Proud to be a Solarlux Partner in Yorkshire

Making sure we get the job right first time, every time is a key focus for our team. We strive to exceed our customers’ expectations and offer the very best service possible, from concept to completion.

As a Solarlux partner installing high-end glazing systems across Yorkshire, we recognise how important it is to get the job spot-on. Whether it’s a Wintergarden glass extension or a sliding door, bi-folds or a glass room, these products need to be delivered by a team that has the skills and in-depth knowledge to do them justice.

Solarlux partner

One of the reasons we wanted to partner with Solarlux was because of our shared company values. We are both known for quality, attention to detail, impeccable installation and an excellent and personalised customer journey. From initial enquiry to sale, technical aspects to survey, installation to after care, the whole process needs to be faultless.

So just how do we make sure we achieve this? To be a great Solarlux partner requires a huge commitment involving wide-ranging education and training. This ensures our product knowledge, installation expertise and customer service are impeccable throughout the whole process. It also means we are moving ever closer to our aim of becoming a Solarlux Quality Partner.

There are also a number of elements that we as a company continually work on that are integral to providing a flawless service for our customers.

Training

A sustained focus on training is essential for our continual improvement. It’s vital to our aim of being the best we can be. Although our team members have decades of industry experience between them, we recognise the importance of never standing still. We know there is always something new to learn.

As a company we are committed to an ongoing training programme for all our staff members. We undertake our own training, both on site and at our Leigh House premises in Leeds. We are always looking at what we’ve done and how we can do it better.

Some of the products we offer are increasingly sought after by the architects we work with as well as our customers, and we need to be as knowledgeable and skilled in these products as possible. This is particularly the case for new products, such as the architectural aluminium tilt and turn windows. These can reach 2400mm high and 1700mm wide, and are fully compliant with Approved Doc Q (PAS24).

Solarlux training

As a Solarlux partner, we also undertake dedicated training in all aspects of their glazing systems. This ensures we can provide the best possible service for our customers.

Members of our team are currently signed up to courses at the Solarlux UK base in Welwyn Garden City covering a range of subjects including:

• Bi-fold door installation (Ecoline, Highline, Combiline, Woodline)
• Non thermally broken systems
• Roof structures – advanced product knowledge, configuration and installation
• Surveying for windows and doors
• Control systems for canopies and Wintergardens
• Bi-folding doors product knowledge – features, USPs and applications
• Cero product knowledge – features, USPs and applications

There’s always something to learn at these courses, and it’s great to ask as many questions of the guys at Solarlux as we can. Everybody who has attended so far has gained new insights, learnt something new or picked up a golden nugget of information.

For the more experienced members of our team, the Solarlux courses offer the chance to consolidate what they already know. They also help our team keep up to date with changes and advances in technology, materials, processes, best practices and regulations.

For our newer team members, Solarlux’s in-person training courses offer the opportunity not just to learn about the products but also to see them in real life. It makes a huge difference to our understanding of the product when we are able to look around a glazing system - moving the doors, checking out the details of its construction and asking questions of Solarlux’s own experts.

Many of the products we see during our Solarlux training are ones that we have experience of installing already. These include Wintergardens, cero sliding doors and alu-clad doors. For these products, the courses can give us additional information and help us hone our expertise in the sales, design and installation process.

But we also get to see products that we don’t yet offer or haven’t worked with before. This is great because it allows our team to have a look at them in detail and make sure we’re familiar with the product and all elements of its design and installation, ready for when we get asked for it by a customer.

As our director David says: "If you’re going to do a job right then you need to know how to do the detail!"

GGF (Glass & Glazing Federation) training

As a member of the GGF (Glass & Glazing Federation), we have also been attending the training sessions that they offer. Our team leader / fabricator-fitter Josh completed a course in Fenestration Surveying earlier last year, and we are looking forward to more during 2022.

The federation has also just launched a new GGF Skilled Pathways Scheme, a two year apprenticeship course to help member companies recruit, train and qualify trainees.

Apprenticeships

The GGF Skilled Pathways Scheme is hugely welcome in the glazing industry, which is currently lagging behind in recruiting and training the next generation. In fact, there has traditionally been such little support for new people coming in to the industry that here at Solarlux by Reveal we have been running our own training and apprenticeship programme for a number of years.

We have long been an advocate of apprenticeships. Our director David Weaver began his career as an apprentice and over the years has worked with various colleges to deliver sessions and help develop young people coming into the industry. Now, we are using his expertise and insights to train and develop the next generation of our outstanding team.

We offer great opportunities for people entering the industry, providing ongoing training, development and qualifications in all aspects of fenestration, including fabrication and installation.

Company ethos and approach

Alongside practical training and product knowledge, it’s also vital for our team to have the right approach and attitude. This is hugely important not only for the way we deal with our customers but also for giving the right impression of who we are as a company.

So, as part of our in-house training, we start by focusing on the key ingredients that are needed to be a great member of our team. This ensures that we are able to do our best for our customers and represent our company in the best way possible.

The first module in this aspect of our training looks at the ten things that take zero talent. These are things like turning up on time, having a good attitude, being respectful to customers and colleagues, knowing how to talk to people, and focusing on the smallest detail. In our view, all of these ingredients need to be in place before you learn the practical skills.

Culture of support

What’s important to us is that our staff gain satisfaction and enjoyment from their work. We try to create a team who want to learn and want to improve. It means people are happier in their jobs. And when they feel like this, they naturally want to do a better job for our customers.  

We believe this happens when people feel supported, well informed and able to learn. Our company therefore offers a culture of openness and team work.

We don’t play the blame game. Of course things will go wrong, challenges will arise and people will make mistakes (we are only human after all!). But the key thing for us is not to focus on who it was that did something wrong, but to recognise why it happened and to put things in place to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Not only does this create transparency in everything we do, but it gives our staff the freedom to develop their skills and knowledge without being concerned about getting it wrong along the way. It also means we can pick up on mistakes early on and rectify them quickly for our customers.

If you give people the skills and constantly talk about what you can do better, if you are honest – without having a blame culture – then you just become better at what you do. It breeds good people, engenders loyalty and helps staff retention.

We aim to have a company culture that creates people who care that the job is perfect for the customer and the end result. This applies to everything we do, from assessing an enquiry to turning down jobs that we know we can’t do our best on.

Mental health training

As part of our culture of support and investment in our people, our sales director Sharon Womersley recently trained to become a mental health first aider.

Run by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England, the professional training course teaches in-depth skills for providing first aid to people who may be experiencing mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and psychosis.

Being open and approachable, and able to recognise the signs of mental ill health, is something that is really important to us as a company. We share the MHFA's belief in zero stigma around mental health and that it should be openly discussed and supported.

With one in four of us likely to experience a mental health issue in any given year, it is important that organisations offer help, support and guidance to anyone in their team who needs it.