TOTALLY Tennis director Nigel Long and head coach Shane Deacon swapped their tracksuits for suits last week when they represented one of 34 organisations in the South to receive an Investor In People award.

The award was presented by television news presenter Sally Taylor at a ceremony in Fareham.

The companies to be recognised ranged from schools to scaffolding companies.

The Investors In People award is the national standard which sets out a level of good practice for training and development of people to achieve business goals within the company they work for.

The standard provides a framework for improving business performance and competitiveness, through a planned approach.

Staff must be motivated to do what the organisation needs them to do, helping the business to develop and continue to improve.

Four key principles enhance the business and, in turn, offer customers a better service.

The four principles are commitment, planning, evaluating and achieving the standard.

Totally Tennis will use the four principles to invest in people to achieve business goals, plan how skills, individuals and teams will be developed to achieve these goals and take action to develop and use necessary skills in a continuing programme directly tied to business objectives.

Finally, evaluating the outcomes of this training and individual development Totally Tennis will assess the value of the achievements and future business needs.

Totally Tennis has made the commitment to meet the Investors In People standard, recognising that to keep customers happy, an organisation must ensure that it is meeting their needs successfully.

The main focus for Totally Tennis will be to recognise the importance of its people, help them to develop their potential, improve their skills and gain greater job satisfaction which in turn will be passed on to the customer.

Long said of the award: "I am thrilled to receive this award for the fantastic work that all my team and I have achieved so far and will continue to achieve in the future.

"I know that employers who have a good reputation for involving their people and keeping them informed, offer their customers the best service possible."