How to Choose a Fencing Company
With more than two decades experience in the industry, there is not much that AlphaFence doesn't know or can't do when it comes to fencing . Whether you have a fence installed by us, or from ANOther, if you follow the steps below you are very likely to find the 'right' company for you.
Essentially what you are looking for is a fencing company that can front-end marketing and publicity will likely promise you all of those things. So how do you know whether it is true or just hype? Look for evidence that supports their claims in the following key areas:
Independent Vetting and Accreditation
What you need is some form of external independent judge, and one that is consistent in measuring one company against another by the same objective criteria. Fortunately there are a number of excellent third party independent pre-qualification and vetting organisation who offer accreditation to companies that meet their stringent criteria.
Some such as Achilles SSiP focus exclusively on health and safety, whereas others such as ConstructionLine take a broad overview of the entire company including finance, management, quality of service, and social, ethical and environmental compliance. Applying for accreditation with one or more of these vetting organisations represents a financial commitment, as well as a company commitment to 'get its house in order' and to show it off. Companies that produce poor work do not usually volunteer themselves for scrutiny and pay for the priviledge.
Insurance
What if something is damaged on your premises, or worse someone is hurt during the course of your fencing works? You need to ensure that the company carrying out the work has adequate and appropriate Business Insurance.
Safety
It is essential that any company employed operates safely - protecting the health & safety & welfare of not only its own employeees, but also your own staff, visitors and members of the public on your site. A professional fencing contractor will be accredited to an industry-recognised member of the Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSiP). In order to achieve SSiP accreditation a company must submit its health and safety policies and procedures for scrutiny by a panel of health and safety experts. Look out for accreditation to one of the SSiP safety schemes as it signals well-developed relevant and professional health and safety management systems.
Quality
Customer feedback is an extremely a useful indicator of the nature of an organisations, how it conducts itself professionally, and the quality of its services. A large number of positive Customer References and/or Testimonials can indicate that the company has not just buttered up one or two mates.
The work itself in evidence on a customer's premises will be a better guide than the company's own marketing and publicity, i.e. seeing is believing etc. If you can see, touch and feel the work that they have done then you can make a first hand judgement yourself. NB - ensure that you get permision before testing out a fence on someone else's property.
Well-Established
It is said that most small business start-ups fail in the first two years, and the longer they have been in business the less likely they are to fail. Recent world events demonstrate that no company is too old or too big to go bust, but generally as a rule of thumb a company with a decade or more years under its belt has weathered many storms, learned many lessons, and will have experienced professional staff. Look for a company with some History.
No 'Hard Sell'
Companies that are too pushy and demand commitment or money too soon rarely have anything good to offer. A good quality product and company generally sells itself through word of mouth referalls. A good fencing company will listen to your needs and provide good objective advice in return. Perhaps they will suggest a range of alternative products and guide you through the pros and cons of each. Perhaps they will offer just one solution and tell you why. In any case, a good company will provide information in a clear and understandable manner and leave you to make your own decision without any pressure. Look for a company that puts its customers first and offers a FREE no-obligation site inspection and quotation service without a hard sell.
Policies and Licenses
Policies in themselves are no signal of quality, stability or professionalism. After all we can write what we want but the proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating. However, policies do at least demonstrate a commitment to certain standards of behaviour or outcome, and if they are kept relevant and up to date they indicate a company that is constantly reviewing its operations and aspirations.
A Health & Safety Policy should be a 'given', in fact it is a statutory must for any company with more than 5 employees, and should be insisted upon in any event - you need to know that the workers on your premises will not be a danger to themselves nor anyone else.
An well developed and relevant Environmental Policy will usually indicate that the company has a sense of social responsibility and is thinking not only about profit, but also about the impact of their operations on the environment. It also tends to suggest that they are planning to be around for a long time and thus have a vested interest in the quality of their work and the repeat business that it brings.
A Quality Policy indicates a customer's commitment to the quality of its work, as does a Customer Care Policy, and a Customer Complaints policy and procedure sets out what happens if that commitment is not met in reality, i.e. tells a customer what to expect and how to make their complaint.
We are sure that you want to be confident that waste from your site is not going to end up in a nearby back lane or lay by. A registered Waste Carrier with a Waste Carriers License will have likely recognised and met their responsibilities for the correct disposal of commercial waste.
A Training Policy indicates a commitment to train and develop the workforce, and a Training Log is evidence that it happens in real life. Such things again are good indicators of a bone fide business in it for the long haul and with a vested interest in producing quality work and developing its staff.
Cyber Security
When commissioning fencing your focus is most likely on your physical security needs. But what about informational security? The quotation and order process will likely involve an exchange of key information by Emails, some of which may contain plans of your premises, registered designs and technical drawings, bank details, and perhaps sensitive security or personal information (falling under the scope of GDPR). You need to be sure that the chosen fencing company has the knowledge and resources to protect both your premises and your company's information on their own systems, keeping it secure from hackers and internet threats. Suppliers with weak cyber security may provide a backdoor for hackers to gain entry onto your own IT systems!
Of course no outcomes are guaranteed, but by choosing a company that meets as many of the above criteria as possible one can reduce the likelihood of an unpleasant experience.