Merchants welcome CPD training sessions, how to guides and point of sale booklets
Merchants across the UK say they find the range of training opportunities, how to videos and customer information booklets produced by Actis make a real difference to their understanding of products in its Hybrid range – and help them sell more!
In fact, sales of Actis’ three core products have seen substantial growth year on year – with its new specialised insulating breather membrane for roofs - BoostR Hybrid Roof – looking likely to follow suit.
The innovative honeycomb design insulation Hybris, insulating vapour control layer HControl Hybrid and insulating breather membrane BoostR Hybrid Wall, the precursor to the new roof variant, have become increasingly popular due to the speed and ease with which they can be installed and their ability to eliminate thermal bridging.
All four CE marked products have LABC and LABSS registered details and are NHBC, LABC warranty and Premier Guarantee approved.
Actis UK and Ireland sales director Mark Cooper explained: “With tighter Part L regulations regarding air tightness and thermal bridging we are seeing specifiers paying more attention to the role insulation will play in the overall energy efficiency of a building. And with that requirement comes to need to ensure merchants are up to speed on the changes and ways to address them.”
With that in mind Actis has produced a range of educational tools aimed at helping merchants - as well as builders, specifiers, architects and building control officers - understand how its products can help.
These include a CPD training module, bitesize how to videos on the website and YouTube, point of sale and downloadable how to booklets and its popular online U-value simulator.
Actis can even offer free tailored training courses aimed specifically at merchants – on a regional or company wide basis.
Merchants had a hands-on chance to test out just how quick and easy Hybris panels are to install when they took part in a race against the clock competition a couple of years ago which proved both fun and educational as it demonstrated in real life how even a lay person can fit Actis products.
Mark added: “Merchants say their customers are impressed by the lightness, ease of use, cleanliness and lack of waste of the Hybrid products. One of the commercial advantages to them as store managers is that they get a good return per sqm of floor space because the products take up such a small area for the thermal efficiency they deliver. There’s also less chance of the products getting damaged (they don’t crack or chip) and there are no minimum order quantities - especially good for smaller retailers or those testing the market in their area.”
Co-owner of Stockport Timber in Greater Manchester Steve Boyle has POS boards and posters outlining the benefits of using the Hybrid system.
“One of the things builders always complain about is having to lug insulation up and down ladders into lofts. With the Actis stuff it’s so light and so thin it’s really easy. Plus there’s practically no waste so they don’t have much to bring back down again,” he said.
“Our customers have also told us that because the Hybrid products are so much quicker to install their labour costs are reduced.
“When you add it all together – clean to install, labour saving in terms of time, easy to transport because of its small size, surprisingly effective thermal efficiency and the fact that it can be around 20% cheaper than alternatives, it’s a bit of a no brainer to use Hybrid products.”