FEATURE MERCHANT SOFTWARE
Getting to Grips with Post-Brexit Price Hikes Chris Fisher, UK operations director at ECI Software Solutions, explores some of the ways builders’ merchants can alleviate disruption and price hikes – while still offering a high quality service.
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A report by Money.co.uk found that homeowners have
It also minimises the chance of oversights or mistakes, which could be
spent £55 billion on renovations since the start of
costly and time-consuming to put right.
lockdown, with 73% intending to spend more time at home, even as restrictions slowly ease. As the nation
Advanced reporting
spends its savings and spare time on home improvement, orders for
Global supply chain issues at the beginning of the pandemic
construction materials continue to surge. But timber and builders’
highlighted how fragile modern supply chains can be, not just in
merchants across the UK are facing another challenge that could
construction but every sector. For merchants, it only underlined the
reduce the availability of key materials.
importance of up-to-the-minute business insights that inform effective
Alongside the obvious supply chain problems caused by Covid-19,
decision-making. While pandemic-related supply disruption was short-
Brexit is also causing a headache for merchants. Price increases and
lived, it’s not yet clear what the impact of Brexit will be. Whatever
materials shortages are expected to last well into the summer –
happens, you may be faced with making rapid decisions and this is when
precisely the time when garden and landscaping projects are stepped
having all the information you need at your fingertips is crucial.
up. Some 58% of UK firms are now also experiencing longer border
A cloud-based business management system, which can link your
delays due to Brexit, compounded by the new import requirements
reporting with key documents and details, saves valuable time and helps
introduced in April, with more due in July.
to increase accuracy. For even more efficiency, look for one that works
Orders might be healthy, but to maintain exceptional customer
via specific employee permission-based access, giving you control over
service you need to streamline your operations. With overheads,
sensitive information without losing time on extra layers of security.
additional costs and timelines changing daily, your sales, finance and
Tasks such as referring to previous customer orders, noting down specific
other back office processes should allow you to be flexible as demand
order requirements and accessing order summaries or account balances
changes, maximising sales opportunities and maintaining cash flow.
are made simple and easy. This sets you apart from the competition at a time when customer service and communication is key.
Fast and accurate decision-making
Working with a cloud-based system, this data is instantly available
Juggling the day-to-day responsibilities of a busy merchant’s yard is
within a few clicks, allowing you to respond quickly to customer
already challenging but processing high order volumes in an uncertain
enquiries. Even if you are experiencing shortages or delays, being able
climate will put every fast-paced business to the test. As requests and
to offer accurate waiting times or product alternatives could mean the
updates from buyers and suppliers build up, you need to be able to
difference between a lost sale and a loyal customer.
respond quickly and accurately. Relying on separate spreadsheets and
Just as the industry has weathered the disruptions caused by
physical documents could lead to errors, particularly as information and
Covid-19, the next few months will see construction and materials
governance changes on a regular basis.
businesses facing unique challenges once more, as the impact of Brexit
This is where an electronic – ideally cloud-based – document
is truly felt. However, with the right technology it’s possible to adapt
management system is essential. Look for one that is capable of storing
your processes and make sound evidence-based decisions, which in turn
a number of formats including scans, invoices and key documents
help you to fulfil customer demands and deliver exceptional service
in a central database. This way you can manage, track and save all
even in challenging circumstances.
documents securely, and ensure they’re easy to access when you need them. Many of the day-to-day processes undertaken by staff can be
More at: www.ecisolutions.com/en-gb/builders-merchants-
streamlined which, over time, will add up to a significant time-saving.
software/spruce
Timber Trader UK Magazine
Summer 2021
26
www.timbermedia.co.uk
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