8
APRIL 2015 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
New showroom brings benefits
Not many window companies
can claim a 44-year reputation
for quality and service so
when VEKA approved installer
Charles Grosvenor Ltd decided to move into retail and
launch its first showroom; it
was a natural step to look for
a fabricator with the same
track record.
Five years of
social media
Leading PVCue roofline and window-line
manufacturer, Kestrel, is heading into its
fifth year of using social media and says
that engagement is at an all-time high.
The brand has regular updates on its Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+
channels, which it uses as
part of a wider communications strategy.
Sales and marketing director of
the Kestrel brand, Simon Reynolds, said: “When we entered into
social media we were focused very
much at building our numbers of
followers.
“That focus has changed more
recently to engagement and interaction.”
Simon explained that the brand
has used its social media channels
to highlight the work of Kestrel
registered installers and developments in distributors’ businesses.
It has also used social media to
guide people to useful product
information and materials and
communicate news such as its
latest delivery levels and introduce
members of the Kestrel team.
“Social media has helped us talk
about the things that matter to
our customers such as information
on OTIF (on time in full) delivery
rates and signposting them to the
Kestrel staff able to offer help and
advice, such as our estimating
department and customer services
team,” Simon explained.
“Often this information is
shared by out distributors, so that
they can help inform their own
customers about Kestrel products.”
In turn this focus on engagement through social media has
led to an increase in website traffic. Kestrel has also added links
to its social media channels on its
website www.kbp.co.uk.
“We have been working with
Tony Crutcher Ltd to deliver
Kestrel’s PR and social media and
their input has been very valuable,” Simon added. “With their
help we have been able to ensure
that messages are timely, carried
out to a high standard and of
genuine interest to customers.”
The company supplies a wide
range of PVCue building products
extending to more than 800 products, the majority of which are
BBA and BS Kitemark approved.
For more information
visit www.kbp.co.uk
The Redditch-based family
business had been manufacturing
windows for three years, mainly in
support of its long-established core
function of loft conversions. But
when the decision came to develop
the window retail side and open a
showroom, the company turned to
Glazerite Windows Ltd because of
its all-round package of products
and support, as Manager Jim Adcock explained:
“We were planning a major shift
towards retail, including investing
in a showroom for the first time. We
already had experience of Glazerite
through a few products we had
bought in so we knew we could depend on them for the kind of support we would need as well as the
quality and range of the products.
He continued: “We started to see
benefits from the showroom as
soon as it opened. As well as getting
a few walk-ins as expected, we now
have somewhere to show our prod-
ucts directly to our existing customers, including a few new ones we
had just quoted for. It’s early days
yet but the new side of the busines 0