Page 28 - HW FEB 2021

sales agents
“Regular connection helped us navigate as a team through something that all of us were dealing with without a manual”
the turbulence of 2020 were qualities that stemmed from 30 years of experience working in FMCG.
“It meant that our business is inherently incredibly agile, we’re very adaptable and we’ve got a strong resilience.
“Whether we are providing a service in the hardware channel or grocery stores, it’s in our DNA to be flexible and agile. And, because we’re accustomed to dealing in an environment that moves so incredibly quickly, the stress and uncertainty of COVID was possibly easier for us to manage.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to the people we have in our business. I can’t tell you how incredibly proud I am
of the Storelink team and their service provision – they’ve demonstrated not just an incredible work ethic and great loyalty to us but phenomenal commitment to communities and to our customers.”
ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION
Angie Samuel and Storelink were not alone in relying on and reinforcing regular communication both internally and with customers and stores to work through the issues the industry has been facing.
“Regular connection helped us navigate as a team through something that all of us were dealing with without a manual.”
As a relatively small independent, Stephen Edlin says he managed to “weather the COVID storm okay”.
But the fear of the unknown was more disconcerting than the reduced income, he says, and being on the road less may be the new norm.
To combat this fear of the unknown, the world has adopted the Zoom meeting. “It’s become something of an industry standard,” says Stephen, adding that perhaps Zoom shouldn’t become the only means of connecting with others.
“There has been an overall improvement in communications, and I’ve gone along with that,” he admits. “But the old-fashioned telephone call is not to be underrated.
“Face-to-face contact is still the best way, I think, but sometimes, if you have the same SKU numbers at each end and can talk about it, there’s no reason why you can’t actually sort it out on the phone or by email.”
Emerging from lockdown made Derek van der Vossen look at more efficient work practices and implement a few changes at VRM.
“We’ve fast-tracked some aspects of reporting with new web- based software that we’ve developed and put on to tablets, mainly to benefit team members doing a high volume of work.
“And in the back end of the business, we’re definitely seeing that extra efficiency shine through because we’re handling things less than we were before.”
26 NZHJ | FEBRUARY 2021
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