Martin has been in the heating trade for 15 years and started M Broer Heating Ltd six years ago as a sole trader. Today, he’s part of a nine-strong team with five engineers providing boiler servicing, general repair work and installations to happy customers all over Derbyshire. As one of his many excellent reviews on the Which? Trusted Traders website says:

Excellent and professional job from beginning to end. Work done to highest standard. Minimal pipework on display. Workers started on time every day and finished ahead of schedule. Couldn't be happier with the end product. Would gladly recommend M Broer Heating to everyone.

The judging panel felt that Martin and his team’s commitment to outstanding customer service and use of social media really set them apart. For tips on how your business could make the grade – read our guide to the Which? Trusted trader of the month process.  

Customer service is key

Providing excellent customer service has always been Martin’s key focus. ‘Tradesmen who do a bad job and give our industry a bad reputation have always been a real bugbear of mine. I always say to the team: you’re only as good as your last job.’

When Martin began to take on new engineers, he wanted to make sure service remained consistent. ‘I’ve got a folder breaking down the steps for every job we do, from knocking on the door and showing the Gas Safe card, to finishing up and checking the customer’s happy. It’s the little things: clean van, clean uniform and making sure the house is spotless when you leave – it all makes a difference and helps customers know what to expect’.

Looking at the glowing reviews on the Which? Trusted Traders website, the hard work is clearly paying off. ‘It really is a team effort  – nothing to do with me – it’s the team working hard every day to do the best job possible and make sure customers are happy’.

The personal touch

Martin’s a strong believer in bringing a personal touch to the team’s work. ‘We like to send out thank you cards. Installations in particular can be quite expensive so we always send out cake and flowers as an extra thank you for the trust. Customers love it!’

In fact, it’s the personal touch, such as the time and effort that Martin and the team put into their social media channels, that helped bring them to the attention of our judging panel. The company’s Facebook page is full of photos of happy customers with review cards, as well as videos and photos of the team.

‘If there’s one piece of advice I’d give to other traders looking to boost their profile’, Martin says, ‘it’s make sure you’ve got pictures of your team on your Facebook page and Which? Trusted Traders page. It reassures customers and helps give them a face to a name’.

Joining Which? Trusted Traders

Which? Trusted Traders has given Martin a place to direct potential customers to when they’re considering using M Broer Heating Ltd. In his words, ‘I always say it’s actually pretty easy to grow a business. You just have to do good job and tell people about it – Which? Trusted Traders makes that easy. It’s like a room full of people, all saying good things about you. It’s a good way to build a bit of trust before the job and it helps that Which? has such a trustworthy reputation.’

‘Winning Trader of the Month is just amazing. There aren’t many opportunities for awards in our industry so it’s great for a small business from Derby to win this and be automatically shortlisted for Trader of the Year. Now we’ve really got something to shout about!’.

Well done to M Broer Heating Ltd – a well-deserved Which? Trusted trader of the month.

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