From sales rep to branch manager
Timo joined the SLO branch in Jyväskylä as a sales rep in 1990 and has been branch manager since 1997.
Before joining SLO, he already had experience in the distribution sector, which prepared him for his new responsibilities. At SLO, Timo focused on bringing in new business and improving customer service.
SLO Jyväskylä: Branch of the Year in 2007
SLO has 35 sales offices in Finland and the Jyväskylä branch covers the central part of the country. Its main customers include electrical contractors, telecom network builders, electric utilities, manufacturers, municipalities and government agencies.
Every year, SLO sales offices engage in healthy competition to earn the title Branch of the Year. Winners must meet various criteria, such as the quantity of available merchandise and on-time, error-free deliveries - which are important factors for the customer - and the branch’s success in its economic area, which determines the company’s position in the market.
The Jyväskylä sales office, managed by Timo, won the 2007 Branch of the Year award. “This competition is a good incentive for improving customer service. We’re doing this work with and for our customers,” he explains.
Well-adapted facilities and logistics
According to Timo, a branch’s success is determined by staff expertise and professionalism, good customer service and relations, and a product inventory tailored to the region’s needs.
“Some of our staff members have been working in this branch since it opened in 1986. Our staff includes four sales reps, four warehouse employees, a secretary and myself,” he says.
“We’ve worked hard to create a pleasant atmosphere at our branch and to design the office in such a way that customers can easily talk business with us. We make barcode scanners available to our customers and warehouse employees to make it easier for them to locate items in the warehouse.
“We rely on a local logistics and transport company to ensure that products ordered by our customers are reliably delivered. Deliveries to the various areas of central Finland take one day. Most of the items are delivered directly to work sites or customer offices.
“Even though we’re expecting a slowdown in economic growth, the investments made by electric distribution companies will remain dynamic in our area in the coming years. So there will always be growth opportunities.
“In 2008, we plan to improve business performance with a targeted investment in e-commerce. We’re going to vigorously defend our Branch of the Year title,” he says proudly.
