Business News
Online platform celebrates first anniversary
» LEADING INDEPENDENT HARDware distributor Carl F Groupco is celebrating the first anniversary of its My CFG online platform . Clare White , Marketing Manager at Carl F Groupco , says : “ We are always looking at ways that we can add value in all areas of our business , not just related to the products we sell . I ’ m happy to say that we ’ ve had great success with My CFG . It gives our trade customers the facility to place their hardware orders , access account information , including invoices and statements , and even pay for orders online .”
From the very beginning , the Carl F Groupco team was determined that the system should contribute to the company ’ s commitment to making all aspects of the buying process as seamless for its customers as possible . Clare comments : “ It may seem like a simple task , but we needed to be sure that the service was slick and provided real value to our customers , not be just another clunky online ordering system .”
Take-up of the system has been high , proving the company has succeeded in its aim . For Clare , it ’ s the details that set the system apart . She says : “ Customers can access the portal at any time , view previous orders and quotations and reorder from them too . Products are easily accessible and detail customer-specific pricing and order quantities , saving time and simplifying their ordering process .”
It doesn ’ t stop there . She commented : “ Orders are linked directly to our ERP system . It speeds up processing time and ensures there are no administrative errors – our customers get exactly what they ordered , first time and on time .”
Carl F Groupco provides an extensive range of premium quality window and door hardware . It operates nationally , including to the Scottish Highlands and offshore islands , from distribution centres in Peterborough and Cumbernauld .
With a dedicated focus on delivering a customer-centric service , the company underscores the significance of supporting its customers at every level . Clare concluded : “ We recognise that almost everything in our product inventory can be found elsewhere , making our distinct customer service and technical support the true differentiator .”
www . carlfgroupco . co . uk
Expanding software team in India
» IN THEIR CONTINUING MISSION to become the world ’ s finest app for selling windows and doors , Tommy Trinder have opened an office in India to help fast-track software development .
“ Despite nearly ten years of relentless development of the Tommy platform , we ’ re still brimming with ideas for exciting new features that we can build into the app ,” says founder and CEO Chris Brunsdon . “ Our new office will help us deploy even more quickly and bring to market more and more tools to help installers wow customers , win orders , save time and cut out error .”
Tommy Trinder ’ s new centre , based in Coimbatore , Southwest India , will be staffed by three full time software developers initially , with an ambition to grow the offshore programming team to ten by the end of 2024 .
“ India has a vast pool of talented software engineers who are proficient in using the latest technologies and frameworks ,” explains the firm ’ s Chief Technology Officer , Robert Franks . Our first three recruits – Dinesh , Shwetha and Siddharth – have hit the ground running and we are already seeing an up-tick in product development .”
The team ’ s first new feature , an online ‘ Parts Shop ’, goes live this this month . Shipped free to Tommy Trinder subscribers , Parts Shop will give installers access to a user-definable library of ancillaries such as skips , access equipment , trims and building materials that can be added to a quote in one click .
“ It ’ s a great feeling to be building new features for our customers 24 hours a day .” Says Robert . “ The time zone difference means that when our Indian development team has completed their work for the day , our in-house team is just starting . It means we are genuinely working aroundthe-clock to build out new features to help installers sell .”
With over 480 window firms using Tommy Trinder for selling , and 20 more joining every month , the firm hopes its expanded team will help cement its position as market leader .
www . tommytrinder . com
102 NOVEMBER 2023 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM