Capable hands at the helm of Window Ware

Better communication with customers and partners was vital to survival for fenestration businesses during 2021, while supply chain issues, record demand and COVID safety procedures caused no end of challenges for the whole industry.

But it wasn’t just a question of stepping up the conversations outside of the organisation. Internal communication was just as important in keeping a business on track and agile in rapidly changing times.

That's why Window Ware has really focused on ramping up the dialogue between colleagues over the last 2 years.

And all that extra talking has really paid off. It’s enabled our company to not only successfully navigate all the peaks and problems of the pandemic while still managing to keep our customers happy, but to also grow the business and ultimately hit the ground running in 2022.

There’s no doubt that our Operational Management Team (OMT) have played a fundamental role in strengthening the company’s communication strategy.

The team looks after the day-to-day running here at Window Ware and oversees all aspects of our key operations. That includes everything from coordinating all inbound / outbound logistics and making sure orders reach customers on time, to creating a superior customer experience with fast responses and slick service.   

Sam Nuckey, Window Ware’s Managing Director, explained: “We have always focused on maintaining open and frequent lines of communication with our customers, but over the last 18 months or so, we’ve worked just as hard at making communication more effective inside the business too. This has enabled us to react to changes in the marketplace quicker, overcome challenges faster and maintaining high service levels for our customer despite the supply-disrupting effects of the global pandemic.”

“A lot of that success is down to the brilliant efforts of our Operational Management Team who have really stepped up to the mark and worked tirelessly to keep everything working like clockwork as far as possible.”

And through it all, Window Ware made sure to support them with professional development and mentoring that aimed to build and refresh key management tools and skills that would prove highly useful during the turbulent times of late. Communication, decision making, out-of-the-box thinking and problem solving were just some of the topics covered. As a result, the members of our OMT were able to approach their roles and responsibilities with greater confidence and work together better to meet KPIs and keep the business working optimally.

“For our managers, the simple decision to hold a daily ops meeting for the duration of the pandemic has proved to be highly beneficial and a huge boost to inter-departmental communications,” maintains Sam. “As such, it is now a permanent fixture in their diaries. The meeting gives all the primary functions of the business the opportunity to come together as a team to share status reports, highlight areas of concern and quickly address emerging issues such as resource constraints, bottlenecks or increased order volumes. It’s also a great way of making sure focus is maintained and everybody is working towards the same goals, especially during very busy periods.”

Under the capable guidance and cooperation of the Operational Management Team, Window Ware has gone from strength to strength.

Every department has been able to consistently meet or exceed its targets:

Warehouse operations are more efficient than ever and working at +30% capacity versus pre-covid times with consistently high pick accuracy rates.

Our inventory is larger than ever, and stock levels on most product lines are looking good. OTIF has bounced back well from all the lockdowns, factory closures, supply shortages and shipping delays throughout 2020/21 to hit a dependable average of 94.72% last year. This year, our team is determined to reclaim its pre-covid level of +97%

Our sales team was on fire last year, managing to pick up 97.76% of calls in 3 rings or less and achieve order input accuracy rates of +99%.

Our accounts department broke records by smashing its cash collection targets no less than 8 months in a row, cutting old debt and bringing debtor days to their lowest level yet since June 2015!

Sam believes, “As the OMT work more closely together and understand each other’s roles, teams and processes better, we have gradually built more resilience into the team to help us maintain business continuity despite covid related absences or offsite working. This is down to the team’s ability to adapt and work differently to achieve the same outcomes.  Although we all hope COVID related disruptions will not be with us forever, there will always be new challenges around the corner which could impact business, and how well you react to and manage them is hugely dependent on your team.”

“Our OMT is the glue that keeps every department working together with a clear purpose, and the conduit that keeps our whole crew firmly in the loop. With their help, and the non-stop hard work and determination of our colleagues, we have been able to constantly adapt and improve the way we operate to respond quickly to customer needs and set us on a sure path to continued success in 2022.”