The first quarter of 2023 has come and gone. A quarter of wins and challenges, but we stay optimistic and look forward to a whole new world of opportunities.
We continue to reflect, learn from the lessons, and aim to improve. We hope to turn 2023 into a year of success, but success is never there from the get-go, is it? We stumble, we fall, we get up, dust ourselves off and keep going. If recent years has taught us anything at all, it is that perseverance is key.
In this issue we take a look at best practice sharing to provide inspiration and hopefully help the next person or business, what’s new in marketing activities, top blog posts for this quarter and “our people”.
We hope you enjoy reading up on the latest and pop us an email for compliments or comments and let us know what you’d like to see us posting.
Sharing Best Practice
Elite Fire was requested to partake in a tender for a new potential client at the end of 2022 and was awarded the project in January this year. We have since gained two new contracts for the same client. This is how we secured it:
Proactiveness, communication, continuous feedback, and delivering the work, are key components of ensuring the happiness of a client.
Proactiveness
The customer was very happy from the start of the project due to the proactiveness of the team for designs and project management.
The designs were completed and readily made available to the client within days of receiving order. This impressed the client as work completed at their other sites by competitors, waited weeks after receiving the order.
Our project plan was made available straightaway, was realistic and a dedicated Contract’s Manager was assigned to ensure the contract went ahead as scheduled.
Communication and continuous updates
Our team’s communication with the client prior to the project commencing was well received, as well as continuous feedback and updates of the contract is being provided regularly.
The delivery of work
The delivery of work is being carried out in accordance with the project plan and the quality has been good. Keeping to a project plan provides a shared vision for what the project aims to accomplish and keeps the team working together to achieve the project’s goals and deliver excellent results.
We have highlighted these specific points as important steps to keep our customers satisfied but most importantly, what we do not get right, we take accountability for, and we correct it.
What’s New in Marketing?
We try to keep you up to date as best as possible on Elite Fire activities by posting on a weekly basis, but every now and then we know our customers, stakeholders and suppliers get busy, and cannot read every blog or article. We have come up with an easy solution for you!
Available from now on, is Elite Fire’s booklet available in magazine-style or PDF. Both are easy to read, and the option is purely dependent on your preferred style of reading.
You can also sign up to Elite Fire’s quarterly newsletters here.
Keep watching this space for our upgraded website.
Top Blog Posts this Quarter
During quarter 1, we have had a number of posts uploaded onto LinkedIn, of which has been added on to the Elite Fire website. This quarter we gave you what you wanted to know more about to improve your knowledge and keep you intrigued, but we also added focus on to environmental awareness. The top 3 blog posts that saw good engagement were:
The Importance of Hose Reels in South Africa
The fire hose reel is one of the most critical pieces of fire equipment in a building. The fire hose reel is crucial for “first attack” during the early stages of a fire which can be used by the owners, occupants of a building or firefighters.
It is necessary to service them annually and not doing so opens the risk to equipment malfunction and in the event of a fire. Illegal use and misuse of fire hose reels and hydrants could see you paying a fine of up to R2500 if you are found guilty of tampering with a fire hose reel or hydrant. Click here to read the full article.
Fire Protection – A Sustainable Practice in the World’s Changing Environment
We often refer to the negative impact fires have on the environment, but we don’t consider the positive impact fire protection has on the environment. Fire protection systems can be considered a sustainable practice. While businesses and companies the world over do what they can to minimize their negative impact on the environment by changing to eco-friendly equipment, recycling, and reducing plastic, all this could be negated by a single fire. Install fire protection systems and maintain them to reduce the negative impact fires have on the environment.
Click here to read the full article.
Why Fire Sprinkler Systems Need to be Maintained
Insurance companies can cancel your insurance cover for fire damage should fire clearance certificates not be supplied as proof that the system is fully functional, as well as the negligence of not servicing fire sprinkler systems according to its schedule.
Failure of fire sprinkler systems can happen at any time, with one of the main causes not maintaining your fire sprinkler systems. Failures cause major damage to commercial and industrial properties if a fire occurs, or tremendous water damage from fire sprinklers if water is unexpectedly released.
Click here to read the full article.
Added Value
Don’t forget to download our fire safety checklist for the workplace. We often neglect to think about preparing for the possibility of a fire or how to prevent it from occurring. Have a look at our checklist, download it and print it for your workspace.
Ensure you have a dedicated safety person within your working environment and ensure they are familiar with it.
Internal Updates
Employee Departure – We said goodbye to Adriaan Venter at the end of 2022 to a new opportunity in New Zealand. We wish him and his family all the best for their new adventure and we thank him for his contribution to the company.
Employee of the Quarter – Tevyn Matthysen was nominated and voted for her outstanding customer service and contributing to a positive reputation of the company.
Promotions – Gibson (Gibsy) Manyisa is now Contract’s Manager and Tevyn Matthysen is Project & Marketing Coordinator.
