Creating Trust Within a Complex Supply Chain

A recent report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts an impending global economic downturn due to factors including rampant inflation and the war in Ukraine[1]. As a result, businesses serving the public, including PVCu window and door fabricators and installers, will need to work harder to secure their share of reduced consumer spending.

Removing purchase anxiety and reassuring customers they are making the right decision by choosing your products and services is a crucial part of this work. But with the fenestration industry having a complex (some may think confusing) supply chain, building trust can be tricky if customers do not fully understand the relationship between systems companies, fabricators, and installers.

A Source of Customer Insight

Liniar’s Customer Relations team receives many queries and enquiries directly from PVCu window and door end-users, meaning its team members can provide valuable insight into some of the concerns homeowners frequently express.

Customer Relations Advisor Imogen Bearder observes, “Since the cost-of-living crisis began, we have seen an increase in calls and emails from people wanting reassurance that fabricators and installers have a direct working relationship with Liniar.”

Besides showing there is an expectation from consumers that large manufacturers will vouch for connections further down the supply chain, this also highlights the important role quality assurance initiatives such as the Liniar Approved Fabricator scheme can play in boosting consumer confidence, by enabling fabricators who also install fenestration products to demonstrate their windows and doors are of a verifiably high quality.

Another area that can lead to purchase anxiety is a lack of communication. Talking to potential customers to understand their needs, avoid mis-selling, and lay the foundations for building trust seems like a no-brainer. However, once a lead has been converted and a payment has been made (for example, a deposit taken), the need for ongoing contact becomes even more important.

Viewed from the customer’s perspective it is easy to see why. Because windows and doors need time to be manufactured ready for fitting, there will be a period when the buyer has nothing to show for their money. This can be particularly stressful, and regular progress updates and transparency regarding any delays can significantly reduce post-purchase anxiety.

Imogen continues, “We have homeowners contacting us wanting to know if the lead-times they’ve been given are accurate or seeking explanations for setbacks. Sometimes they have tried contacting their chosen fabricator or installer without success and have turned to us as a last resort.”

She adds, “Generally, people seem more understanding of longer waiting times since the Covid-19 pandemic, but what we’re hearing is that not receiving any information at all makes them impatient and apprehensive.”

It’s important to recognise that during this stage of the process fabricators, installers, and the customer are all financially exposed. If customers get cold feet orders can be cancelled, and all parties could end up out of pocket.  Moreover, businesses leave themselves at the mercy of negative reviews which could have a significantly detrimental impact on their reputation.

Customer Satisfaction and Positive Word-of-Mouth Feedback

It is widely recognised that retaining existing customers is more cost-effective than acquiring new leads. Even in the PVCu windows and doors market where purchases in the consumer sector may be infrequent but high value, there are still plenty of opportunities for exceeding expectations to secure repeat business as well as generating extremely valuable positive word-of-mouth (WOM) feedback.

Partly because WOM circulates via people’s inner circles it is considered one of the most trusted forms of promotional communication. However, even recommendations from strangers are highly impactful with 90% of consumers stating they find word-of-mouth recommendations more influential than other marketing and advertising channels[2].

Providing high quality products and services is an established method of getting people talking about your business. The end-user concerns highlighted by Liniar’s Customer Relations team indicate becoming a partner with a systems company (e.g., via an audited quality assurance scheme) can benefit both fabricators and installers choosing them as suppliers. It enables them to give verifiable guarantees and demystify their place in the supply chain.

Combined with regular customer contact at every stage of the journey including post-install, these are substantial contributing factors in assuring product and service satisfaction, and generating customer advocacy, repeat custom, and WOM referrals.

To find out more about how to become a Liniar Approved Fabricator visit https://www.liniar.co.uk/approved-fab/

[1] https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2022/07/26/world-economic-outlook-update-july-2022

[2] https://www.semrush.com/blog/word-of-mouth-stats/