As Timberwise marks its third year of operations within Scotland, we are hearing from different people in the business who have seen the impact that Timberwise has had within Scotland, as well as the impact that our presence on Scotland has had on their lives.
Here, our MD, George Edwards, talks about how Timberwise’s efforts in Scotland came to be, and what he envisions for the business as we develop further and increase our presence through the country.
What Were Timberwise’s Biggest Challenges When First Moving into Scotland?
‘Brand awareness was always going to the toughest part to start with’ says George, when asked about the biggest challenges that Timberwise faced when moving into Scotland. ‘The Timberwise name is synonymous with timber issues, which are much more prevalent in the Scottish psyche than the rest of the UK.’
It was thanks to that association though that Timberwise has evolved to become one of the premier providers of property care services throughout Scotland. ‘The strength of our brand has been a vital driver of customers to the business and helping us to establish our presence in Scotland. Timber repair became one of the ways that customers became more aware of our wide offering of services, and it was a vital inroad to Timberwise delivering all of the property care services we are known for throughout England and Wales.’
Why make the choice to expand into Scotland though? ‘As part of a larger strategy to expand our coverage across the UK, Scotland seemed an untapped market! With Timberwise’s suite of tried and tested waterproofing, timber, and damp solutions, there was really no doubts about us moving into Scotland!’
Brand awareness wasn’t the only challenge Timberwise faced as we moved into Scotland though.
‘The other significant challenge was to bring a new team together who could provide the high quality, lasting property care services that we are proud to deliver. In the early days, having a team that would uphold the values of the business and buy into the culture was more important than focussing on operational focusses.’
Finding the right team in a country that Timberwise had no real presence in was going to be a challenge, so how did Timberwise find the right people?
‘One of our greatest triumphs is that the best people approached us. This is a great example of how our values and culture were seen by those working in the industry, and it’s a great vote of confidence in how Timberwise is a great place to work. We know that by having the best people, we can provide the best service to all of our customers.’
How Is Timberwise Positioned in Scotland Today?
With this month marking the third anniversary of Timberwise in Scotland, we asked George about how he thinks Timberwise is positioned in the market.
‘We are a well-established business at this point. Within three years we have grown to the point of having offices and experts in and around Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Perth. It’s been a period of tremendous growth for the business, and we are thrilled to see how the Scottish team has gone from strength to strength.’
Of course, none of this could have been possible without the people of Scotland believing in Timberwise.
‘Our customers are consistently delighted by our services, and this has been proven by the amount of business we get just from word of mouth. We rely on our network of local offices, surveyors, and technicians to deliver a level of personalised service they can’t get anywhere else.’
When asked what has made Timberwise stand out from the competition, George had this to say: ‘Timberwise places a great emphasis on health and safety, and this has been a key differentiator to our competition, especially when it comes to commercial business. Not only can we be trusted to deliver projects to promised specifications, but we are trusted to deliver them in the right way.’
All of this, George says, is what makes Timberwise the trusted, go-to experts when it comes to property care.
What’s Next for Timberwise in Scotland?
Whilst George could consider Timberwise’s growth in Scotland a completed project, he has no intention of letting the momentum slow down.
‘Looking ahead, we are making big investments in people to help grow our business.’ George is referring to the significant amount of training that all Timberwise employees undertake, as well as the various accreditations that we put our surveyors and technicians through.
George is looking to go further though, and expand the Scottish team even more. ‘Timberwise is always looking to find diligent and ambitious people to join the growing Scottish family. Our team’s expertise, reliability, and integrity, will drive our continued success!’.
You can read about Timberwise’s journey in Scotland right here in our blog, but if you would like to speak directly to our Scottish team please call 0141 308 8559, or fill in one of our contact forms here.
