Taking customer feedback on board

It’s critically important for Liniar to listen and respond to customer feedback. We actively engage with customers across many different communication channels and platforms, and feed the results back into the business as part of a cycle of continuous improvement. Due to the complex nature of our supply chain, however, we were conscious that we didn’t always communicate with people at the sharp end – those fitting and using our products on a daily basis. Anecdotal comments are always good to hear, and a general lack of complaints is also a good indicator – but we wanted to get in touch with people to discover exactly what they thought of our products. So we set up a couple of online surveys, and sent them out to installers and consumers who had actively sent messages through our website.

What we asked

We received a really good response, which delivered some interesting insights. We asked a number of questions, including:

• how the respondent had discovered Liniar in the first place
• what made them decide to buy a particular product
• the factors that were important to them when choosing products
• their overall impression of the Liniar products they had purchased or fitted
• if they would recommend Liniar to their friends

We also gave respondents the option of giving us their own comments and feedback.

Online research

Of the homeowners who responded, 55% had found the Liniar website by carrying out their own research online. This shows the Liniar website is ranking well for key search terms, helping consumers to find us and helping us to pass enquiries onto our customer base of nationwide fabricators.

Referrals

The second highest source of consumer enquiries (38%) came from people to whom Liniar products had been recommended by their installer, friends or family.  This demonstrates the power of referrals, and was a pleasing statistic for us to read; people only recommend products or services when they are happy with them. Even better, every single respondent who had communicated with us through a referral went on to purchase Liniar products and were happy with their purchase!

The purchasing decision

Overall, less than 9% of enquirers had gone on to choose an alternative brand to Liniar – giving us an interesting insight into why purchasing decisions are made. Furthermore, 17% of respondents had not yet made a purchase, the survey giving us the opportunity to connect with them once more and help them along with their decision. This shows a high value purchase can go through several stages of engagement before a decision is made, especially for the end consumer.

Highest priorities

We asked respondents to rank a list of selling points in order of the relative priority they gave to each when deciding which product range to choose. Both sets of respondents selected the same three requirements, albeit in a slightly different order:

• Quality
• Guarantees
• Value for money

These priorities were closely followed by ‘Secure’ and ‘Attractive’. Lower down on the list were ‘Eco friendly’ (which was bottom for installers!), ‘Innovative’ and ‘Good choice of colours’ – although all scored an average result showing they were regarded as ‘Important’.

Brand familiarity

72% of installers who responded to our survey were already familiar with Liniar products, compared to just 5% of consumers – highlighting we have much greater brand awareness across the installer community.

Dealing with issues

The survey results also raised a few issues, which have been passed on to the relevant people to deal with and which enabled us to respond with a speedy reply. These issues may otherwise have gone unanswered.

95% recommend Liniar

The survey highlighted a gratifying statistic – more than 95% of consumers would recommend Liniar to their friends. This is a great reflection on our fabricator customers and the expert installers who’ve fitted our products into homes and properties all over the UK. And as we’re perfectionists at Liniar, we’re determined to work on the remaining 5%!

The right strategy

Our strategy of continuing to create new products for our customers to sell to the existing customers on their database has been reinforced by the survey results. By designing and investing in a range of matching products to complement our uPVC windows and doors, such as fascias and soffits, conservatory roof kits, decking and fencing, Liniar gives installers the opportunity to cross-sell to the same customer. This helps them to grow organically and increase the turnover and potential profit on each project. If installers purchase from a Liniar Approved Fabricator, they’ll have the satisfaction of knowing all products are built to last. Unlike some of our competitors, we don’t want to compete with our own customers by selling direct; focusing our efforts instead on new product design, extrusion and high quality foiling.

Summary

In conclusion, it can be quite scary to actively ask for customer feedback . You may not like what you hear, so it’s easier not to ask. But in our opinion, having confidence in our products and genuinely wanting to continuously improve for the benefit of customers means the benefits of asking questions are far greater than the risk of having to deal with any issues that arise. Our survey results gave us a great insight into the reasons people chose to buy Liniar, as well as opening up new channels of communication with people at the sharp end who use our products. We’re grateful to everyone who took the time to respond, and we’ll always continue to reply to anyone who’d like to get in touch at info@liniar.co.uk.