60
MAY 2015 PRO INSTALLER
PRO BUSINESS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
ARE YOUR AUTOMATED MENUS
LOSING YOU BUSINESS?
Automated Menus Can Lose 55% of Potential Customers
UK consumers are demanding businesses – including professional
services companies - call time on
automated call answering services,
according to new research by alldayPA.
Launch of
new Code of
Professional
Practice
The survey, which questioned 1,000 members of the public, found that over half (55%)
would take their custom away from companies that relied on automated call answering and voicemails, rather than providing a
human voice on the end of the phone.
An even greater percentage (71%) said
that, when they are shopping around, a
business having automated call answering
would make them more likely to choose an
alternative supplier.
The infuriating practice of having to navigate complicated automated menus or leave
a recorded message is considered to be
on a par with rude or unhelpful customer
service, according to the survey.
Customers find financial services companies and professional services (e.g. solici-
The National Insulation Association
(NIA) is pleased to announce the introduction of a new Code of Professional Practice (CoPP) specifically
for installer members working in the
New Build and Commercial sectors.
The new CoPP has been designed to give
additional reassurance and peace of mind to
specifiers, developers, architects and builders and to highlight the quality, standards
and professionalism they can expect from
an NIA member. Therefore, NIA Members
should be the preferred choice for their
upcoming projects.
All NIA installer members working in
the new build or commercial sectors will
have to follow the new code which contains standards for; Training/Accreditation,
Technical Competence, Health & Safety,
Insurance, Complaint Handling, Service
Levels, Quality Assurance, Technical Advice
& Support, Client Care, Approved Products/
Materials and Guarantees.
Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of the NIA
commented: “We advise specifiers, funders
and project managers looking for insulation
installers to work on New Build and Commercial projects to use our members who
have signed up to this new code. It will ensure they get the highest possible standards
from within the industry. The NIA is the
lead trade body for insulation measures in
the UK and our members can provide multi
measure solutions.
“Insulation companies involved in the New
Build and Commercial sectors should join
the NIA as our CoPP will set them apart
from others.
“We have also introduced a free ‘expressions of interest’ service for specifiers and
funders whereby we will issue project
specifications together with expressions of
interest and tender requests to our members
on their behalf saving them time and money
in locating insulation companies.”
tors or accountants) that use such services
the most irritating, followed by travel
businesses, like transport companies and
travel agents.
When it comes to speaking to companies, consumers place great importance on
speaking to a human being, on the person
on the other end of the phone answering
quickly (at least within 10 rings) and being
able to answer basic questions, such as
opening times, providing directions or giving an idea of costs.
Customers are more forgiving when it
comes to not getting the exact person that
they are calling for, or having detailed
questions answered straightaway. As long
as they have been able to explain their
query to a person, the majority (62%) are
happy to get an answer later in the day or
by email.
David Joseph, board executive at alldayPA, (pictured) said: “Automated call
answering is often used by businesses to
save money; however, such practices can
often end up costing money in lost customers and sales.
“These findings show just how much people value being able to reach a real person
when they have a query or a problem.”
www.alldaypa.com
Construction industry
confidence hits nine-year peak
Optimism about growth in the building sector is booming, with business
confidence at a nine-year high, the
results of a survey suggest.
Well over half (57%) of the construction
buyers polled as part of the latest construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI) say
they are expecting output to increase over
the coming 12 months.
Just 3%, meanwhile, think their output will
drop, signalling the highest level of confidence seen in the industry since the early
part of 2006.
The latest activity reading in the PMI,
which is compiled by Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply
(CIPS), came in at 57.8
While this is a drop on the 60.1 score seen
in February, it is still far above the 50 level
that separates growth from decline.
Since February, the best performing
sub-sectors have been house-building and
commercial construction, while volumes of
new business continued to rise strongly in
March, the PMI shows.
Most of the managers reporting that their
firms’ new orders are rising say they feel
it is down to increased demand from their
clients and better economic conditions.
The report also suggests that strong demand for building materials has contributed
to increased prices.
Tim Moore, Markit’s senior economist and
the author of the monthly index, said the
growth in construction output has continued at a strong pace in the first part of
2015, adding that confidence about further
growth over the coming year is buoyant.
He said: “UK construction companies
are highly upbeat about their prospects
for growth over the course of the next 12
months, helped by improving economic
fundamentals, strong order books and a
healthy pool of new invitations to tender.”
CIPS’ chief executive, David Noble, said
that while the construction industry’s strong
recovery is continuing, the way is being led
by the housing and commercial construction sectors.
He said: “The main take-away from this
month must be the highest levels of confidence seen in the construction sector for
almost a decade.
“Though there may be some low-level
obstacles still to come, the sector gets the
green light as there is evidently belief that
the future for the construction sector is a
sustainable one.”
For more information visit www.citb.co.uk