10
OCTOBER 2013 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
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.
“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.”
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.