‘Room-like’ approach from Ultraframe

Consumers are looking for something more ‘room-like’ in terms of cosiness, solidity and thermal performance but a light bright space

Ultraframe has been making roofs for over three decades and with numbers of installed roofs edging towards 2 million across the UK, Ultraframe continues to go from strength to strength both in terms of its roof range with its strong ‘roof for every job’ proposition and its highly effective Ultra Installer scheme, which just this year has become the first and only Which? Trusted Traders Approved Service in the glass and glazing industry. There’s no question that being an Ultraframe installer is good for business with 2017 delivering record numbers of quality leads across the network. With the conservatory roof market evolving, Ultraframe has welcomed a ‘significant’ number of new installers in recent months looking for a reliable roof manufacturer that can supply a complete roof range – glass, lanterns, solid and orangeries. In this feature, Alex Hewitt, Ultraframe Marketing Director tells us why retailers are choosing now to take a fresh look at Ultraframe.

“If we look at the consumer demand for conservatories, it’s vastly different to even two years ago. Consumers are now looking for something more ‘room-like’ in terms of cosiness, solidity and thermal performance but they still want a light, bright space. With the growth of aluminium and large spans of bi-fold and sliding doors, homeowners are becoming much more discerning in terms of design too. There’s no question that the traditional conservatory has had a facelift, as homeowners demand the best of both worlds both and our existing network of retail installers have really grasped the potency of this opportunity. As a result, we’re seeing solid growth of enhancement products like cornice, internal pelmet and super-insulated columns, plus our integrated structural goalpost is a real hit too.

“This year we’ve also seen a vast number of retailers switch from other glass roofs to our Classic Roof system, either because they see Classic Roof as a stepping stone to our broader range, or for its reliability. At the FIT Show we talked to a lot of installers that have now become customers, and we learnt a great deal about the way they want to work with a supplier. We recognise that the speed of innovation, unless you’re involved day in, day out can be overwhelming to a new installer – which roof for which job? Does the ordering process change? Are the lead times different? Can I configure enhancement products with every roof; how do I make the best use of the marketing tools? We know that all these questions are front of mind for an installer, so we’ve developed a New Partner programme specifically designed to support new customers through the first few months of being ‘new’.

“From day one of being an Ultraframe customer, the installer is assigned a ‘New Partner’ team member; there are currently five people in that team. Their single focus is to guide the customer through the first few installations until they’re happy with the ordering process, the key contacts in Ultraframe for their future enquiries and so forth. For some customers this level of support might be for the first handful of jobs, for others venturing into solid roofs for the first time, might require this level of support for longer. The key point is that whatever level of support required, we’ve got the New Partner team geared up to make the transition to Ultraframe effortless. Similarly, this ‘greeting’ period allows a new customer to become familiar with all the other added-value benefits of being an Ultraframe installer. For many, the Classic Roof System will be a key component in their new offer. It’s designed to virtually mitigate all call-backs, and to deliver this level of quality there are some unique features, so the New Partner Programme enables us to visit you on site until your fitting teams are confident. This level of confidence should also translate through to your sales team – every roof is designed to meet the individual climate needs of the homeowner’s postcode giving the sales consultant the same level of confidence as the fitter. “2017 has never seen so many new customers to the business. The Which? Trusted Traders affiliation has contributed to this for sure and we’re keen to work with installers that want to adopt our roof systems. That said, there are certain areas in the UK that really do need greater coverage, the lead generation we’re seeing from both our own marketing and Which? Trusted Traders has grown considerably this year, so if you’re interested and want to take a fresh look at us, our New Partner team would be delighted to talk to you.”