June/July 2020

Online Ordering
HARDWARE & ACCESSORIES
THE 'NEW NORMAL' WAY TO BUY
As online purchasing becomes a necessity for fabricators, Gary Gleeson, marketing manager
at hardware specialist VBH, explains how transferring our personal shopping habits to our
working lives can help the industry get back on its feet.
Every single one of us
has had their personal
and work lives
turned upside down in
recent months by either the
coronavirus itself, or by the
measures put in place to help us
overcome it.
While the front line heroes have been working
miracles to care for the sick or to keep us fed
and safe, the majority of us have been sent home
from our usual places of work, either on the
government’s job retention (furlough) scheme or,
like me, to find a quiet room where we can work
remotely as best we can.
VBH took the decision to stay open, operating
a skeleton crew covering all aspects of the
business. Many of us have had to learn new skills
or rediscover old ones. I, for instance, have been
helping out with technical queries where I can
(massive respect to our usual technical advisors
Colin Russell and Paul Barthrop – they do a
marvellous job!).
We stayed open to service urgent requirements
from our customers who were engaged in
providing vital services and products, and
we were able to do so safely. We had a small
team coming into the Gillingham warehouse
as required to deal with orders processed by
customer service team leader Louise working
from her dining room.
As more of the industry has returned to work in
recent weeks, we have increased the numbers of
staff gradually, to cope with demand.
Many of our customers are in the same situation
as us of course, with factory staff returning to the
company premises, while admin staff
continue to work remotely from home,
dealing with incoming enquiries and
ordering stock from suppliers. This is
all part of the ‘new normal’ that we are
all adjusting to.
Above: Gary Gleeson
However, your suppliers, including hardware
companies such as VBH, are only available during
working days and hours, and as fabricators and
installers strive to get everything back in place,
many are working outside of these hours.
When high street shops and malls closed in March,
pretty much all commerce in our personal lives
was carried out via the internet. More people have
realised that buying online for work at a time that
suits them makes perfect sense, too. Buying their
hardware online is an option that many had not
previously considered, but that is changing.
“Buying hardware
online is an option
that many had not
previously considered,
but that is changing”
Having access to an online shop is nothing new
to VBH customers. In fact, we’ve been banging
on about the merits of buying online since we
launched our first webshop more than 20 years
ago. As well as placing orders, registered users
of our VBH24 online facility can check prices and
stocks and also generate specs for complicated
products such as bi-fold doors or tilt and turn
sets, before ordering them with just a few clicks.
Accounts teams find VBH24 useful too, as they
have access to invoices.
Companies of all sizes now use VBH24 for their
hardware purchases. These range from our very
largest customers ordering several pallets at a time,
through to small operations who like the fact that
they only need to spend £100 to get free delivery.
I mentioned earlier that many of us have been
covering roles that we don’t normally deal with.
This is also true of our customers. Many buyers or
technical staff have remained on furlough when
their companies have begun a phased return to
work. This has led to other people stepping into
the breach and doing the best they can; but these
people have a difficult job and need support from
their suppliers. In the case of VBH, we can set up
favourites lists within VBH24 to make ordering as
easy as possible for stand-in and full time buyers.
We’ve seen a big uptake in the number of
customers requesting access to VBH24. Feedback
from these new users is that it has been a great
help to them in organising their purchases after
returning from lockdown. They advise that it will
now be their ‘new normal’ way of ordering.
Contact VBH (GB):
01634 263300
www.vbhgb.com
@VBHGB
42 T F JUNE/JULY 2020 CONNECTING THE WINDOW, DOOR & ROOF FABRICATION SUPPLY CHAIN