The secret sauce for many family businesses is closeness to their customers, and excellent service can often be the key differentiator in a competitive market.
Jeff Hopkins is co-founder of premium Irish athleisure brand New Dimensions Active. He works closely with his mother Trish and sister Orla who are directors of the business. Although his firm has scaled significantly, with a shop on Grafton Street and large customers based in the US, he says they have worked hard to retain the personal touch and build an “engaged community” of customers in Ireland and worldwide.
“We care more,” he says. “Sometimes I care too much, but building an engaged community means getting to know your customers and to do this you most likely have to put yourself out there and into uncomfortable positions to be somewhat transparent to build trust with them. I think this is why most larger corporate structured businesses struggle to build community.”
A family-owned and run business naturally offers the personal touch, agrees Ruth Roberts, who set up Cogs Toys & Games (formerly Cogs the Brain Shop) in 2013 with her brother Conor Brady. Their other brother Seán has just joined them, while cousin Alan is the shop manager. “We take pride in our hands-on approach, product knowledge, and personal connections with our customers, so customer service is at the heart of everything we do,” says Roberts.
“As a small family business, one of the biggest things that sets us apart is that we’re not corporate, scripted, or too polished – we’re just ourselves. There’s no head office dictating how we should talk to customers or what we should stock.”
This might mean giving honest toy recommendations, even if it means steering someone away from a bestseller that won’t suit their child or chatting to customers “like we’ve known them for years. Big chains simply can’t replicate this,” Roberts asserts.
Customer service is a huge priority for family businesses and Cogs Toys & Games is no different. “We know that many of the people who shop with us have made a conscious decision to support an Irish business rather than just clicking ‘add to cart’ on Amazon,” Roberts says. “That means a lot, and we want to make sure they feel confident that they’ve made the best choice – not just for supporting local, but because we genuinely offer a better experience.” This is evident from the shop’s five-star rating on Trustpilot almost 700 glowing reviews later.
“We remember customers, their kids, and the fact that they definitely don’t want another slime-related gift in the house,” laughs Roberts. “Can’t figure out the name of that game your child played once at a party and hasn’t stopped talking about since? We’ll probably guess it. We love what we do, and hopefully, that comes across when people shop with us.”
Roberts notes the “freedom” a family business has when it comes to advising customers. “If a customer asks for advice, they get a real answer – not a generic sales pitch. If someone needs help choosing between two games, we’ll probably start debating it amongst ourselves before giving them the honest verdict. We genuinely care that people leave with something great, not just because we want them to come back, but because we need them to come back, otherwise we don’t have a business.”
Global Home Improvements has been in business for 45 years. “We are a real Irish family business success story with a long and colourful history,” says managing director Barry Shevlin, which offers window and door installation. “My father built the business on exceptional customer service and quality and the customer experience remains our driving force.”
At the core of this is Global’s 20-year unlimited guarantee – Shevlin notes that they were the first company to do so in the UK and Ireland. “This level of aftercare service delivers invaluable peace of mind to our customers, as we offer free servicing, free parts, free repairs for the duration in addition to round-the-clock 24/7 365 emergency assist service for any emergencies.”
Global also manufactures all its windows and doors and refuses to use subcontractors. “We insist on this for quality purposes and because our staff work directly for Global, they go above and beyond for our customers,” Shevlin says. “This is particularly important given that we are working in people’s homes so meticulously caring for our customers’ homes on arrival with protective sheeting, for example, and after installation we ensure the homes are left spotless.”
Shevlin echoes Roberts by stressing the importance of the personal touch. Global Home Improvements sends every customer a thank-you letter with Shevlin’s signature and contact details. “Ninety-nine per cent of the time, I receive thank you notes and emails expressing delight and satisfaction in return,” he says. “But, as part of our personalised customer service, we provide many opportunities for customers to communicate any feedback so that we can ensure they are 100 per cent happy with the outcome.”
Social media and marketing may be crucial to every business nowadays, but word of mouth and strong customer relationships are the bedrock of success, Shevlin says. “A large part of our business is made up of repeat business, with customers coming back to us over the years for new solutions or if they move home and they will refer family, friends and neighbours to Global, so we go the extra mile to get to know our customers.”
