When it comes to selecting a contractor for a new project, there are a host of factors that contribute to the decision process.
As a metal fabrication company, we have looked to find some key areas that make the decision process easier for others.
From discussing with some of our clients, lets share what makes others say, ‘we’d like to work with you.’
Here are some key areas that assist the decision making process when it comes to selecting a new contractor.
Best Practice As A Function
It goes without saying that businesses need systems in place. Structure is key for consistency.
Whilst the Jack Arnold UK company structure is different from what it was a few years ago, one thing that we have become is self sufficient. By having more of a responsibility, the systems have to be robust. We have in-house design, fabrication, manufacturing and installation, as well as introducing new complementary product lines in the shape of powder coating and zinc spraying.
When you have control and operate a tight ship, the ability to highlight the processes that are in place is key.
The Internal Organisation
An organisation has to be robust and the teams within the business, need to be transparent.
At Jack Arnold UK Metal Fabrication, every person that a customer comes into contact with is an Jack Arnold UK employee. The organisation is structured around an in-house team, who are familiar with the projects, the processes and the people.
When you are led by someone else, namely when outsourcing becomes a continuous action, you are at the whim and timeline of someone else with their own pressures and deadlines.
If you can highlight and have access to internal systems, this allows you to have control by determining lead times and keep to agreed client programmes.
Stability Is Valued
A harmonious team is important to ensure familiarity, not just with clients but within the business.
Employee turnover at Jack Arnold UK is not very high. Whilst the company has seen many faces over fifty years, what the company has in 2017 is stability and people who are well aware of the needs and circumstances of our clients.
When staff are part of a team and their contribution is continually valued, they aren’t inclined to necessarily look at other opportunities. One of the reasons people look around, is when they feel their contribution isn’t valued.
Availability & Being Present
From the email response, to the site meeting, being accessible represents the little things that go a long way.
When it comes to out of hours phone calls we use another team to respond, however during the working day there will always be member of the Jack Arnold UK team to have that conversation and respond.
The thing that makes everything easier is that speaking directly to a member of staff, actions can be put in place. From a quote, to booking a time in the diary for a site visit, everything is cohesive and part of a system (see point one).
If that point of contact on the phone, becomes the person who can go through the job in person, helps to build a rapport. The world does not need to operate in relentless automated messages, being personal and personable can go a long way when it comes to the selection criteria. The businesses we are all part of represent how other people perceive us.
Knowledge & Consistency Keeps Momentum
If a company has the ability to show initiative and experience to lead decision making, then helps position as a trusted source.
At Jack Arnold UK, the metal fabrication industry has been something we have been consistent and participated within for decades. If this was an industry discipline we had been focusing on for only a few years, then this changes the whole perception of a company that has had a presence within a marketplace for generations.
Industry Association Linked To Credibility
When you are an official member of an industry association, this helps the communication with prospects and customers alike. It’s the peace of mind stamp of authority.
By having accreditation is a way of saying that you take business seriously and participate in improving the industry as a whole. At Jack Arnold UK we believe that having an association with an industry body means that we care about the marketplace we represent and the people we work with.
Lets Conclude
Within the competitive marketplaces we operate within, when it comes to being chosen, being relevant and having the ability to back up an approach is when others recognise you ahead of someone else.
By being transparent, flexible and be able to show the continual proof to how the heart beat of the business works, can go a long way to give peace of mind to others, that the final choice was a natural and correct one to make.
What about you? If you want to have a chat with those we have worked with over the years and that the calibre of work fits your side, then we are happy to direct that conversation.
If you have a project that you’d like to discuss in more detail, call us on 0208 8070098 or email info@jackarnolduk.com
