We've Got Some New Fitters, And They're Bloody Amazing!

Not too long ago you may remember a post I wrote about our search for a new installations team. Towards the end of last year we had to let a team go. Their standard of work was not that which represented our company. This left us a team down, with plenty of work and a lead time that was only getting longer.

So we started our search for a new installations crew. Given what I knew about the lack of depth in the overall talent pool, we knew this was going to be a tough job in finding a crew that was going to be good enough to suit our local reputation and to have the right skills and attention to detail that our client base expects.

However, we have found that crew, they have been working with us for a few weeks now, and they’re bloody fantastic!

Lots of dross

As we began the process of finding our new installations crew, we put adverts in as many relevant places as possible. We put signs up at our entrance, we placed adverts online and in local magazine publications, and on a trade-specific website. After a slow start, we began to get the first few applicants. We weren’t blown away.

We had guys from other trades looking to move across to window and door installation. Not ideal for us as we had a crazy lead time with lots of work. We needed a team with at least some level of experience so they could hit the ground running.

We had some who had not heard of MTCs or NVQs for window and door installation. So those conversations didn’t progress much. We had the typical man in a van who claimed he could fit windows. That conversation didn’t last long either.

There was a lot of dross. And at one point we began to think we would never find a decent crew. In the meantime, sales were still coming in, the lead time was increasing and the pressure was on to find a crew and quickly.

Then we spoke to a couple of guys who really impressed us.

A passion for their craft

As we were starting to get frustrated with the lack of skilled people available to talk to, we had two young guys come in and see us. One 28 and the other 30. They had worked for a number of companies, including nationals like Everest. They impressed us with the things they said and their apparent attitude towards their work. They were the most promising prospects we had spoke to so far. But, it’s very easy to talk a talk.

We gave them their first work in our showroom which was being revamped and a mix of other jobs that week. We were all massively impressed. The basics were all done to a very high standard. But it was their attention to detail, the smaller things which can turn the average home owner from satisfied to over the moon.

We didn’t let ourselves get over excited yet. We had a number of large, complex jobs coming up which required them to work with our other crew which had been with us for a while. We wanted to see how they would work with them and on jobs which weren’t the norm. Turns out both crews got on like a house on fire, and was able to tackle the out of the ordinary work as a fluent team. Looks like we had nothing to worry about.

Then the customer review sheets started to come back in. Glowing reviews and feedback for the new lads. And what is clear, both from what we’ve seen, heard in feedback and from our own conversations with them, is that they have a clear passion for their craft. For them, it isn’t just fitting windows and doors as a way to pay the bills. They take a great deal of care in things like their trimming, how they seal the outside of the products, the little touches to ensure there is nothing left looking half baked. And it’s the home owners that notice this and leaves them not just satisfied, but 100% happy and excited about their finished installation.

Rare breed

This is what makes these guys more remarkable to me. They obviously have the skill and talent, which is great for them and is great for us and the home owner. In fact we can say at this early stage that they’re the best we’ve had in quite a while. But it’s the fact that they are 28 and 30 respectively which is perhaps the most surprising element.

They have both been doing it for a while, so even at their relatively young ages, they have experience. To me, they have the skill and enthusiasm for the job someone a fair bit older would normally have. A rare breed.

What our industry needs is thousands and thousands of guys and girls like these two. A new age of talented young blood coming through to replace the talent that is now leaving the industry. If we all had more of these, then we wouldn’t be in the position many of us are in now. These are two young guys, with the talent and drive, who are making good money doing great work. I would like to see this message spread to all school leavers thinking of getting into a trade that they can make a career in window and door installation, and these two guys of ours are proof of that.