Premier Windows and Doors signed-up to ‘EVA’, Emplas’ customer sales support package a little over a year ago, since when business has been booming.
“We’re at least 25 per cent up on the previous year”, explains Gary Warby, Managing Director, Premier Windows and Doors. “The results that we have seen have been phenomenal. What’s also important is that we have achieved what we have achieved without risk, because we’re only doing what’s been proven to work for T&K.”
This is the key feature of EVA – the Emplas Virtual Assistant. A trade sales and marketing support package, everything that’s offered by Emplas is tried, tested – and most importantly, proven – through T&K Home improvements, its own retail business.
FACTBOX: EVA at a glance
- Website builds
- SEO
- Quotation tools
- E-Marketing
- Call-tracking Sales/administrative support
- DGCOS registration
- Which registration
- 24/7 ordering and real time tracking
Accessed through a unique user ID and login, the online tool was launched by Emplas in March 2015. It’s formed around a simple dashboard, which provides access to suite of sales and support tools.
There are quick links to ‘Your Leads’, an Instant online Quote Builder’ and a link to the Emplas Portal, which allows customers to place orders and track deliveries, on a drop down menu and at the top of the platform and a suite of 10 ‘clickable tiled ‘support options.
These include options for a ‘New Website’, Quotation Software, e-marketing, call tracking, ‘My Personal Assistant’, ‘Which’, SEO, T&Cs and DGCOS membership. Each lead generation and support activity is underwritten by examples of what the activity has delivered for T&K.
The ‘pick n mix’ support package is also fully scalable. SEO support, for example, can be adapted to individual requirements ranging from full support to individual elements. This includes keywords, geo-targeted link building, platform and Google + optimisation, monthly reporting and competitor research. What is critical is that as evidenced by T&K, all of this activity has been refined to work in window and door retail.
“If we spend on something, we can be more or less certain that we’re going to see a return” continues Gary.
“That’s been a real advantage, with the website build and its promotion. We target our spend on what has worked for T&K, we aren’t throwing money away on activity that isn’t going to work.”
With the Premier Windows and Doors website now delivering a steady flow of leads, the Aylesbury installer has worked with the T&K/Emplas team to deliver a new direct marketing campaign. Launched over the summer over a three-week period, it delivered a 150 per cent increase in new business enquiries compared to the same time last year.
Gary continues: “This is one of the good things about it. It’s not just all digital but there’s ‘real’ support their too. We were able to give the Emplas team our database, which they then cleansed and which we used to push out a direct mail campaign.
“Over three weeks the leads just kept on coming in. Clearly you still have to go in and sell and we didn’t pick up on each and everyone but overall the results were very impressive and we won business on the back of it.”
EVA also features a‘Your Leads’ tool, developed by Emplas to automatically collate lead generation details from installer websites in an easy-to-manage tool. This gives the status of the lead from initial enquiry, right the way through to quotation and ultimately point of order.
Gary continues: “We found that as a lead management tool the visibility that we were getting was so good that we took a decision to use it to manage all of our leads. Newspapers, radio, Pay-Per-Click our showroom leads – they’re tracked through the EVA Your Leads tool. We can see exactly what’s working and the quality of leads that are being generated.”
EVA is also fully integrated with Emplas’ online ordering system and portal. The bar coded manufacturing process allows Emplas installers to not only place orders online but to track production through the factory and right the way through to dispatch and ultimately to the point of delivery – including notification 30 minutes ahead of arrival!
“This is probably one of the biggest things for us – we have got rid of the paperwork. It’s faster to order and you can go back to your customers with definitive installation times”, says Gary.
He concludes: “Across the board EVA saves us time and money. Those things in business are pretty valuable.”
To find out more email [email protected] or call 01933 674880.
