CHS Installations
Flexible services for a changing market
Background
CHS Installations provide plumbing and heating services for luxury homes in Hampshire, Surrey and London. Owner Chris Sutton is a key part of the engineering team and is often working onsite rather than from the office. Get Ahead has supported Chris on and off for a number of years.
Challenges
Chris usually works onsite, which makes it difficult for him to keep up with back-office work and social media.
He also finds that his workload can fluctuate. During the pandemic, for example, Chris and his team couldn’t work in people’s homes, which affected CHS Installations’ ability to deliver projects, which impacted revenue.
Chris needed a way of keeping on top of business growth, customer relationships and social media, but in a flexible, affordable way to accommodate his variable income.
Solutions
Get Ahead initially arranged for Chris to have regular marketing support and social media management from Get Ahead. This worked well until the pandemic impacted his business and the working relationship had to be put on hold.
Get Ahead’s flexible working model means that it’s easy to pause or even stop working with a virtual expert whenever the client needs to. Chris took advantage of this flexibility to manage his budget during this challenging time experienced by many.
However, as the world gradually reopened and Chris and his team were able to return to work, he realised how important it was to keep in touch with property developers and architects through whom he won contracts.
He recommenced his relationship with Get Ahead, with social media a particular priority – this has helped him re-establish visibility and credibility with key contacts.
To help Chris keep track of his spend on outsourced support, we established a monthly budget for him.
Outcomes
With Get Ahead’s assistance (and gentle reminders to provide pictures of projects!), Chris’ social media presence is growing stronger all the time. Behind the scenes, his invoicing and admin is up to date and Chris is able to focus and prioritise his team and active projects.
Sharing CHS Installations’ work on large-scale projects on social media has caught the attention of developers. As a result, Chris is now working with some professional and specialist building contractors – a real testament to the power of regular posting and engagement.
Setting a monthly budget has enabled Chris to manage his outgoings even though the business’ income varies. If he needs more support, he knows he can turn to us to build this into his plan, or pay for additional hours if required. And if another crisis hits, he knows he can dial back the support or even stop altogether.
Get Ahead has the agility to offer clients like Chris the right support for their needs. Chris can turn the support on and off, enabling him to pivot during changing times.
