10
SEPTEMBER 2014 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
Successful deliveries
CAN SAVE TRADES
MILLIONS, SAYS
IRONGMONGERYDIRECT
IronmongeryDirect has announced it
has a 98.5% delivery success rate for
being on time the first time, which
it says can help tradespeople save
millions of pounds a year.
IronmongeryDirect estimates that failed
deliveries cost tradespeople £13.6 million
each year in lost time, with work having to
be cancelled or delayed when vital packages
don’t arrive as promised.
As part of its commitment to customer
service, the firm carried out a series of focus
groups in January to discover what shoppers
want from an online supplier. This found
that the biggest online annoyance for tradespeople is failed deliveries as it can hold up
jobs from being completed on time.
The research also found that tradespeople
want the option of timed delivery slots so
they have a better idea of when the goods
will arrive ahead of a job.
Following the outcomes of the research,
the firm has introduced a number of service
enhancements including delivery notifications so customers will receive texts and
emails after they place their order to let
them know when their parcel has been dispatched. Customers will also receive updates
on the day of delivery so they will know
what time to expect their order. They can
also track this online.
To guarantee that tradespeople get the
products they need when they need them,
IronmongeryDirect has even introduced
guaranteed morning delivery from just
£2.50.
Customers can order up to 8pm for fast
next working day delivery and even up
to 3.30pm on Sunday for Monday delivery, which is free for all orders over £45.
IronmongeryDirect has also enhanced its
service to include text and email notifica-
New Service to Boost
Self Build Housing
A new service which can link self
builders up with suitable local contractors has been launched by the
Federation of Master Builders (FMB),
with the support of the National
Custom and Self Build Association
(NaCSBA).
This new service is the first of its kind in
the UK and can be accessed via links from
the Self Build Portal, NaCSBA’s comprehensive online resource for self builders.
The FMB’s Find a Self Build Contractor
service is free to use and draws on a database of over 1,500 local contractors with design and build and self build capabilities.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB,
said: “Interest in self build solutions is
growing stronger every day and the government is now putting in place policies
which should help more people to realise
the vision of building their own home. As
this happens, self builders will need a pool
of capable and experienced contractors
and a trusted means of finding the right
one. That’s why the FMB has created this
service and we’re very pleased to have been
able to team up with NaCSBA to deliver
this through the Self Build Portal. This is
the product of the building industry and
tions, specific delivery spots and tracking
orders. Orders can be placed via the website
or by calling the customer contact centre,
now open from 7am to 8pm, seven days a
week. Options to rearrange delivery times or
leave the parcel with a neighbour are also
available.
Wayne Lysaght-Mason IronmongeryDirect
MD, said: “Late deliveries cost the economy
an estimated at £851 million a year, £13.6
million of which we believe relates to time
and money lost by tradespeople in the UK,
which is why we’re proud at IronmongeryDirect to maintain a high quality delivery
service. By delivering on time, we can guarantee that tradespeople will not lose money
waiting for essential items for a project.
“With new offerings such as the ‘Follow
My Parcel’ GPS tracking of delivery vans,
customers have new levels of confidence
about delivery times. We also work with a
range of specialist courier partners to ensure
we deliver our customer orders the next day,
including long length items which are up to