After six years working for a company that specialised in installing printers and copiers nationwide, Nick Barber was toying with the idea of setting up shop on his own. He mooted the idea to a reseller he had worked with, who responded positively and it was this that promoted him to set-up Quest Logistics
“I firmly believed that there was an opportunity to create a specialist MFP logistics and transport company, that had customer-centricity at its heart,” he said. “When I mentioned this to one dealer I had a good relationship with, he said ‘do it’. I then spoke to my father who gave me the push I needed. So back in 2004, I bought a van and set out to prove that I could provide a better service than was currently available.”
Barber’s attention to detail and drive for excellence quickly paid off. “I really enjoyed being on the road, travelling the length and breadth of the country and meeting people,” he explained. This hands-on, customer-facing approach meant that the company grew very quickly, with new business coming in via word of mouth recommendations.
Full service
Based in Bedfordshire, Quest Logistics has nationwide coverage and has also completed moves for customers across Europe. The company’s services are comprehensive. “One of the most common jobs that we undertake is the collection and relocation of copiers. We offer a full service that covers collection, relocation and installation and we conduct site surveys to assess relocation needs to ensure the process runs smoothly,” Barber said. Uniformed two man crews decommission devices onsite, safely pack and label them before transporting them to the new location in one of the company’s eight-strong fleet of specially padded vehicles. The machines are then installed at the new location, the crew also carry out a demo as well as remove and dispose of all packaging.
“As the business has grown we’ve expanded our offer to meet customer demand,” Barber said. “We have a client base that covers dealerships large and small, some of whom don’t have the warehousing capacity to store machines pre-delivery or the specialist equipment such as stairwalkers to transport and install at their customers’ premises.” To address this need, the company also offers short- and long-term storage facilities for used and new machines in a gated facility with 24-hour security.
In addition it also provides a full PDI service. “Our customers can sell the machines and we can take care of the rest – from receiving the delivery, storing the devices, full PDI, delivery to the end customer, installation including any networking onsite, and for those companies looking to recycle or dispose of legacy devices, we also offer a cost-effective disposal service, which adheres to the WEEE directive.”
Quest Logistics has extensive experience in high value office equipment relocation services and has expanded its collection and relocation service to include other items such as vending machines, medical equipment, safes and security equipment and servers and IT equipment. Barber added that dealers can choose the level of service they require. “We are wholly flexible, some of our customers pick up devices from our warehouse and handle the rest in-house, others opt to outsource all to us – we customise our offer based on individual requirements.”
Sustained growth
The company’s raison d’etre is to deliver a first class, professional service at a very competitive price point – one that is wholly flexible and which promises quick turnarounds. And this attention to customer service has paid off. The company has increased turnover twelve-fold since it started.
“We have grown consistently year on year, and whilst we had a bit of a plateau during the recession, the past three years has really been strong. We are continually picking up new work, the bulk of which comes from referrals. I guess if you do what you say you are going to do and deliver great service – then that’s the result!” Barber said.
With Barber’s time increasingly becoming swallowed up in the day to day, he has appointed Paul Cooper as Service Director to take the mantle in terms of managing existing customer relationships and communications between the crews and the office. “I’m very excited about this new hire, it will be great to have an industry specialist in-house focussed solely on looking after our customers and ensuring that the service they receive is second to none.”
He added. “In this business, managing the peaks and troughs is always a challenge. There are key times of the year when the number of jobs we have to handle increases exponentially. We have a plan in place to ensure we accommodate each and every customer. This includes a number of technicians who are available on a contingency basis to provide extra manpower when required.”
March and April have been the busiest months in the firm’s history. “We have had unprecedented levels of new business enquiries which is great,” Barber said.
