Here at Straightforward Consultancy, like the whole UK business community, we have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and it has changed the way we run our business, and the way we go about our daily lives. On a personal level, we have parents in the shielding category and fully understand the risks that the virus presents. In terms of our business, we are fortunate, in that most of our communication with existing customers and the logistics community is by phone, internet and email and so we have not had to make major changes to our processes.
Since lockdown, our customers have followed the same path as most other businesses, asking their staff to work remotely or to have elements of their workforce furloughed and so the periodic support visits we used to undertake have been put on hold. Apart from the international logistics challenges brought about by Covid-19 (which have been significant, as explained in greater detail in our Home and Freight Reviews pages) we have managed to support our customers just as before as we have a complete understanding of their needs.
Any changes we’ve made relate to new customers, where we like to meet with them initially, or to conduct a Freight Review or Consultancy project. Having said this, we live in the digital age of Zoom and Skype and so the face-to-face meetings have been replaced by these video calls, and although it’s not quite the same, it’s still pretty effective. Any documents we need to study, such as freight forwarder invoices or Customs entries can be scanned and sent by email or posted to us if there’s a large number. If we do receive anything by post, we quarantine the envelope and documents for 72 hours before opening. With our parents for example, we organise their online shop for them, sanitise it upon receipt and then deliver to them. That’s how seriously we take Covid-19.
So, in summary, although we aren’t customer-facing, like a retail outlet or a bank, we want to play our part in making our customers feel safe whilst at the same time maintaining a full service to them in these challenging times, and we will continue to follow all Government advice as it evolves.
"It is a pleasure to work with Andy who is professional, driven and easy to get on with” Paul Critchlow, Managing Director, Distinctive Medical Products, Runcorn
“We did not know we had a problem with our import shipping until Andy Cliff came to visit and offered us an overview of all of our overseas transport requirements” Richard Brown, Managing Director, Abbey England, Knutsford
“I am writing to thank you for all the work you have done for my company since we started working together in 2017. You have made our incoming freight more “straightforward” and we now know that we get the most favourable prices” Paul Hornby, Managing Director, Foilco, Warrington
“A high recommendation goes out to Andy and SCL from a very satisfied customer Middleby UK” Mark Daintith, Purchasing Manager, Middleby UK, Warrington
“I would certainly recommend Andy to any company looking to improve cost and service in the logistics area, especially in these uncertain times” Rob Laird, Finance Director, Uren Food Group, Neston
“Not everyone has time to scrutinise invoices to check the costs are correct, especially when the freight forwarders try to bamboozle you with trade jargon” Neil Barlow, Director, New World Air Brake, Warrington
“What really surprised us was that as well as achieving savings of almost 50% on our freight costs, we also saw marked improvements in the service levels” Steve Goldstraw, Managing Director, Staffordshire Hydraulic Services, Stoke-on-Trent
“From the very first meeting, it became apparent that Andy Cliff was professional, committed, tenacious and enthusiastic and very much customer-led in his thinking” Jim Hickey, Head of Procurement, Luxfer MEL Technologies, Manchester
