With the easing of restrictions around the UK, we recently got out on the road to visit one of our members United Fixings & Teknofix. With the spotlight on United Fixings & Teknofix it was great to meet their extended team, and have a chance to sit down and discuss what they offer their customers and how Troy supports them to reach their goals. 

How long have you been a member of Troy?

United Fixings will have been members for 8 years in November 2021. We then added Teknofix as a member, purchased as part of the United Fixings Group. We completed the purchase just the day before the first national Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020!

teknofix team  

What is most important for your customers as an independent industrial tooling distributor?

It’s really important for us to know that our customers will be receiving the very best products from us. Being a Troy member enables us to have access to a wealth of reputable high-quality suppliers – this gives us peace of mind that our customers will receive both the customer service we pride ourselves on, and the very best equipment the industry can offer.

teknofix josh and steve

How do you provide your customers with outstanding service that goes the extra mile? What are you really good at?

Without sounding cliché there really is no job too big or too small. We have a diverse range of customers whose requirements vary greatly – we feel we are able to provide great product knowledge on equipment across a number of different trades, giving each client the expertise they need to make the right purchase, the first time! Troy helps us achieve this by having such a variety of members in differing industries that we can call upon. Our locations, Tiverton and less than 1 mile from Junction 30 on the M5 makes us extremely convenient for travelling tradesmen in a jam, not just locals. We pride ourselves on being there for those who need us promptly and efficiently.

Why do you think your loyal customers choose to return to you?

At our heart, we are a family run business, and that isn’t lost on the people that walk through our doors. We are able to create a community within our client base, a welcoming atmosphere in store and ensure that we are able to nurture individual relationships with our customers with a laugh and a joke. People appreciate being appreciated, and we make a conscious effort to ensure that our customers know how much their ongoing loyalty means to us. Our customers return to us because they know they will get the care and attention offered by an independent supplier, with the comfort of knowing that we are supported by the biggest hitters in the industry as Troy members.

united fixings & teknofix christine

How do you best market yourselves to existing/new customers?

We have implemented a number of strategies over the years. I believe it’s a credit to us that we have grown as a business mainly through word of mouth, trade exhibitions and open days. This demonstrates to us that we are ‘people people’, that once customers are open to using us they feel they can trust us to support their businesses. In recent years the importance of online presence has grown exponentially, and we always try to keep new and existing customers engaged online, mainly through social media and Email. Showing our public support for customers online does a great deal to grow loyalty and increase our brand presence. But we also use the platforms to show our personality, not to hard sell all the time, but to show we can have fun too! I think people relate to that and get to know the people behind the business.

united fixings & teknofix

How do you attract/entice new less knowledgeable customers/trades?

By being open about what we do, and not being elitist. We all started at zero, we’ve all been sent to the supply store of a tub of elbow grease, tin of tartan paint and a long ‘weight’ at one point. Our staff’s product knowledge is second to none and we try our best to create an atmosphere in store where we can help you find exactly what you need, no matter the job. We have also recently launched a new campaign to encourage apprentices and new starters into the trades – the ‘Kit Up Your Apprentice’ range of packages we have created makes it easy for those that are inexperienced to pickup the tools they need at the start of their journey. We know the tools they need more than they might, so it’s all done for them! We have had some great results with this, with Apprentices, Employers and Skill-Schools all purchasing in recent weeks.

As part of our ongoing #supportindependents campaign we will be visiting a member each month and aiming to find out more about them and see how we can grow together. If you are interested in being visited then please contact Julie Trower our Member Support Coordinator on julie.trower@troyuk.co.uk.