The importance of an open dialogue
By Ben Brocklesby, director at Origin.
We pride ourselves on the close relationship with have with each of our partners. We are always looking for new ways of demonstrating their importance and making sure that they feel like part of the Origin family. We strive to help them grow their businesses by innovating new products, offering unrivalled marketing, technical and aftersales support, and creating bespoke systems to make their day-to-day lives easier.
However, one aspect of the partner relationship that we don’t often talk about is the importance we place on the sharing of knowledge and expertise. We provide training to our partners to ensure they have the skills necessary to deliver the best in class fitting of our products.
The value of sharing information works both ways. Our partners work at the coal face of the industry, speaking to homeowners on a daily basis. We know they are able to pick up insights and trends quickly, and this information is vital. For example, a product that the consumer is calling out for, or perhaps innovating an existing Origin product to make it more end-user friendly. When this feedback is passed on, it gives us an opportunity to assess the gap in the market and action if appropriate.
In the last year alone, we were able to launch a new slimline window (OW-70) and a French window. In addition to this, and because of the insights from our partners, we revamped our Residential (front) Door offering. Going from 35 panel options, we have now got 10 panel options, and these are spread across two ranges – The Kensington and Sandringham range – making the decision process more concise and clearer for homeowners.
From speaking to our partners, it became apparent that we were offering too much choice when it came to our Residential Door, so we listened and then reinvented our solution. Lead time was also identified to be improved, so we have invested and now, The Kensington range is available on a one-week lead time in the most popular colours. The Sandringham range has a three-week lead time, but the panels are available in any of the RAL colours and as a dual colour option. This transformation has allowed us to keep our breadth of offering, but means that our partners can be more focused and strategic in their selling processes.
Anyone who works with us knows that the benefits of being an Origin partner are huge. However, the respect and value we place in each of them is perhaps unsung. We see our partners as an integral part of the Origin business, and we understand how important it is to have open dialogue with them on a regular basis.
