Improving Our Service For Clients

One of the consequences of the global pandemic is the increasing expectation that products and services can be ordered online and delivered within days, sometimes the next morning.
At Dutch Walltextile Company (DWC), we’re always looking for ways of improving our service for clients. So what’s changed? And what have we been doing at DWC to keep ahead of the curve?
Changing Expectations
Now that lockdown restrictions are being slowly lifted around the world, we’ve noticed that due to a backlog, many clients are needing to accomplish their projects much faster than before.
Designers expect to receive samples and answers within a day or two. They’re also used to being able to schedule delivery times. The last year or so has undoubtedly been a period of tremendous growth for logistics and delivery companies. So we make the right partnerships in order to get our products to the client in time. Our international shipping now goes through Fedex to maintain stability and reliability for sample deliveries
Making Time For Change
During the pandemic, we had time to check our internal processes. That included how we manage our schedules and ordering. We realised that the optimum time for delivery needed to be one or two days. For new clients, that also sets the standard for the level of service they’ll receive from us.
We also optimised our internal production and handling of samples. Every walltextile in our collection is now pre-produced, so we always have a sample in stock. We’re also excited to introduce A4 samples for the first time - something that’s proving to be popular with many clients.
Parts Of The Process
In our strategic review of production processes, we updated our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relations Management (CRM) to improve transparency and visibility to the back office. Using a new centralised system, we’re now able to ensure all the available data on an order or project materials is visible and accessible when we need them.
Our Warehouse Management System (WMS) was also updated so that deliveries and orders can be tracked more easily. We now use a barcoding system so we know what’s coming in and going out. It gives us a much clearer insight into the process so that we’re able to deliver much faster and more accurate estimates of production times and deliveries. Internally, this is a big win because everyone can see how much is in the system and what stage everything is at.
And, in the factory our new supervisor can now be totally focused on deliverables with a clear picture of the entire workflow now possible.
Good News For Designers
So for designers, for whom the choosing materials is an integral part of the process, the benefit is that they can now bring their visions to life in a much more structure and efficient way. Because all of our products are available as samples which can be shipped much faster, designers are able to work much more fluidly.
Not only that, but we’ve also changed our packaging to protect our materials from damage during transit. We no longer use tubes. Instead we use cardboard boxes containing hanging systems. The wall textiles are folded less and quality not is compromised during delivery.
Quality And Efficiency
So a lot’s changed – but we’ve seen really positive results. DWC continues to grow year on year, doubling in the last five. By optimising our production and warehouse management, we’ve been able to scale our business without compromising the quality of service.
View our collections and order samples today.