Roofline Roundup

Service and delivery are serious issues. Say it quickly, and they don’t sound complicated. We ought to get them right, so customers can get on with their business. But both service and delivery are surprisingly common problems in the industry. If they go on too long they can devastate a business, making it difficult for stockists to compete. And because stockists are the vital link between manufacturers and roofline installers the impact on the industry is magnified as installers find it hard to get what they want, when they want. As with any other quality issue, problems such as service or delivery grow bigger and pick up costs as they pass down the supply chain. Being at the end of the line, as installers are, is not much fun!

“When an installer orders from us,” observes a leading roofline stockist, “they expect stock to be there. If we let our customers down we lose business. It’s like a jigsaw – if you haven’t got all the bits in one place at one time you cannot complete it. The project stops and cash flow suffers. If too many projects are on hold, or you lose too many customers because they go elsewhere, your business is at risk.”

So how do you ensure you give customers good service and reliable deliveries?

Some companies take the high-tech route, relying on sophisticated computer systems and large scale investment in automated picking machinery to eliminate the human factor. Such systems can be effective, but they are costly and may take time to repay the investment. They also need a considerable amount of work to make sure the databases they rely on are accurate and up to date. But remember GIGO, the old adage about garbage-in garbage-out, applies to any computer system. If the quality of information you put in is poor it is not going to improve on the way out.

Others cling to the old ways, keeping their systems simple and accessible, and relying on their knowledge of the products and their customers, their suppliers and seasonal trends to balance stock and keep customers happy. But if they lose a key member of staff the whole system can unravel leaving customers equally exposed.

There is no off-the-shelf solution, no short cuts, whether you favour sophisticated systems or a more manual approach. Making sure you have what customers want, when they want it requires you to get to know them and their varying needs so you can over ride systems where necessary and apply a little common sense. It is not rocket science, but sometimes common sense can seem in short supply.