Page 22 - BOSS Today Issue 24

Shredders

there are technology innovations services is fairly new to
happening which make these Commercial, and – explains
products even better value for Wynds – was largely the result of
end-users. There’s a lot for UK OP the recent confluence of several
dealers to go for!” factors: “We thought that there
was a gap in the market, but also
Winning The a couple of customers had asked
Service Game? whether this was a service we
It is interesting that – within could provide. At the same time,
the context of a modern OP we were also being approached Building The Snowball
industry that is now as quick by some of the companies who And snowballing it certainly is.
to offer services as product – provide these services, so it all While these services account for
one question that arises when suddenly fell together.” less than 5% of the company’s
reviewing the shredder market turnover currently, Wynds
is whether the outsourcing of Find The Right Partner expects this to double next year:
shredding services is now taking Certainly, as Wynds explains, it “I think we are mainly taking
share from office purchases is vitally important for any OP share from secure shredding
of shredders. Jacqui Wynds, dealer looking to offer shredding service providers because of
Supplier Partner Manager at services to find the right partner: our personal treatment of the
Commercial Group, believes that “We feel we have now got really customer. With a lot of these big
it is difficult to identify whether good partners for this, but it companies, it’s very impersonal
there is any clear trend: “I hear wasn’t easy to find these. We and in some cases they are
of some companies having a all know about the big names probably hiking up prices, so
bad experience of outsourcing that are out there, but we were the customer is not getting the
and going back to shredding looking for partners that had deal that they thought they were
themselves, and of other clients the same synergy and ethics as going to get. We feel we are both
who would much rather put us, so really we were looking price competitive and offer a
it out. Sometimes we talk to a for smaller companies. Now we personal service.”
client that is looking for a very have come up with a couple of Furthermore, even the minor
big, confidential-type shredding really good ones, but we had to downsides appear to have a
job, where we would ask if they go through a few to find them!” major upside: “It’s been relatively
would be better to put that Given that the partners plain sailing, to a degree. The
out to us. Or we could have a are “effectively wearing a worst thing we’ve come across is
customer who says, “We spend Commercial Group hat”, totally disorganised customers.
hours standing at the shredder”: the company keeps a close So, in fact, what happens is that
then we would offer them the eye on what is going on by we just go in and sort it all out
outsourced shredding service, as ensuring that any customer for them: we have now got some
it would be more cost-effective. contact and any invoicing very grateful customers who “The most
It really does depend on the goes through Commercial thank us for simply taking the
customer and their situation.” Group. Indeed, Wynds is keen burden off them. So, in effect, effective
Commercial Group now offers to point out that having the while we have gone in offering
both a document management right partnership with the right a shredding service, we have way to ensure
service (both archiving and partner is essential not only to ended up sorting out their whole
retrieval or just document customer satisfaction, but also document management system. information
scanning) and a secure shredding to the ongoing sales effort: It’s so perfect for our market and
service (including the provision “Our account managers are a real win/win for everybody: security and
of consoles and shredding either very protective of their end- a happy customer, a happy
on or off a customer’s site). user customers, but once one partner and we both increase our permanently
“This ties in with our zero waste sales person has seen how well revenues and tie our client in.” delete
policy, which we promote to our it’s worked with their clients –
customers,” says Wynds, “It also and how it has enhanced the Martin Wilde – the author of this data is to
provides a closed loop system. relationship – that gives the article – is Managing Director of OP
That’s very important to us, given others the confidence to go in market research specialists shred it.”
our environmental philosophy.” and offer it to their own. That’s Martin Wilde Associates Ltd
The offering of shredding how it tends to snowball for us.” (www.martinwildeassociates.com) Susanne Fritz

22 BOSS TODAY | October/November 2014

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