It is always a sign of a business doing something right, when they are nominated for awards. The recognition of the hard work done is greatly appreciated by the companies concerned.
Two years ago, Stephen Connolly took over as Manager of Edmundson Electrical in Glasnevin and he came on board with a firm idea of what direction he wanted to take the business.
Striving for improvement was the main goal and through that the premises and staff underwent a major overhaul which led to their success at this year’s National Electrical Awards where Edmundson Electrical were named the Electrical Wholesaler – Outstanding Multi-Location Wholesaler.
Stephen and the team know that the role of the electrical wholesaler has changed over the years with the focus on being more customer driven.
“When I came in, I wanted to take the business forward and to do that we needed a change, from staff right through to the premises,” said Stephen.
“It has taken a lot of hard work and late nights to get where we are now but thankfully there is a great team here now and they are the reason for the success that we have had over the last two years.”
Stephen admitted that they were delighted to win the award which he admits recognises the work that they have done in recent times.
“We were delighted to win the award ,It is recognition for what we are doing, plus we have people coming in congratulating us, which is always nice to hear.”
The staff of 23 have all embarked on a rigid training plan in order to enhance their skills in their particular field of expertise, whether it be sales, customer service, technical or commercial.
“Being able to communicate with the customer and making them comfortable in our company is one of our main goals. We are there to provide the best service possible.
“The team here include six qualified electricians, is a good mix of young ambitious employees, along with highly experienced technical staff. The attitude now is that we can do what the customer wants regardless of what that will be.”
Connecting directly with customers and improving their overall service has been a target that the company has reached, but Stephen stressed that they are always looking at ways of improving their service.
“Certainly, we are happy with the changes that have been made, but we are continuously looking at ways to further improve the business. I don’t think there can be a stage where we can rest on their laurels, we have to keep pushing on.”
The latest change to the business is the refurbishment of the premises in Stagg Industrial Estate, Ballyboggan. The biggest change being the relocation of the trade counter to the far side of the premises.
“The trade counter is so important to us and the life blood of our business. It’s where we service and meet most of our customers on a daily basis and what we now have is something modern, bright, spacious and well stocked that reflects our customer service philosophy.
“It is now located at the opposite side of the building facing out onto the main road, giving the team a lot more space for product displays, a modern new look and additional computer terminals to enable an improved speed and quality of the trade counter service.”
Edmundson Electrical stock thousands of electrical parts to ensure that their customers, many of who are trades people are not left waiting.
“Our product portfolio has increased considerably. We now have a lot more stock on display, and with the extra room that we have, there is room for the likes of power tools and accessories to be displayed.
“A waiting area has also been incorporated into the refurbishment where there is seats and a coffee dock as well as a toilet. All this is geared towards making the customer feel more at ease when they come through the door.”
Edmundson Electrical had an open day where many of their main suppliers were invited to see the work they had done and Stephen revealed that all feedback was very positive.
“I would like to personally thank each of the suppliers for the time and effort and support they afforded us and indeed all the suppliers, customers and our own team that helped to make the new counter and the open day possible. It was a mammoth task, but we now have a counter we can all be proud of.”
“People were very impressed by what we had done. It was great to get such positive feedback and our aim is to continue being forward thinking.
Contact Details:
Edmundson Electrical,
Stag Industrial Estate,
Ballyboggan,
Glasnevin,
D11 NX27
T: 00353 (0)1 882 0770
W: www.ewl.ie
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, November 2018, Vol 4 No 10