Sliderobes scoops top award

Belfast-based fitted-wardrobe franchise, Sliderobes, has scooped a top national award, sponsored by Sage, for its new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

Sliderobes, which has 20 franchises across the UK and Ireland, was presented with the top accolade at the prestigious Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Excellence Awards gala dinner at Waterfront Hall in Belfast. The event was attended by Gordon Burns, presenter of 'The Krypton Factor'. Sliderobes was commended for demonstrating that it had developed clear CRM strategies in support of its wider marketing objectives. The software, based on Sage SalesLogix, enables staff to monitor customer activity from initial enquiry through to after sales service. The company worked with Sage business partner, Pinnacle Computing, which has offices across the UK and Ireland. Together they were able to develop Sage SalesLogix software that would enable them to highlight training needs, analyse advertising and marketing activity and help franchisees cut administration workloads by up to 50%.

Richard McMullan, Sliderobes Managing Director and the driving force behind the project, explained that the system was a complete solution that would help with communication and record keeping across the company.

'We are growing very fast; sales have quadrupled over the last four years, we've doubled the number of franchises over the last couple of years and there will be more openings at the start of next year,' he said.

'This system works well for us and will help our franchises run their businesses even more smoothly and profitably,' added Richard. 'They are the main beneficiaries. When people buy into a Sliderobes franchise, it is quality that they are choosing and this permeates all levels. We want to make sure that not only are our customers receiving the best possible standards of product and service, but also that our franchisees are receiving all the support that they need to make this happen.' The software, introduced earlier this year, was trialled at the Belfast showroom for six months prior to being rolled out across the franchises. The next step is to integrate it into the website to track enquiries and to integrate it into accounting software.

Pictured from left to right are: Frances McKee, Pinnacle Computing; Gordon Burns; Richard Bennington, Sage; Shauna O'Hare, Pinnacle Computing; Michael Maguire, CIM Ireland; Richard McMullan, Sliderobes; Ken Montgomery, Pinnacle Computing; David Larkin, Sage Ireland; Paul Ryan, Pinnacle Computing; Shirley Smith, Sliderobes