Strong customer service earns Lindsay’s Home Building Centre regional award

Lindsay’s Home Building Centre and Design Centre have recently been named the best in the central region.

To receive an award the store must demonstrate excellence in customer service, staff performance, store presentation and be active within their communities.

Frank Geerlinks, Kawartha Home Hardware Group owner, said it comes down to his staff. “It’s actually a recognition of two things. We have really good people and it’s a recognition of our customer base, too.”

He said stores are really in the business of problem-solving. “People come to us, and they’ve got a problem,” he said.

Not every customer coming into the store is an experienced contractor and knows exactly what they’re looking for. Geerlinks finds the employees in his store “make (customers) feel listened to or cared about.”

He thinks about the paint section of the building centre. “We’ve got some really good paint people that get excited,” something he said affects the customer directly. “When (employees) get excited about picking a colour, that transfers to the customer experience situation.”

“I think all those things have led to us getting recognized as the store that we are for the central region,” Geerlinks said.

It also helps to have a loyal customer base. “We know most of our customers by name, and I think that’s the big difference between what the experience is here and what you would get in a big box retailer,” he said.

As for what’s next, Geerlinks said things will continue to run as they always have. “It really is affirmation that that we’re on the right track.”