It's as easy as MTC with Lister Trade Frames
Posted on 21/07/2014
On the 1st of June 2014, the Government introduced the Minimum Technical Competencies (MTC) programme with all Competent Person Schemes. Now installers of windows and doors are required to demonstrate that they meet the legal requirements and display the necessary skills to offer a top notch service to their customers.
What became increasingly obvious was the level of confusion that ensued approaching the compliance date as installers struggled to understand what was required of them and how to become compliant. That is unless you were a Trade Customer of Lister Trade Frames of Stoke on Trent.
Listers, aware that this new legislation was on its way, started the ball rolling over a year ago with their customer base to educate and assist them on becoming MTC compliant. They held a free to attend seminar and invited an industry expert to talk to the installers about their responsibilities and how Listers could help them to comply simply and cost effectively.
"We know our customer base," commented Daniel Shaw, Marketing Manager "and we know that new legislation and qualifications can often be extremely daunting for them. So, although it wasn't our responsibility to get Trade installers compliant with MTC, we believed that it was vital we did as much as we could to help our Customers."
What was so interesting in the way Listers approached this was the fact they delivered a complete solution rather than just advice. Listers partnered with PM Training, a local company who offered Fenestration NVQ’s, a route to MTC Compliance and thanks to a Government funded programme, were able to secure this training free of charge for any of their customers who agreed to take part.
"This was key to what we were trying to do," remarked Daniel, "We wanted our trade customers to have an extra edge over the competition, not just having an MTC card, but also accredited to NVQ levels 2 and 3, which actually exceeded what the Government required."
One of the very first to sign up was one of Listers long standing customers, Keith Woolliscroft. Keith has been in the business for decades and saw straight away the benefit of getting onboard with what Listers were providing.
"I've been fitting windows and doors for years and I have a loyal customer base who appreciate the time and effort I put into each and every installation," said Keith, "but in a very competitive market I've always got to be looking at ways to stand out. I saw the NVQ route to MTC compliance as a positive step forward and wanted to be part of it. The support I received from Listers and PM Training was excellent and I'm delighted to say that I'm now fully compliant and I was ready well before the June deadline!"
Keith is just one of an astonishing 85 Listers’ customers who have gone through the NVQ/MTC process fully supported by Listers and PM Training and it's that level of commitment to their trade customers that keeps Listers ahead of the field.
Daniel Shaw commented, "We're delighted with the success of this project and it reiterates to our customers that we are here to help in any way we can and that we’re prepared and ready to go the extra mile for them. Listers’ Trade Customers have all appreciated the support that they have received to carry on selling and installing windows without the headache, worries and rush to compliance that many others in our industry have gone through."
