I know that what I offer is pretty unique in our small world of commercial glazing; I am not a contractor or manufacturer, I am an extension to a team, an ambassador for my clients’ company, a library of technical information and foremost, I am someone that fit-out contractors can rely on to deliver.
Blimey, that might sound vainglorious but, I promise that I am just a down to earth and conscientious individual who always puts my clients’ needs first. This week has been a good case in point. On Friday afternoon, one of my clients asked if I could pop to site for a pre-start meeting after another site visit I had planned on Monday. Adorning full PPE and my nice new pink site boots, I attended that meeting as a “representative” of my client’s business. We are due on site in a few weeks, and my experience in what I do, allowed us to iron out any potential issues because I could see the site, the access, the conditions, not to mention being able to view it from a glazing perspective. As a result, we averted a potential access and health and safety problem before one of the glazing team even stepped on site. Potential delays and further costs were prevented as a consequence. Poor project management affects margins, good project management increases business and productivity.
How can you run a project if you don’t visit it in person? I know of individuals that claim to be Project Managers, yet rarely step from behind their computer. How can expect it to run smoothly if they haven’t taken the time out to familiarise themselves with the finer details? The mind boggles!
Not only am I “hands on” with these projects, my clients are not limited to using a particular supplier. If they have one that is preferred (or a product that is most suited), I will liaise with them on their behalf whether it is for partitioning, doors, manifestation or anything else that is required for that specific glazed project. And the best of it is, because there is no mark up on a mark up or “middle man” margins, by using me, they save money. The cheap option is not always the best option, but value for money is!