Far from being a lonely life out on the road, our design team relish the chance to visit customers up and down the country. With a small, dedicated team of designers with lots of experience, our customers have been enjoying the warm, friendly and relaxed approach you would expect from a family business which is in stark contrast to the more aggressive style and ‘sales games’ employed by our competitors.
“It’s a pleasure”, muses Janet Stephens. During her career, Janet has worked in first class for British Airways who still call on her services from time to time. “I’ve flown with royalty and celebrities,” she recalls, “But to be invited into somebody’s home is the real honor, whether it’s a cosy terrace in St Helens or grand house set in it’s own grounds in Beaconsfield. To be invited to intimately discuss the finer details of their home – their pride and joy, to be involved in discussions which will shape it’s future and ultimately the final decision process with them requires a level of trust which I’ve privileged to enjoy.”
“When you’ve been designing staircases as long as I have,” adds designer Colin Campbell, “It’s enjoyable to share your experience and expertise with others. I’ve seen trends for traditional turned spindles and painted timbers move towards the more popular oak and glass combinations – but it’s not always the best option for every home. You need to be able to read the personality of the homeowners and the home itself to choose a style which best reflects this. It may be that a combination of painted spindles and natural oak works best, or a design incorporating forged steel spindles or a feature step which adds to the final feel that the customer is looking for. Sometimes I’ll even suggest a special stained oak to enhance other features of the home. Because I can draw on both my own and the company’s 20 years of experience, I am confident that I can always help our customers to find the perfect, bespoke staircase solution for their home.”
Peter Sammons, who had previously worked with another prominent staircase renovations company likes the way Abbott-Wade do business and enjoys his new role, having left behind the ‘pressure sell’ and gimmicky seasonal sales which shareholders of larger companies demand.
“It’s not the way we do business here – we just offer our best price every time. Customers are always surprised when they’ve already had a visit from one of our competitors and then, once we arrive, they see the quality of our materials and our price is more competitive than another company’s sale price, Abbott-Wade become the logical decision. It’s so much more relaxed and our customers really seem to appreciate it. By the time I’ve left after chatting over a cup of tea, I always feel that I’ve grown to know them well.”
