Total customer support
October 1st 2004

It is now over twelve months since Jeyes Professional was relaunched in October 2002. Cleaning Matters visited the manufacturing site at Poulton-le-Fylde and found that aside from the fact that the product portfolio has doubled, Jeyes Professional is committed to educating and informing purchasers in any way it can.

We dont perceive products as the be-all and end-all, says Peter Cloherty, General Manager, Jeyes Professional. Products are obviously a pre-requisite for success and we have a three year new product development plan. However, we are also committed to helping the customer in any way that is possible. Providing them with information and education such as new legislation and health and safety advice along with training and audits to make their life easier. explained Peter. We want to be the first point of call for information.

The service commitment that Peter Cloherty speaks about includes such benefits as:

free hygiene audits;

free cleaning schedules and hygiene aids;

on-site product use and application training;

free fitting of dosing equipment;

distributor and end-user support;

free on loan supply of equipment;

free preventative maintenance;

free engineering support and technical back up;

24 hour service call-out;

free collection of 10 and 20 litre containers;

legislative and education updates and bulletins;

freephone helpline

With the large array of service developments it is surprising that Jeyes Professional find time to manufacture products, but they do.

Since the purchase and subsequent integration of Marsden Chemicals into Jeyes Professional the two companies product ranges have been rationalised and successfully relaunched as one complete range. As part of this process all of the previous formulations were tested, developed and fine-tuned to offer the best product formulations available to the professional user. Jeyes Professional continually seek to improve their products and the focus is now also on new product development. At present there are over 300 products available, the majority of which are manufactured at the Poulton site. The site has had several hundred thousand pounds of investment into automated lines, labelling and filling machines, upgraded vehicles, the office IT infrastructure, factory expansion and additional personnel. Most customers receive a 72 hour delivery service from time of order but there is also a 24 hour delivery service if needed.

Research conducted by Jeyes Professional indicated that aside from the importance of good quality products there is a desire for education to improve knowledge of product usage and application and to ease the burden on the user. The research found:

1) There is a large and growing professional service market

2) The perception is of a low value and low skill base

3) Growing legislative burden at the point of supply

4) Increased enforcement of EU driven health & safety and ergonomic standards

5) Growing importance of environmental responsibilities throughout the supply chain

6) Increasing consumer awareness of hygiene standards

7) Continuing consolidation of the market

These conclusions provided a valuable point of reference for the Jeyes Professional management team in relaunching the business and allowed them to tailor services to the requirements of the market.

Jeyes Professional also has a telesales operation based in Harrogate which supplies a specialist range of highly concentrated chemicals for the small end user. The company, formerly known as IHD, has a dedicated telesales team and a solid customer base built up over many years.

Jeyes Professional is autonomous from the retail side of Jeyes but they are able to call on the support of the large organisation based in

Thetford when required. Our aim is to provide a total solutions service, says Peter, we are seeking to grow Jeyes Professional both organically and via acquisition. We offer a trusted source of information that our customers can always rely on and we have the infrastructure in place to support customer needs.

The Jeyes Professional Support Manual is a comprehensive guide to the full product range available including information on health and safety legislation and details of other services provided by the company. For further information, please email Jeyes below.

More articles from Jeyes Professional Division Limited: