STYLISA FoundHers: Meet Jane Hawkes — the Queen of Customer Service

Lisa Maynard-Atem
May 5
8 min read

Jane Hawkes doesn’t just talk about customer service — she lives it. As the woman behind the award-winning Lady Janey brand, Jane has transformed her personal experiences, professional insight, and razor-sharp wit into a platform that empowers consumers and challenges companies to do better. From her early days as cabin crew to becoming a trusted media voice, columnist and consultant, Jane has built a reputation as the Queen of Customer Service — and she’s just getting started. In this edition of STYLISA FoundHers, Jane shares her journey, her fight against mediocrity, and her mission to make outstanding service the norm, not the exception.

Portrait of Marina Fallahi, founder of BHive London, smiling and wearing a green top. — Jane Hawkes, Consumer Rights Expert, appearing on BBC Breakfast to discuss the importance of better customer service.

Genesis of Lady Janey: What inspired you to establish the Lady Janey brand, and how did your background in customer service influence its creation?

My first experience of working in the Customer Service industry was at the age of 14 when I worked in the local hairdressers, beautifully accessorised with my shocking 80’s perm, as a Saturday junior. Eventually I moved on to work in restaurants and then took a job with British Airways as cabin crew after finishing my degree. I was passionate about delivering excellent Customer Service and had some of the best times ever flying around the world and looking after a whole range of different people.

Unfortunately, life got in the way and my Customer Service career was cut short when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and unable to carry on being a hostie with the mostie. However, I’ve always had a keen eye for Customer Service and when we built our own home, we were battered with a whole range of predominantly dire experiences, interspersed with just the odd glimmer of brilliance, which is what ultimately drove me to put pen to paper.

So fast forward to present day and I’m providing help to anyone looking for redress and refunds after experiencing dismal Customer Service and encouraging companies in order to improve standards of Customer Service and inspire excellence.

Re the name ‘Lady Janey,’ I must admit that I am a bit of a precious soul with nicknames from friends being Princess and Her Ladyship plus my sister thinks I’m a proper Hyacinth Bucket. That coupled with my lovely Dad and late Grandad calling me Janey and the website logo created from my own photo, was how the branding came about.

Evolution of the Brand: How has Lady Janey evolved since its inception, and what key milestones have shaped its direction?

I originally focussed on just chatting about customer service, basically putting my thoughts in writing with the aim of just initiating customer service conversations. I then started to do some Mystery Shopping so the whole brand was incognito, all people ever saw were my blonde hair and red nails. If you look back at my Instagram profile, my face was never visible on the early photos.

However, once I started to comment more in the press and on air it soon transpired that the media love a surname. Lady Gaga by the way does not seem to have the same issue but never mind, when needs must etc etc. Albeit reluctantly, Jane Hawkes aka Lady Janey emerged and I haven’t looked back since. It’s been a whirlwind of a journey and I am constantly learning and evolving so as to meet the needs of the customers I help and the companies I work with.

Key milestones would be my first appearance on BBC Breakfast covering regifting, there have been several since. In addition, becoming an author and gaining the accolade of Queen of Customer Service on the BBC in a show presented by Matt Allwright.

Championing Customer Service: What motivated your passion for exceptional customer service, and how do you advocate for consumers through your platform?

I was fed up with the rolling tide of mediocrity we put up with in this country and it’s even worse than ever post pandemic. If we don’t speak up and challenge what is not good enough then absolutely nothing will change. Customer service should not be overstuffed fluff, it really is a simple concept: deliver goods or services efficiently, consistently, honestly and cost effectively.

My back-to-basics approach is a far cry from a lot of the gumph I hear in my field and in many cases, we’ve totally lost sight with all newfangled processes, initiatives, targets and parameters of what is really important. That’s my USP really, others may do what I do but I have my own inimitable style and no one can match that.

On the Lady Janey website I offer relatable and simple tips as to how to get redress and refunds for poor customer service, how to assert consumer rights and how to make the most of your money. We work harder than ever for the pennies we earn so what we spend them on should be 100% worth it.

My superpower is that I can contact the seemingly uncontactable so if customers are finding it hard to get in touch with a company, I can and will help.

Role as a Consumer Champion: Could you share some memorable experiences where you’ve successfully championed consumer rights?

One example which comes to mind straight away is when I helped an elderly lady ‘escape’ in her words from her current energy provider after years of upset and stress. She shed tears of relief once moved to another company where she could actually speak to a real person. Hearing from customers about their successes once I intervene makes everything I do so worthwhile. I’ve got a number of thank you messages on the blog and if ever I question how much of a difference what I do makes to the lives of those who ask for my help, I just re-read them. There is no bigger or better inspiration.

Authoring ‘Are You Being Served?’: What inspired you to write this collection of poems, and how does it reflect your experiences in customer service?

From self-service checkouts to queues, deliveries, travel, roadworks and potholes, many things exasperate us on a daily basis and we all need some kind of outlet to save our sanity if nothing else. What should be simple and pain free rarely is and issues which should be dealt with by companies quickly and easily rarely are. The book ‘Are you being served?’ is an anthology of poems inspired by the world of customer service with a fabulous foreword by Lorraine Kelly CBE who describes it as ‘a delightful insightful collection of poems from a very talented woman.’

In the book I draw on personal experiences of customer service as well as issues I hear about on a daily basis. My favourite is ‘Chicken or Beef?’ as this is inspired from my days as an air hostess and features many of the daft things customers said and did on flights.

Media Presence: You’ve appeared on various media platforms, including BBC and ITV. How have these experiences influenced your advocacy work?

Yes, I have appeared on the BBC, ITV, Channel 5 and GB News to my credit and these have undoubtedly influenced my advocacy work and boosted my profile. I have worked hard to establish myself as a trusted voice in my area of expertise and a leading consumer champion. Having an impressive portfolio of collaborations, bylines and appearances has helped to achieve that and there’s more to come this year too.

Jane Hawkes on BBC Breakfast panel discussing consumer rights, seated with three presenters on a red studio sofa. — Jane Hawkes joins the BBC Breakfast panel to share expert insight on consumer rights and customer service.

‘Selfie Shopping’ Concept: Can you explain your unique ‘Selfie Shopping’ approach and its impact on evaluating customer service?

No one knows your company better than you and your employees. Selfie shopping is designed to help companies train staff to be their own eyes and ears. This is in order to audit and evaluate standards of customer service provided without the need for external assessors.

I aim to teach the skills and techniques needed to self-audit the customer experience in your own company or department. By doing so, team members will develop a greater understanding of the importance of delivering excellent customer service, a greater awareness of their role within the company and the satisfaction of ensuring that each and every customer service experience is the very best that it can be.

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs: What guidance would you offer to those aiming to build a brand centred on consumer advocacy and exceptional service?

Be true to your values and yourself. I only ever champion the very best companies as I have built a reputation of excellence which I need to maintain.
Always be open to new ideas and differing views and opinions of others. My way is definitely not the highway, working collaboratively and respectfully is the best way to achieve shared goals.
Walk the talk and lead by example, empower others with skills and knowledge to be able to make significant changes, use your voice to speak up for others and for what is right, encourage people to look at the bigger picture and how they are very much a part of it.
Never forget your ‘why’, mine being to be able to help others in any way I can and give them a few laughs along the way.

I believe very much in paying things forward and hope that these values inspire others to build their brands and strive for success.

Future Aspirations: What are your goals for the Lady Janey brand in the coming years, and how do you envision its growth?

It’s exciting times at LJ HQ as I am currently in negotiations with several new major UK clients to work alongside them in improving customer service standards. This has been my absolute dream since starting the blog and I cannot wait to see these plans come to fruition. It has always been very rewarding to support companies in delivering the very best of customer experiences and the enhanced consultancy work planned for this year will be the absolute icing on the cake.

In the meantime, I was pleased to start my own column in regional press from the Northern homeland of Lancashire and Yorkshire this year. Following on from a number of articles in Take a Break magazine I am working towards a regular feature with other magazines in the hub group. More news to come on that one too.

To date my main platforms have been X, Facebook and Instagram because this was the best way to open conversations with customers and my loyal readers. However, in 2025 you’ll see me more on LinkedIn with news of how I can help businesses take customer service to a whole new level as an outstanding Customer Service consultant. The next quarter’s diary is open and I look forward to filling it with lots of new contacts, opportunities and projects. You’ll also find me on Tik Tok as my face for radio shares top consumer tips on the little screen to help people resolve big customer service issues.

Personal Reflections: How has your journey with Lady Janey influenced your personal growth and perspective on consumer rights?

It’s been a real journey of discovery. Every year since starting the blog I’ve chosen a word to mark it. In 2019 it was inspired with a new website launch. 2020 was ‘patience’ as I worked hard to build my brand and establish myself as the Queen of Customer Service. 2021 was ‘believe’ as I kept the consumer faith against the odds and in 2022, I was ‘grateful’ for every single opportunity and for all the amazing people who helped make my dream a reality. 2023 was ‘alignment’ as everything came together, 2024 was a year to embrace change and go with the flow and 2025 is anticipation for the next exciting chapter.

Consumer rights wise my knowledge and expertise has grown far more than I would ever have thought and the learning continues this year with a larger focus on developing consultancy skills and the services I offer. I pride myself on being able to look at things objectively from both sides of the counter so to speak and look forward to being able to do that for as long as I can, the best I can.

A massive thank you to Jane, for being part of my STYLISA FoundHers series. And if you’re interested in finding out more about Jane's work, do connect with her directly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ladyjaney75/