Valerie provided AI training across our team, which had a mixed level of experience using it, from daily to not at all. The two sessions were well planned, thoughtful and focussed on colleagues’ needs, giving the opportunity to build confidence in using AI, how it can improve their work and taking away ideas about how to build on their knowledge moving forward.

Rob Music
Chief Executive
The Migraine Trust 

 

After the calamity of lockdown and with the events and party industry taking off again, we had new people requiring a wide, general knowledge of Excel.  Merrill Consultants were recommended to us and after discussing our training needs on a Zoom call, they designed two half day programmes.  The confidence I gained on that call assured me that we had made the right choice.  With his charismatic personality, Stuart arrived at to our offices and what a breath of fresh air he was.  He worked with our spreadsheet templates showing the team how best to manipulate the data and gave them the foundation to the software enabling them to feel confident and use Excel for our businesses.

The Girls loved the experience; Stuart was so personal, helpful and attentive and made it a pleasurable experience.   They seem highly skilled in the Office 365 portfolio and so professional.  We will be using them again and definitely recommending them to all my contacts.

Ant Daniel
Added Dimension Events

 

I have worked with Valerie on several training projects over the past few years and she is an absolute pleasure to work with. She is the consummate professional in what she does and is second to none when it comes to client care. Valerie has a fantastic ‘can-do’ attitude and is rarely seen without a smile on her face. I highly recommend Valerie and Merrill Consultants.

Simon Manuel,
Managing Director, Ink & Dots

Valerie and Merrill Consultants are a trusted company in IT training and solutions, their approach to the customer, understanding the objectives, technical know-how combined with people understanding is essential and working fordable solutions within budget is why we used Merrill and refer their services to clients, it is rare that you genuinely meet someone and a company with these qualities, I would recommend Valerie without hesitation. Geoff Hudson-Searle, Managing Director
International Business and Executive Management Limited

Working with Valerie is a pleasure. She is an excellent trainer herself and her ability to design customised programmes for your audience is impressive.I am pleased to recommend her public courses as well as her bespoke programmes. She knows her stuff through and through, is patient, and has a unique ability to empower her students whilst teaching them.Valerie is also generous with her time, skills and contacts, and a genuinely nice person. Who could ask for more?

Tamsin Fox-Davies,
Head of Growth, SystemSeed

I have known Valerie at Hertz in the capacity of IT Manager and extensively used her services for training requirements at Steljes Limited. We worked together on a number of Microsoft training programs for Steljes as we upgraded the Microsoft Office systems. Valerie was the consummate professional quickly providing insight and awareness as to the best practice to update the skills of everyone in the company. Valerie provided all the resources we required to achieve our goals and objectives.The most impressive aspects to Valerie are attention to detail and her people skills. Valerie often will go out of her way for an individual or for the group and company requirements.If you require top class professional training for yourself or your company then I would highly recommend Valerie and Merrill Consultants Limited.

Paul Smith MIET, MBCS, FCMI

Professional, Instructive, Helpful are just a few words I can say to describe Val.She has excellent knowledge, skills and understanding of both Process and Systems. Val clearly demonstrates her outstanding achievements as a Training Consultant, and ensures that all of her training courses are interesting enabling the trainees to get the best out of what they are learning and be able to apply that newly learnt knowledge.She is an excellent role model for anybody in the IT Industry and it was a pleasure to work alongside both Val and her husband Stuart.I would thoroughly recommend Val and her company Merrill Consultants to anybody concerned.

Jeff Tas,
CRB GB Digital Engagement Lead at Willis Towers Watson

I had the pleasure of and very much enjoyed working with Valerie on the rollout of SAP CRM at TfL across all modes. Valerie is very customer focused with a proactive, enthusiastic and caring approach. She works with her customers to understand their business and training needs, to ensure the training provided meets their requirements. She has a natural, approachable and engaging style, with a fabulous sense of humour, which enables her to work with staff at all levels and brings out the best from trainers working with her. I also know Valerie from attending various networking forums. Valerie is a natural at finding connections between people and contacts she makes and seeks to build lasting, mutually beneficial relationships. I highly recommend Valerie as an expert in her field and look forward to working with her again in the future.

Joanna (Puczkowski) Brown,
Change Consultant (Associate) at Get Real Change

I have had the pleasure of working with Valerie on a number of business development projects. Not only is she a consummate professional but her ability to assimilate knowledge and use that knowledge creatively to inspire ideas and develop business growth is par excellence. Combined with her gregarious, selfless and sparkling personality, Valerie is a business partner from heaven. I cannot recommend her too highly.

Edwina Hughes,
Managing Director, Eddy & Co Limited and Business Mentor & Training Consultant

Stuart and Valerie have been a revelation – they have been a calming, positive influence on a despondent team, who were daunted by the task ahead of them. Their professional and “can do” attitude has inspired others and helped the team achieve extremely difficult goals. Between them they have delivered to over 400 delegates, and mentored and developed inexperienced trainers demonstrating great patience in the process.

Both have been highly co-operative and have gone the extra mile at all times, showing genuine care of the outcome of the project and a determination to contribute to its success.

Their warmth and cordial personalities mean they leave the organisation not just as highly regarded employees but also good friends.

Rob Donovan
Head of Training, Business Change Management Team, UK Border Agency

We met Merrill Consultants in 2013 and worked with them until the end of August 2014 to support and rollout of Windows 7 and Office 2010. They provided classroom and desk side training together with floor walking for all our staff.

Their commitment, knowledge and understanding were excellent. We were impressed with their ability to perform as part of a team and also to work independently resolving any issues and organising themselves.

I have no hesitation in recommending their services.

Jon Perry
Project Manager, Standard Bank

I am Director of two grant-giving trusts and am a solo-worker using Benefactor as well as a range of Office software. I spoke to Gallery Partnership, our software suppliers, about a broad range of tasks, functions and reports I needed to learn about and develop both with our grants management software and regular Excel, Word etc – this ranged from the very basic (labels!) to more advanced Excel to developing Benefactor report-writing skills. Gallery Partnership and its consultant, Valerie, recommended a 1:1 training session. It was brilliant! I emailed Valerie a wide variety of very specific training needs ahead of time and over the course of just a few hours I learnt how perform time-saving functions I’d been meaning to learn for years, as well as write some very specific Benefactor/Excel reports that will enable me to analyse our data as part of a strategic review I am leading. Along the way, I also picked up a whole range of useful Office and Benefactor tips that have made a huge difference already. Valerie was highly focused on my list of tasks and succeeded in understanding my particular needs and organisation very quickly.

Rachel Oglethorpe, Director
The Peter Minet Trust and The Idlewild Trust

I participated in the Outlook training in July and found the session friendly, informal and informative. I was given hints and tips on how to use outlook more effectively, to increase my organisation and time management of workload between myself and the Charity Manager.

Joanne Gahan

We trust Merrill Consultants to deliver full implementation training to our brand new clients. They are the initial face of Gallery. The flexible nature of the training service has enabled our clients to maximise Benefactor’s potential.

Gallery Partnership

Merrill Consultants have taken the IT training headache away –

Nikki Beardsworth,
Notting Hill Housing

Valerie provided training to my firm. Very practical, simplifying the excel package we use, giving us lots of handy tips, at a competitive price and a nice personal approach making training fun. Top qualities: Personable, Expert, Good Value.

Lisa Pepper,
Partner at Osbornes

The most recent success of this partnership has been a contract from Ofsted to meet their generic and bespoke IT training requirements. We responded to their requirement with an imaginative and bespoke solution and were selected, all other things being equal, for the excellence in customer care, responsiveness and flexibility that small businesses such as Walkgrove and Merrill Consultants can provide. We are delighted to continue our professional relationship with Ofsted providing bespoke learning solutions to match their needs.

Walkgrove Ltd

I have no hesitation is recommending Stuart Merrill, he has consistently provided excellent training on behalf of our clients, all of whom are happy to use his services again.

Once client in particular, Kelway (UK) Ltd, has taken the trouble to forward on feedback from their client:

‘Thank you again for sending Stuart as a trainer. I received some very positive feedback verbally from the staff here. Having sat in on a course, I can vouch for myself that Stuart was superb. His thorough knowledge of the subject was obvious, and the course structure and delivery was first class.

One of our staff was particularly complementary about the training he received from Stuart. Pivot tables and nested functions had been a big problem for them, but this was fixed very quickly with Stuarts tuition. Many thanks again.

Kate Fletcher
Capital Training

We delayed updating our Microsoft Office installation for a long time because we were worried that the change to the latest version would be disruptive.

Using Merrill Consultants gave us the confidence to take the plunge. Stuart explained the applications very patiently and clearly which ensured a smooth transition. We even learnt tips and shortcuts which had been available in earlier versions of Office all along.

We have no hesitation in recommending Merrill Consultants.

Richard Brown
RHW Solicitors LLP

Merrill Consultants have provided bespoke Excel training for our head office team on several occasions. Valerie is personable and provided training sessions designed to our requirements, needs and delegate skill level. The follow up tools and service provided by Valerie and her team have always met our needs and supported further learning.

Jenny Lloyd
HR Business Partner – International, Phase Eight (Fashion and Designs) Ltd.

Valerie has been very good at working with us to deliver bespoke training solutions for staff. She has got to know our business, requirements and staff very well which enables her to support our needs. Valerie is friendly, approachable and a pleasure to work with.

Salma Bheekhun
Support Services Manager at Workspace Group