Clearview North October 2013 - Issue 143 | Page 58

CLEARVIEW EXCLUSIVE

HARDWARE&SECURITY

A TRAINING-CENTRED APPROACH
TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Last month, Grouphomesafe opened the doors to its new
purpose built Training Centre at the ERA site in Willenhall, West
Midlands, alongside the company’s UKAS-accredited test facility.
Eager to take a peak, Clearview
was lucky enough to be the first
magazine to be invited to visit
the new facility and meet with
Group Technical Director, Ben
Penson, and Head of Technical
Product Training, Graham
Loakes, to understand how this
new development marks a real
turning point in the cohesion
of the Grouphomesafe brands,
while maintaining the individual
strengths and expertise of each,
and how this offers added value
to its customers.
THE DRIVING FORCE

“Grouphomesafe is a significant
supplier in terms of volume but,
up till now, has been somewhat
of a sleeping giant that hasn’t
particularly shouted about our
progress,” explains Ben. “However,
we have begun to change this,
with product development being
the main driver. So it has become
necessary to introduce the Training
Centre in order to help our
customers to sell more effectively
the enhanced product offering and
its benefits.

“During the various training
sessions, Graham Loakes
demonstrates the advantages of
particular product enhancements,
such as security and improved
durability, to fabricators and
installers. We also equip them with
the tools to sell effectively and
realise the true value of the products
through price and customer
perception.
“The overall aim is the recognition
of an improved offer to customers
on all fronts,” continues Ben.
“The key elements of this are good
value, in terms of product, and
good experience, in terms of the
interaction the customer has with
us. It is very important that they
get exactly what they wanted when
make contact with us.”
MULTIPURPOSE

The Training Centre is an example
of how Grouphomesafe has
successfully integrated its various
brands and is now promoting a
unified company culture through
education and empowerment, to
the direct benefit of its customer
base.

“The Training Centre is not solely
for the use of our customers,” Ben
says. “It is also a place where staff
can come and brush up on their
product knowledge. This improves
job ownership and engagement
and, in turn, improves overall
customer satisfaction through the
product information and technical
advice they receive from us.
“After all, Grouphomesafe has
the widest range of products of any
supplier, offering solutions at all
levels, Optim, Maxim and Ultim.
It’s essential that our staff are able to
provide solutions to our customers
and be clear on the advantages
offered.

‘give them the
opportunity to try
the products out
for themselves, right
there and then’
“When customers and personnel
come to the Training Centre we
demonstrate the added value of
our products, through ease of
fitting, by taking them through the
technical setup and then give them
the opportunity to try the products
out for themselves, right there and
then,” adds Ben.
TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION

“The interaction that takes place
in the training room provides
a platform for feedback that
can be applied to the product
development process, giving us a
better understanding of the needs
and demands of the industry and
enabling us to find an appropriate
solution.”

58

OCT 2013

The Training Centre has its own
dedicated personnel headed up
by Head of Technical Product
Training, Graham Loakes, who
explains, “The ultimate goal is
for the Centre to be booked up
everyday. A reorganisation of
warehousing has made way for
a room that has been designed
especially for training, which creates
the right environment for freedom
of thought, where questions can
be asked and answered and where
ideas can be shared.”
“This is all a culmination of a
culture shift that has taken place
within the company, which came
as a result of an employee survey
where some disparity was evident.
The company-wide consolidation
that has now taken place builds
on an ethos that began years
ago but one that is now really
gaining momentum, with great
benefits to both customers and the
workforce.”
The Training Centre not only
marks an important stage of
the transition but also works
to reinforce and emphasise the
Grouphomesafe objectives and
values by creating a network of
informed and enthusiastic brand
advocates.
A full staff training programme
is currently underway and a
standard training course pack for
customers is available. Bespoke
training packages to suit specific
requirements are also available on
request.
Full details of the Grouphomesafe
Training Centre and the type of
course available can be found on
www.grouphomesafe.com.

To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com