[B2B] What are the CX challenges facing distributors of construction materials?

How can you build long-lasting relationships with your contractor, tradesman and installation  customers? And how can you help your local stores create conversations with their B2B customers to understand, react and improve their satisfaction? Here are some answers.  

The power of recommendation is essential in the retail world. And recommendations become even more critical in the B2B construction materials distribution sector. Contractors, installers, tradesmen... Your customers exchange advice regarding the best distributor. All the more reason to offer them the best possible customer experience, give them satisfaction and make them want to recommend your brand to others. To do this, here are four key points to keep in mind. 

Your local outlets are the heart of your customer experience strategy

As with other sectors, the distribution of B2B construction materials is becoming increasingly digital: order tracking processes, stock management, creation of customer accounts, etc. It is tempting to look at the customer experience solely through a digital prism. 

But let's not forget that human relations and proximity are real differentiating factors in the B2B sector. And even if the B2B customer journey and interactions are often longer than in other sectors, they are also richer. Building contractors and craftsmen often go to the point of sale to buy their materials. This is when the on-site teams become an indispensable source of advice and training. For those building companies that order materials digitally, the challenge is to increase the opportunities for interaction.   

Contractors, installers, tradesmen... listening to all your customers is the cornerstone of your customer knowledge

The B2B construction materials distribution market is very specific. It is, therefore, essential to know and understand your professional customers to best meet their often precise requirements. To do this, you are responsible for listening to all your customers, enabling them to express the irritants they may encounter in their journey and to detect areas for improvement in the customer experience.   

Entrusting the management of the Voice of the Customer directly to the points of sale is the best way to create this proximity between the local teams and their customers. Collecting feedback directly from their tradesmen and entrepreneurs can create a real conversation and a lasting relationship with them. These direct exchanges are the most effective way to increase customer satisfaction. This customer feedback is also valuable information for your company to react and adapt its processes and products.  

Average indicators generated by Goodays's B2B construction materials distribution clients

Never lose a customer and increase business

It cannot be said often enough: acquiring new customers is more expensive than keeping existing ones. And the construction materials distribution sector is no exception. 

That's why it's vital to identify which dissatisfied customers are likely to leave for the competition so that they can be dealt with immediately. By handing over the management of dissatisfied customers to the shop teams, they will better understand the reasons for their dissatisfaction and be able to offer a solution quickly. This will strengthen the relationship with customers and increase loyalty. Customers will also be more likely to make repeat purchases in the same store. 

Streamline the customer experience delivered across your network 

In retail, B2B distributors of construction materials need to ensure the same level of service across their entire network, regardless of size, country or business. They also need to streamline the measurement of customer experience (NPS, Csat) to derive comparable and actionable information to drive change. How can this be done? By implementing a single customer interaction management platform. 

In addition to enabling greater proximity between your local teams and their B2B customers, this single platform also contributes to offering the same level of service and customer experience. Another important benefit is that in-store teams take responsibility for the customer experience they deliver every day, while adapting to the specificities of each brand or network.

Talk to one of our B2B experts here.