology we are using currently may not have been recently developed, however it is technology that has become more readily available to our type of business, and we are trying to utilise any instrument at our disposal to expose our unique service to as many potential clients as possible.
OUR REPUTATION SPEAKS FOR ITSELF...
In closing, Cinderellas is ideally positioned in the Australian child care market place, to provide a service that is Australian Government regulated, Nanny Industry Insured and tailored to the specific & unique requirements of all families who use us.
We will strive to provide only the best carer for your family should you choose to use our service.
Sincerely,
Mark Ferdinands,
Manager.
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