Turning ideas into reality

 

From modest origins, Birchcroft plc has rapidly grown into a pace-setting heating, plumbing and electrical contractor with a firm conviction that ‘Service First’ is the way to win a reputation others envy.

Romford-based Birchcroft plc is an unusual M&E Contractor – and that’s exactly what John Bishop and Linda Curtis set out to create in 1986. The ambition behind the establishment of their company less than twenty years ago was fuelled by big ideas about how to make their mark – and set themselves apart from the rest.

Not for them the modest hope of being just another, ‘average’ operator in a competitive field – competent but unremarkable. Their self-imposed mission was to find the distinguishing formula that would set new benchmarks. To lead the drive for higher standards and raised expectations from all who commissioned projects – private or public – AND from all those who would benefit from the works that follow.

As John recalls: “Ambition is one thing – every business start-up has that at first. But we had to ask ourselves: how could WE make it happen rather than see it drift out of reach. The answer, in a phrase, was: ‘attention to detail’. And that’s as true today as it was then.”

Today, their vision is paying major dividends in a rapidly-growing, regular Client list – and a bulging file of highly appreciative feedback from satisfied customers: Local Authorities, Housing Associations, tenants, and private individuals.

Martin Weaver, Head of Technical Consultancy for Hackney, could scarcely conceal his surprise and delight after Birchcroft had completed works on almost 500 flats within the 4 months allowed for an MRA and New Deal contract: “It makes such a refreshing change to find a contractor committed to getting the job done right the first time. I’m pleased to note that I have not received a single complaint from a tenant…”

Now, having become a plc, Birchcroft marks the start of its next phase with a distinctive new-look logo and identity – including clothing and Company vehicles – and the formal introduction of its “SERVICE FIRST” ethos. This encapsulates the extra customer-focus it is now bringing to bear on its operations.

Not that the latter is entirely new. At the root of this success story has been a fundamental philosophy of understanding the needs of everyone involved in the process. Not just the mechanical needs – the practical fulfilment of specified works. John and Linda recognised that there was also an important psychological dimension.

Giving confidence and peace of mind to the commissioning Clients, of course. That time and budget stipulations would be honoured, and that the required standards of workmanship skills could be relied on. If those criteria aren’t met, the potentially costly ‘domino effect’ on other works is all too real.

Just as important, however, was the need to bring confidence, understanding and reassurance to all those affected by the works – none more so than Local Authority tenants. Linda feels that, too often, the industry doesn’t give this sufficient attention: “In any major, multiple-unit contract, it would be easy to think of the residents as just an anonymous group or category of people involved. At Birchcroft, we’ve always reminded ourselves that they’re all individuals – in individual homes…and quite probably a bit apprehensive about the work that will be going on around them.”

So a large part of the project routine is deliberately devoted to supporting the occupants of dwellings where new installations or refurbishments are scheduled.

‘Having workmen in’ can certainly be an unsettling, anxious time for residents if the invading workforce aren’t sensitive to their concerns and special needs. That’s why each Birchcroft project team always includes a Resident Liaison Officer for the duration. Each household is visited in advance to discuss the details of forthcoming works, to establish particular requirements and considerations - whether physical, cultural or lingual – which need to be factored in, and, where necessary, to agree special arrangements accordingly.

Last, but not least, each household is given a specially-commissioned video explaining what is going to happen when the installation team arrive, and providing reassurance about how disruption to their daily routine will be kept to a minimum.

More reassurance for occupants comes when work starts. Unlike many other tradesmen, Birchcroft site personnel are certainly not anonymous. All operatives wear Company branded clothing, in addition to carrying photo-identification cards, so there’s instant recognition of their bona fides in gaining access to a home. What’s more, every tenant has a direct line to the Liaison Officer and Site Manager should they need to obtain information or register a need.

Particular care is also taken to ensure that each newly-installed heating system is fully-understood by its new ‘owners’. This doesn’t just rely on the walk-through handover when work is complete. Real familiarisation can take time - as was noticed by Birchcroft’s Customer Care Division which monitors and responds to incoming queries after completions of works.

They recognised that many residents needed extra guidance about their new system – how it operates and how to use the controls correctly. So a further special video was commissioned – and nowadays, at each handover, a free copy (on VHS or DVD) is left with every household for their ongoing reference. As Lydia Sharman, After Sales Manager of Higgins Construction plc, put it: “It will alleviate all the wasted callouts where occupants are unsure of how their equipment works. It’s easy to watch and simple to follow…the pinnacle of customer service”.

That’s just one example of Birchcroft taking the initiative to respond to a ‘problem’ and live up to their vision. This is a company with a constant eye for innovation: “We always use the latest techniques,“ says John “but we’ll never call the search off for even better ones.“

That mission has led to the Company devising and designing their own ingenious solutions to detailed, practical problems.

Some social housing contracts, for example, don’t allow for redecoration after new heating is installed. But that doesn’t remove the need to drill walls and disturb adjacent finishes. So the Design Division team designed a special cover plate to achieve a neat finish: “…a boon to fast track schemes “ wrote the Contracts Manager for Galliford “…avoiding the need for return visits by other trades.” Another ‘first’ was the design and production of a Safety Discharge pipe fitting that could be fitted from inside a dwelling – a valuable aid in tower block projects.

Indeed, from those early, tentative - but determined - steps in the 80s, Birchcroft has steadily crafted its own destiny. Each stage has been designed to add an extra integrated dimension to the Company to give impetus to its own growth – and broaden its appeal to Clients by being able to offer single point multi-disciplined services.

The original Plumbing and Heating services were joined by Electrical services – and, later, an in-house, fully CORGI-qualified M&E Design facility. So Clients can themselves avoid the need to coordinate the scheduling of separate trades, and leave it all to Birchcroft, thereby eliminating many of the old uncertainties of project management.

There’s one other important area where Birchcroft have successfully taken the initiative – both for their own AND their Clients’ benefit. It’s a fact of life that the ‘Achilles heel’ of any service operation can be the standard of operational personnel and the quality of their workmanship. One poor performance can seriously damage even the best of reputations – and yet, how to minimise that risk ?

The answer, once again, lay in integrated self-sufficiency. That’s why, in 2000, Birchcroft established its own fully-equipped Training Centre. This is the only CITB-approved Training and Assessment facility in the area and so personnel from other companies are frequently among those who pass through its doors. The Centre provides gas training and ACS Assessment for plumbers, engineers and all personnel requiring CORGI registration or renewal. Other courses lead to Water Regulations Registration, and training is given in specific Health & Safety subjects such as Fire, Asbestos, First Aid and Site Safety.

The Training Centre is therefore regularly providing new engineers for the wider industry and helping raise workmanship standards in general. But the primary advantage for Birchcroft is that it can be certain it has a workforce that’s always up to speed with the latest techniques – and an assured supply of properly trained new recruits as the Company grows.

Growth is a more likely trigger for vacancies, because the number of personnel who have left for other jobs can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Such a stable workforce is a good touchstone for judging the strength and cohesion of the operation – and reflects their collective confidence in the future. That’s also good news for Clients who have the reassurance of consistency of skills, methods and management – and the quality of workmanship which it sustains.

So what next for Birchcroft ? The vision and ambition of the Company’s two founders is as keen as ever. The next key stage is to prove the mutual benefits of Partnering with principal Clients. That will mean being invited into proposed schemes at an early stage – rather than following the old, established tradition of pre-determined specification leading into competitive tenders: “With whole life costing becoming an ever more important consideration for major projects, it has become clear to us that future contracts could benefit significantly from an open book Partnership approach. We know we have the ideas, the experience and the design skills to make it work - and to help bring down ‘true’ costs.“

Who will rise to their challenge ? As the list of their major Clients grows, and who have already seen and appreciated the quality of Birchcroft attention to detail and ‘Service First’ in action, John and Linda may not have too wait long.