Last year, we conducted a survey of the blinds industry to gain a deeper understanding of what blind installers value most from their supplier. Survey respondents ranked various points of interest like communication, lead times and product quality on a scale of importance. These results have helped us create the definitive guide to help you pick the right supplier of commercial blinds.

Product reliability

There’s nothing worse than finishing a large blind installation and getting a call from the customer informing you that the blinds are faulty or damaged. Repairing blinds may not be overly challenging, but it takes time out of your day and adds little value to your business compared to new installations.

You need to be sure that the blinds you fit can withstand heavy and frequent use for years to come. We pride ourselves on the longevity and reliability of our commercial blinds. When someone installs a Yewdale product, they can trust that it will last, which is why we offer a lifetime warranty on our made-to-measure systems. If something goes wrong, we will provide the necessary components to fix the issue free of charge.

    Lead times

    Let’s say you receive a request from a company to fit blinds throughout their office next week. It’s not a big office, but there are 20 windows. You need assurance that your chosen supplier can produce 20 blinds that you can fit within the lead time of the project. If the manufacturer you choose fails to deliver the blinds in time, you may have an unhappy customer and even miss out on the opportunity altogether.

    Our lead times are better than the industry average due to our large production factory and workforce who work day and night to produce blinds and other products for our customers. Our usual lead times are three to five working days for standard blinds and curtain tracks, please allow extra days for large orders. 

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    Customer service

    If you partner with a blinds manufacturer as your preferred supplier of blinds, you will need to speak to them regularly. You need quick responses, fast quotes and a friendly team to communicate with. You also need them to be flexible with requests that may be urgent or out of the ordinary, and calmly reach a resolution when problems arise.

    Technical knowledge

    Technical knowledge was also ranked highly by our customers who rated their expectations for blinds suppliers. It's important that you can easily get technical advice and the specifications of different blinds and fabrics. You don't want to call your supplier quickly to clarify something and constantly receive the response, "I'll have to check and get back to you". 

    Stock availability

    Survey respondents also rated stock availability highly because out-of-stock components and quickly trigger delays in installations. You need assurance that your supplier has the products and parts ready to send to you when you need them. Fortunately, we recently invested in a new warehouse which was purpose-built to house our stock, ensuring we can quickly dispatch components for next-day delivery.

    Delivery

    You need assurance that your order will not only be made in time but also delivered in time, undamaged, and to the right location. Most producers use third-party couriers to deliver their goods, which can be problematic because the drivers do not show a high level of care for the parcels they handle. Obviously, some couriers are better than others and this is a general rule of thumb, but overall, in-house delivery drivers care more about the service they provide.

    At Yewdale, most of our UK customers are covered by our Elite delivery fleet, meaning they receive a flexible, tailored service from us. Your products will be carefully loaded onto our vans and delivered by a Yewdale driver directly to the installation site. You'll benefit from live tracking, free collection of used packaging, next-day and even same-day delivery, and lots of flexibility around your deliveries.

      Summary

      There are a lot of things to weigh up when choosing a supplier of blinds. We are one of the few designers and manufacturers of blinds who supply in component and made-to-measure form, which is one reason why our customers prefer buying from Yewdale.

      Other points of consideration for commercial blinds:

      • Are the blinds child-safe?
      • Do they comply with building regulations?
      • What is their carbon footprint?

      Located right here in the UK, we design and produce a variety of products that are unique to our business. Our team is both passionate about our mission and highly professional. Because of this dedication, we can promise and deliver exceptional service and shorter lead times than the industry average. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions.