WE MAKE IT EASIER: YEAR IN REVIEW
Top 10 Hancock Lumber Company Improvements in 2012
- BisTrack. Enhanced, modern point of sale system.
BisTrack makes Hancock faster, more efficient and increases
accuracy in processing orders. The system also
features WebTrack, a 24/7 online account access tool to
help you manage your business. View all your invoices,
purchase history, credits and statements; plus, upgraded
capabilities to build your own quotes and see real-time inventory
and pricing. If you are not signed up yet or have not
logged in to your WebTrack account in a while, let’s get you
back in there! Call A/R at 207-627-4201 or talk with your
account manager today! - Smartphones. For all Hancock Drivers. Our drivers
promise to call your job site for each delivery prior to arriving.
Having our drivers equipped with smartphones also
means you have direct access to the people responsible
for delivering your product. This helps in scheduling times,
equipment, and all job site prep required to receive your
product. Our lines of communication are open, improving
and ready to help you with your needs! - Yard storage and layouts. Inventory under cover.
We continue to invest in our lumberyards to ensure that
the product you order maintains the highest level of quality
from procurement all the way to the job site. This year
we were able to add 5 lumber sheds in both Yarmouth
and Brunswick, allowing us to put essentially all of our
materials undercover. We will continue this trend across
other yards. In addition to the covered inventory, we have
worked to reorganize product in our yards to make it easier
for customers to navigate and access. - More product displays – See, touch and feel. Key
product displays have been enhanced to feature more than
just the traditional lines of kitchens, windows and doors, or
vendor-provided displays. This year, we have incorporated
unique pine displays in all our stores, showcasing a variety
of patterns and textures available. And, recently, our Kennebunk
location added an entire exterior wall of Maibec
shingles to showcase style and color variations with more
realistic sizes. Our hardware store teams are putting a bigger
emphasis on product selection and merchandising, as
well creating employee-made displays to help educate
customers on various products. - More education – Straight from the experts. In the fall
of 2012, we launched the inaugural edition of our contractor
newsletter, The Builder Buzz. Here you’ll get the inside
scoop from many key decision-making groups including:
Purchasing and product management, Marketing, Technology
and Sales, along with guaranteed product promotions!
Whether it’s the market watch and trends, new building
products, sales and specials, or other industry news, be
sure to make time to flip through the Builder Buzz! - Market Research – Ask questions, listen & respond.
Rather than assume we know, Hancock believes that in
order to best service our customers, we must formally ask,
“what is most important to you?” Over the past year we
have conducted valuable market research to hear directly
from builders and remodelers. Hands down, the # 1 most
important topic is “On Time and In Full Delivery”. You will
hear us use the acronym “O.T.I.F.” frequently and start to
see dramatic improvements in our ability to deliver products
on time, in full and correctly billed! - Pine Manufacturing – Investments continue. Eastern
White Pine is the cornerstone of Hancock’s business, dating
back to their inception in 1848 when the founders built
the company’s first granite-pillared sawmill. While investing
in our mills is nothing new, the exciting news is our recent
enhancements to our Ryefield planer mill operations,
with the team’s ability to produce more custom and architecturally
specified patterns. We encourage you to take a
mill tour and explore new product opportunities with our
mill managers! - People – Industry-leaders join Hancock. With significant
changes in the marketplace, Hancock Lumber happily
recruited and welcomed valuable industry leaders to
the team. Dave Chapais, Greg Doucette, Angela Thompson
and Rich Lambert chose to join our team this year from
NEBM and are spread across our organization in sales and
leadership roles. Chris Lum also returned to Hancock after
a successful career running a lumberyard in Florida. Our
people are the most valuable differentiating factor here at
Hancock Lumber, and we take great pride in each and every
employee! - Community Contributions – Giving back. We all feel
incredibly blessed to be able to live in Maine, work in Maine
and participate in local organizations. Continuing the company’s
spirit of giving, Hancock gave back in 2012 with
financial, material and hands-on contributions to: Camp
Sunshine, Cuckold’s Restoration Project, Boy Scouts of
America, local sporting, music, theater and art organizations,
Wounded Warriors, Hacker’s Hill Preservation, College
Scholarship funds, the Relay for life and many more! - Truck Fleet – Built to Deliver. Chances are you noticed
a major change in Hancock’s fleet of vehicles this year,
specifically our seller pick-up trucks with new graphics
featuring “Built to Deliver”, and, our new responsive and
agile delivery trucks. Hancock Lumber is built to deliver
– relationships, results and respect – with our trusted
customers, communities and beyond! Thanks for letting
us be a part of your team!
Thank you for your business and we wish you continued growth and success in 2013!