Elliotts builders' merchant was founded in 1842, making it one of the oldest family businesses in the South. It is dedicated to providing excellent customer service with experts on hand for both trade and the public, and it is committed to meeting everyone’s needs, from local handymen to national house builders and high-end consumers.
It has branches in Bishops Waltham, Chandler’s Ford, Christchurch, Fareham, Fordingbridge, Ringwood, Romsey, Southampton, Tadley and Totton. There are also four kitchen and bathroom showrooms, specialist tool centres in Portsmouth and Winchester, and it has its own roofing company, Elliotts Premier Roofing.
Elliotts engaged Carswell Gould to implement a fully-integrated marketing service including PR, rebranding, way-finding, livery, website and strategic consultation. Its previous brand was outdated and did not reflect and portray the exponential growth the firm had achieved, and in particular its high-end consumer market.
Carswell Gould’s challenge was to present a site which appealed to both the high-end consumer market and the everyday tradespeople.
Usability was therefore key, so Carswell Gould simplified the content and introduced a Solr functionality so users could find the information, products or services they required quickly and easily.
Elliotts wanted to differentiate itself from its competitors, so Carswell Gould created its strapline ‘help you build’ – and the website truly reflects that.
In addition, Carswell Gould chose a platform which supported an internal communications’ platform, meaning staff can make information public immediately and cuts down on resource and spend.
Elliotts’ new user-friendly website is a winning formula for both staff and the customers. It reflects the company’s commitment to providing quality products and delivering outstanding service.
Carswell Gould has designed a stylish website which is fresh and concise, attractive to browse and simple to navigate. With direction from Elliotts, the main focus of the website has been to provide the latest information, products and services for all types of customers quickly and easily.
This delivers positive cost and time saving benefits for everyone.
The site’s home page asks ‘How can we help you to build today?’ next to a search option, with a simple and prominent top banner tab navigation: ‘What we know; What we sell; Where we are; Who we are.’
One of the most beneficial features for customers has been in the 'What we know' section, where there is a huge database of knowledge from all areas of the business. This provides an instant reference book with information on products, applications, installation and inspiration for interiors and exteriors. This makes Elliotts accessible even when customers can’t visit the branches.
The website also includes an intranet, an internal network where staff are able to find out what is happening at Elliotts through company announcements, news articles, new products, offers and help-guides. It also hosts the Elliotts Academy, the company’s in-house training programme.
Elliott believes that no other builders merchants go to these lengths to keep their staff informed and their customers involved and feeling valued. The company feels that continued investment in all aspects of the business, together with customer service excellence and taking note of customer feedback are vital to its future prosperity.
Systems:
- Built on Drupal 7 (a CMS) which allows Elliotts to manage its content
- Uses Apache Solr search engine so users can find products quickly and easily
- Integrates with Magento to bring in their extensive product database on the website
- Allows staff to highlight and demonstrate their knowledge on various sections
- Intranet site is tied into their LDAP access for internal staff
- Phased/agile-built site
