Door Industry Journal - Winter 2021

THE door industry journal winter 2021 Domestic Garage Doors Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 46 The Next Piece of the Puzzle As the business enters the next stage of investment, Paul Murphy unveils the next piece of the puzzle that will solidify Novoferm’s position as the reliable supplier of choice. Novoferm MD Robin Baker recently set out his vision for the business, speaking on the goal of becoming the reliable supplier of choice and the investment that would make this happen. This sizeable investment was geared towards bringing about much-needed changes. The first of these changes were internal and saw the purchase of new machinery and the hiring of new personnel. The goal was to improve lead-time reliability, quality, and bring about a culture change. Now, as the business moves towards the next stage of this endeavour, the focus shifts to the external elements of the business. Enter Paul Murphy and the sales team – the next piece of the puzzle. A Challenging Time The business has seen many challenges these last few months, with internal issues compounded by the unfortunate reality that is COVID. A new era for the company necessitated the need for new blood and experienced personnel alike, yet COVID essentially slowed recruitment, making this a difficult process to overcome. This issue served to hinder efforts to reform an internal staff culture that was in desperate need of change. For Novoferm to expand, it was necessary to work through these challenges. Fortunately, Novoferm fought for this change, and these last few months have seen a massive turnaround as the company strives to be both the reliable door supplier of choice and a great place to work. An improvement in staff culture has occurred as the business continues to build an exceptional team through coaching, training, development, and incentivisation. But there is still more work to be done. With the relaxing of COVID restrictions, recruitment challenges have finally been overcome, and so Novoferm has been able to hire the people needed to bring about a new era. Introducing the New Regional Sales Managers The first step was to hire not one but two new regional sales managers – Alan Fraser and Lawrence Durham. Alan had previously worked with Paul, who now heads up the Novoferm sales team, back in the 90s. He had previously sent his CV to Novoferm, but the company were unable to recruit him owing to the pandemic. Alan finally joined the business on the 1st of September and is now the regional sales manager covering Scotland and the Northeast of England. Paul notes that Alan is a skilful account manager with excellent communication skills. He brings a wealth of experience to the role, having previously worked in the industry as a regional sales manager. Paul feels that Alan’s experience (external door industries, housebuilders, and garage door specialists), skills and knowledge of the door industry will reinforce the sales team. Alan’s role with the business will be to look after and manage housebuilders garage door specialists. He is also responsible for looking after and growing the customer base and exploring new opportunities. Lawrence is a young recruit at just 30 years of age, but he has eight years of experience under his belt working in the construction industry as an area sales manager. His operational area is Central and Eastern England, and his role is to deal with specialist companies and the Builder’s Merchant in the UK. He is also responsible for bringing new perspectives and ideas to help entice like- minded individuals while driving the business forward. This is vital for Novoferm’s growth as, while experience is certainly needed, Lawrence’s addition to the team brings with it a perspective Novoferm previously lacked. Looking Outwards to the Future Alan and Lawrence join a solid and motivated team with the view of taking the business to the next level, delivering lead-time reliability and exceptional customer service. They join one of the company’s newest recruits, Alison Jarrett, who joined the business as the new customer service manager. Her role will be integral for improving external function and improving the customer experience. With this next stage of the plan coming together, the next important piece of the Novoferm Puzzle is about to slot into place. With it, the customer experience will be forever changed with the team ready to deliver on what has been promised. Despite the challenging periods and the difficulties that COVID has brought, Novoferm has successfully weathered the storm. The business is ready to emerge with a new vision and a whole new outlook as a great place to work and as the industry’s number one reliable door supplier of choice. www.novoferm.co.uk