Fresh optimism and new opportunities

Ben Brocklesby, Director at Origin, says the start of a new year brings with it fresh optimism and the promise of new opportunities

The start of a new year brings with it fresh optimism and the promise of new opportunities. It is a time to re-evaluate the current ways of working, start making plans for the year ahead and streamline processes to make sure that the organisation and employees are as effective and efficient as possible.

2019 was a hugely positive year for us in terms of product launches, sales growth, accreditations, national television adverts, award wins and much more, so we will be using the New Year as a launchpad to grow and achieve even more in 2020. As always, we will be looking to push the boundaries of what is possible – designing innovative new products, pioneering new manufacturing techniques and unveiling new ways of further supporting our ever-growing family of partners. It is this attitude and approach that will ensure we hit the ground running at the start of what is going to be another exciting year.

For us, we see 2020 as an opportunity to strengthen partner relationships, whilst also growing the number that we already have on board. With nearly 900 partners in the UK, we have fantastic national coverage, but we know there is always room for improvement. One of our key ambitions for 2020 is to increase the support we offer to our partners. If we can instil an even greater trust in our products and promises, we will empower them to sell more Origin products, helping us grow our percentage of sales within their businesses.

We use an internal metric called ‘On Time, in Full’, which focuses on getting every aspect of the customer journey perfect, no matter how small, from the ordering and manufacturing processes through to delivery. At the end of 2019, we were achieving a 92.5 percent success rate. This is incredibly high given how much could go wrong with manufacturing bespoke products with no lead times, but we know that we have to work even harder in 2020 to reach a perfect 100. As we continue to deliver what we promise, the trust our partners have in us increases, developing and strengthening our relationship. This gives them the confidence to recommend Origin products to homeowners more regularly and in place of the competition.

Not only will we continue to improve our operations and innovate new products, but we will also be offering improved training opportunities to our partners. With a full suite of products now available, it is more important than ever that Origin partners fully understand the intricacies our systems provide to homeowners and the benefits we offer to them as a business. We will be hosting beginner and advanced training sessions, both at our HQ and, for specific partners, at their own facilities, allowing information to be presented in a more digestible way, depending on the level of pre-existing Origin knowledge.

In addition to product training, we will continue to offer marketing, sales and customer support, giving our partners the tools necessary to make 2020 their best year yet.