Certex UK one of the nation's leading lifting gear distributors is offering even greater levels of customer care thanks to a recent streamlining of its services.
The company now operates five distinct divisions - sales and product supply; servicing and maintenance; offshore; defence; and equipment for the playground industries - enabling customers to deal directly with the part of the organisation most relevant to their requirements.
The end result is simpler ordering processes and faster response and delivery times, with the added convenience for customers of being able to source their product and service needs from a single point of contact.
Customers ringing the main Certex number 0845 230 7475 will reach a central reception service that will either handle the enquiry immediately or forward it to the appropriate division.
All product enquiries and orders are now handled by the Product Supply Division, located at Certex's central warehouse and manufacturing facility at Harworth, Nottinghamshire. This is supported by two regional supply points in Caerphilly, servicing South Wales, and in Erith (London), covering the South East.
The Service Division based in Wakefield deals with all nationwide service enquiries and coordinates the activities of the company's engineers - based strategically throughout the country to give optimum coverage - who will then go out to the customer. This division has its own dedicated telephone number (0845 026 4325) but enquirers can still reach the division using the main Certex number.
The Offshore Division based in Aberdeen and Great Yarmouth provides a complete product and service solution for the offshore market.
The Defence Division - operating from Devonport and Portsmouth - offers a comprehensive service to the MOD and its prime contractors and the defence industry.
The fifth division at Gloucester operates a specialist sales and manufacturing location for rope related assemblies for the playground industry, as well as offering a full range of products and services to the local area.
Charles Gillespie, Director of Sales and Marketing at Certex UK, explains why the company has chosen to adopt this centralised approach in favour of the previous system which had the majority of general service and product enquiries being dealt with by the regional branches.
"We were finding that most of our customers were no longer requiring direct access to their regional centres as Certex sales staff and engineers were visiting them at their own premises."
A new company-wide computer system also means that the company has been able to streamline product ordering, with stock now being controlled and dispatched from designated sources within the organisation, rather than being held in smaller quantities at the various regional centres.
"We are confident that this new divisional structure will make all our services more efficient and cost effective, which will be of ultimate benefit to our customers," said Charles Gillespie. "The regional centre approach has worked well for us in the past but customer requirements have changed and we are keen to reflect this in our working practices."