Simon Hunt, commercial and services director at National Windscreens, recently spoke with Modern Insurance Magazine about resiliency, lessons in business and climate change.
- How has the business model of National Windscreens changed and adapted in recent years to build in resilience?
"Our supply chains have evolved them to meet the various pressures of the past few years, with glass supply in both Europe and Asia providing global, flexible sourcing. In preparation for Brexit, we increased our stock holding capacity across the UK as part of our long-term strategy towards improving resilience. This included expansion of our infrastructure with new, strategically located warehouses to ensure a responsive delivery.
Focussing on our people has become more important than ever. In an environment where recruitment is more challenging than ever, developing and retaining our existing team is a priority. All 14 of our regional managers across the UK were promoted from within the business. This provides our team with development opportunities across the business and represents a key part of our resilience strategy."
- What have these recent years taught you about your business?
"A significant lesson was in the importance of the human touch in the services we provide. Over the course of the last few years there has been an increased focus on servicing customers online in this sector. A recent revelation has been the sizable percentage of people who seek the reassurance of speaking to another person, pushing back against the digital focus since the lockdown. This really has been a great reminder that customers are individuals, and we must provide a service that is flexible to meet their individual needs.
It is essential our customers receive clear communication in the format they desire. This is fundamental to our provision of excellent customer care. The revised standards of the Consumer Duty are very much in line with our dedication to customer-first principles."
- How has the issue of climate change influenced National Windscreens?
"Climate change means the seasonal demands of windscreen repair and replacement are much less predictable. Our business resilience strategy has had to adapt to allow for this increase in peak and trough in the volume of jobs, depending on the fluctuations in the weather.
We are acutely aware of the need to look at every aspect of our operations and supply chain to drive towards net zero through scopes 1, 2 and 3 of the supply chain. We are working with our suppliers and recycling partners to continue the path to a circular economy by recycling 100% of the 3,300 tonnes of glass replaced each year.
I am excited for the release of our sustainability report, which enables us to measure the progress that we have made as a business and set our short-term and long-term ESG targets. So watch this space!"
You can read the full article in Modern Insurance Magazine here.