Heatcraft has been busy ramping up its national network by strengthening regional operations and increasing FIELD engineering support.
The improved service network including greater geographical reach is all part of the company’s ongoing focus on customers. Last year, CCN talked to Heatcraft managing director, Tom Overs, about the company’s ‘Customer Driven’ initiative which covered every part of the business from design to after sales support.
Soon after joining Heatcraft two years ago, Overs immediately began fine-tuning the business. The result was a renewed focus on customers and a broader value proposition for the company’s customer base. This year CCN spoke to Heatcraft director of marketing, Roger Pecnik, about how the Customer Driven initiative has continued to evolve and grow in the past year.
“Central to this initiative was getting closer to the customer, to get feedback and increase satisfaction levels which is what we have been doing,” Pecnik said.
“Now we are implementing customer suggestions and measuring the results. Customer interactions have increased and we are continuing the conversation around how we can add value.”
Pecnik said it has led to increased support out in the regions and branches where it is needed most, and where technical support is critical. The first step, he said, has been making sure the right stock is on the shelves.
“We are also empowering our guys out in the regions to make decisions at the time of sale,” Pecnik said.
“We have a much more decentralised structure and in July we increased our level of engineering support, out in the regions where customers are located.
“Heatcraft is definitely much more geographically aligned, this is evident in the feedback we are getting which is very positive.” Also participating in the interview was Heatcraft director of core account sales, Michael Ryan.
“The benefits are very real. If the shelves aren’t stocked then it can delay a project which is generally time critical,” Ryan said. “And as we know delays can be costly. We know that we are ready for the peak selling season.”
Despite the mining downturn, Ryan said the branches in North Queensland and Western Australia are performing well.“They are actually performing better and that’s because we’ve been working directly with customers and helping them to succeed,” he said.
“The last quarter in NSW has seen good growth on a year ago. Also recent project wins has given us good momentum going into summer.”Ryan said the big challenge is educating contractors about the importance of quality.
Pecnik agrees pointing out that Australia has to deal with a lot of cheap imports.
“These are products that are never going to perform like products provided by tier one suppliers,” Pecnik explained.
“It’s important to keep a long term view and assess total cost of ownership because selecting products on price alone will not deliver the best result.
“One of our biggest strengths is that we are part of a global organisation so we can leverage that international knowledge base.”
Pecnik said Heatcraft customers get access to Lennox International, a $US3.6 billion, 120 year old company.
“We have three innovation centres around the globe. It gives us a competitive advantage and gives our customers an edge as well,” he said.
“During times of change, such as the HFC phasedown, we can leverage international experts. The innovation centre is our best kept secret. Only yesterday we had 12 staff from one company here to check out new products.”
Pecnik said one product that is proving particularly popular is the Rooftop series because it is easy to service and install.
Ryan said another initiative that has strengthened the Heatcraft distribution network is its recently announced partnership with Lawrence and Hanson (L&H) Electrical. He said the partnership is designed to create an easier buying experience of HVACR and electrical products for both Heatcraft and L&H contractors.
“The distribution partnership is a branch in a branch concept with the Heatcraft locations within L&H branded as Heatcraft Plus because they are additional outlets in the Heatcraft network,” Ryan said. “It’s a seamless experience for customers as L&H use Heatcraft systems so all they see is the standard Heatcraft invoice.”
Heatcraft continues to see strong uptake with its Smart@ccess Customer Portal. The company has just released its latest HVAC Product Selection Tool for Smart@ccess. The Heatcraft HVAC Product Selection Tool allows users to find and make selections based on a capacity requirement.
Users can view selections from the Lennox Landmark, Energence, Baltic R-Flex and Flexair Rooftop ranges and then add thermostat and installation options to their selection.
The HVAC Product Selection tool is in addition to the Refrigeration Heatload Calculator and Product Selector Tool already being used by smart@ccess customers. Heatcraft eBusiness and communications manager, Janina Geraghty, said customers can enjoy a range of benefits by using these tools including online ordering, the ability to view product information, stock availability and net pricing.
“Heatcraft is committed to developing tools that enable our customers to compete efficiently in today’s market,” she said.
“During all smart@ccess development, we work closely with our customers and local field team to be sure improvements meet their daily requirements.
“Features like being mobile optimised, reporting and instantaneous updates are all important to remain productive during the working day and accurate when issuing project quotes.”
Project estimators and customers, who are not already registered on smart@ccess, should contact their Heatcraft Account Manager on 13 23 50. Alternatively, register your interest at www.heatcraft.com.au.