Posted 16 October 2012
Q: What’s the role of the Marketing Department at FS Cables?
We’re here to make sure the customers’ needs are being met and ensuring they have access to reliable, concise technical information.
We also promote the business through a series of direct mail and email campaigns, an advertising and PR presence in both trade journals and online as well as attending exhibitions and industry trade shows.
We maintain the websites and put together Wired and our cabling guide – ‘The Little Red Book’ which, despite its size is an enormous amount of work.
Q: How long have you been with the company?
I started at FSC in October 2006. Suzi joined us in July last year and is doing really well. Marketing has always been a strong focus at the company for over 30 years.
I’m currently studying the PPDM by the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Over the next 12 months we are hoping to make some new additions to the department.
Q: Which markets do you serve?
With so many different types of cable held in stock, it’s a very wide mix. Broadly speaking we supply contractors, security, government, manufacturers and of course electrical wholesalers.
Our overseas division FSC Global have built up expertise supplying cable to countries outside the UK so between us we cover a very wide range.
Q: Does that make promoting the business difficult?
It can do, with over 3000 product lines! We’re here really to promote FSC as a company and our ethos of service, quality, delivery and value.
That said there are a number of products we promote which customers specify by name such as our Niltox® range of LSHF cables, Safe-T-Shield, the new Antennax range of low loss coaxial cables and through our partnership with Draka – the Firetuf range of Data and Coax cables.
We did four shows last year, Electrex and IFSEC at the NEC and the M&E and Telecoms at Olympia. This year we’re at DSEi for the first time, details on the front cover.
Q: You mentioned attending exhibitions – what’s on the horizon?
It looks to be a really interesting show and an opportunity to meet both new and existing customers.
Q: Has issue 9 of ‘The Little Red Book’ been well received?
Yes really well, it’s a great tool. For a pocket-sized guide it’s packed with so much technical information and the new high definition pictures have definitely been a hit.
New product lines come and go with each issue but it’s always retained its compact size and usability which I think people appreciate. A lot of manufacturers assume that people always want to use the internet or have it readily to hand, so the book gives a useful alternative.
We also produce a CD and online version which are popular, especially for keeping on laptops. Tick the CD box on the enclosed reply card and we’ll send one out to you.
Q: What other ways do you communicate with customers?
I’ll be really interested to see what the response is to the Customer Feedback survey we’ve included in this issue of Wired. The feedback helps us get a better understanding of what matters to customers, so we can better meet their needs.
Q: How else do you measure customer feedback?
We send out a yellow feedback card with each consignment which is postage paid. This invites customers to tell us whether the order arrived on time, whether it was correct, well packed and arrived in good condition.
We’re proud to say that 99.98% of deliveries have been spot on so far this year. That’s obviously no consolation to the 0.02% that had snags, so the yellow cards are a great way of alerting us to any issues so we can correct them.
Emails to feedback@fscables.com are also read by a director, so if customers have any general comments as to how we can improve – email them across.
Q: You mentioned FSC have always had a Marketing focus?
I think a marketing ethos runs right through the company, with each aspect of the business trying to meet the customer’s needs.
Our practice of keeping unusual lines in stock is borne out of customer demands, as is our cut-to-length service and our no order cut-off time.
Ultimately if we can ship it out immediately we will, and where feasible we will take orders up until the moment the courier leaves at the end of the day.