Eddie Gilbert’s feature in the Times.

Adem — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:59:29 +0000

I’ve recently written about the importance of good customer service and the benefits it can have for local businesses, and via Thanetonline this article in the Times has been brought to my attention which features local fishmonger Eddie Gilbert’s.

Click to view the article

The article details ways in which local businesses have managed to increase their sales by concentrating on the local area and by delivering good service and integrating themselves into a local community they have won out over much larger competitors. The article also mentions the Shop Local scheme that the council is running, which shows that even Thanet District Council can benefit from promoting local through local initiatives rather than just irresponsibly throwing money at problems.

Eddie Gilbert’s will be the next business in the ‘Promote Local’ feature, following on from Tara Plumbing.

Promote Local: Tara Plumbing

Adem — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:16:26 +0000

Tara Plumbing are a local company based in Ramsgate who I would recommend to those who need plumbing, central heating work, etc done. This is the first of my Promote Local posts following on from my post where I decided that I should promote those local businesses who provide good customer service and who warrant the extra promotion and publicity. I won’t be giving ’stars’ or marks out of ten for these posts but would rather just focus on my experience and then you can decide what you want to do.

My new boiler

When I bought my new house earlier this year I needed to get central heating installed, something which is a big outlay and not an everyday purchase, and so I had to look for a company to fit a boiler, pipework, and radiators. There are many many plumbers and central heating installers out there and it can be a bit of a minefield with very little information around except for a name and a phone number, so I went to the internet and did some research.

I opted for local businesses based around Thanet and only those who had email addresses and websites and then I emailed them all with my requirements and asked them for a rough estimate. In the end I opted for Tara Plumbing for several reasons:

Prompt email response
Web presence (Business website & Mrs Tara Plumbing blog)
Variety of contact methods (Post, local landline, email, freephone, fax)
Friendly and sociable correspondance
Brand awareness via local advertising

They came to my house, looked around and then gave me a written quote which was very detailed and outlined all that was included. I was booked in for a few weeks later and when the time came it only took them two days to install a complete central heating system including boiler, pipework, and radiators. They were very prompt, very clean, and very trustworthy (I left them my keys whilst I was at work and they are of course Gas Safe registered). Another bonus was that they were able to accept bank transfers so that I didn’t need to write a cheque, and was able to pay via my online banking. Nice and Easy.

When it came to getting a new gas connection for my gas hob I had no hesitation in calling Tara to do the job, and when my mum needed a new boiler and radiators for her house I recommended Tara who yet again did a good job.

I think the point is that if you do a job well, communicate well, and provide a good customer service then your business can benefit greatly.

Company: Tara Plumbing
Website: http://www.taraplumbing.co.uk
Phone: 01843 60 71 92 / 0800 16 95 32 0
Email: TARAplumb@AOL.com

The Big Blog » Promote Local

Eddie Gilbert’s feature in the Times.

Promote Local: Tara Plumbing