Number one priority

Peter Wheeler, managing director at retail installer SEH BAC, says customer care is the number one priority, and AdminBase has enabled it to achieve its goals.

Having been in an operations management role for over 24 years in the double-glazing industry I have witnessed a real step change in the customer’s priorities.

It’s no longer all about having good products or carrying out a nice neat installation; customer service is seen as the number one priority at SEH BAC. We must as an industry look at how we live up to the customers’ expectations and more.

SEH BAC sells windows in PVCU, aluminium and timber together with a full range of doors, conservatories and roofline products and we offer our customers assurances that include membership of Fensa, Trustmark and the Trading Standards office ‘Approved Code’, as part of our commitment to a great customer experience.

Along with the rest of the home improvement industry we were denied access to our customers during the first lockdown, but despite the impact this had on the business, we reported a 13.5% increase during the summer months following the resumption of business. And, despite the industry-wide supply issues that are also impacting on our operations, we have a healthy order book going into 2021.

Among the tools and mechanisms we apply to ensure full implementation of our customer service commitment, AdminBase is particularly instrumental.

The Dashboard and checklist notifications within AdminBase allow us to track a customer’s order through our processes, providing each of our administrators with alerts to allow them to review progress. And as each stage is completed, at the click of a mouse button the system sends the customer an email or text update direct to their mobile device, to keep them informed of the progress of their order.

This happens throughout the process, also including remedial works and right through to the account being paid and all works completed. The dashboard lead times are set to your requirements and you can write your own scripts to personalise them to your business; set up is also very user friendly.

AdminBase, which is developed, installed and maintained by Hampshire-based Ab Initio Systems, is used throughout SEH BAC. We use the dashboard and automated notifications for all aspects of processing conservatory orders for example, which also assists us in dealing with planning applications and permissions.

All warranty work, such as it is, is also managed through AdminBase.

We have received fantastic feedback from our customers. The constant updates allow our customers to feel relaxed, which removes the worry they might feel when engaging companies in our industry; they know that we are in total control of their project.

However, the added benefit to us as a business is that we have seen a massive drop in phone calls to us chasing progress, allowing us to operate with fewer administrators, so the system pays for itself.

If you’re serious about customer service, then AdminBase will provide you with a huge advantage over the competition.