John Lewis expands Home Solutions service

Home Solutions from John Lewis, the home improvement and maintenance service which enables customers to book plumbers, electricians, decorators and gardeners online is continuing to expand its services.

The new service was originally trialled in Milton Keynes, and is currently available in Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Taunton, with a scheduled roll-out to the southwest London and Berkshire areas early next year. 

Head of Home Solutions, John Cotter, who’s responsible for leading the initiative’s development and national roll-out, said: “Our customers and partners have really embraced this service because they trust us to connect them with trade professionals who can meet our traditionally high service and value standards – the hallmark of John Lewis.”

Only the best of the best

To ensure consistently high standards, John Lewis has established close relationships with a number of trade organisations and has created a council of tradespeople to work in consultation with the scheme. The council has assisted in developing a rigorous recruitment process that includes both an independent review of previous work and an in-depth induction into John Lewis’ customer service standards.

John Cotter added: “We only accept the best of the best, so it’s a real achievement for a tradesperson to become part of our team. We stand behind their work with a full 12-month guarantee on their labour to our customers, so we’ve got to be sure they’re up to the job.”

Advantages to the tradesperson

For the tradespeople that make the cut, working with John Lewis offers a number advantages:

• The service is completely free for trades, with no membership fees or bidding for jobs

• Guaranteed payment within seven working days from completion of the job, with no paperwork to complete

• Additional new and repeat business and access to John Lewis and Waitrose customers

• Free marketing support, including use of the Home Solutions brand on clothes and vans

• An easy-to-use app that allows them to run an entire job – from initial customer contact to estimating and payment – from their smartphone or tablet

• Fair and transparent pricing for both trades and customers

• A highly experienced field team of John Lewis experts who can assist them on a peer-to-peer basis, and a voice on the trade council that consults with the Home Solutions leadership team.

William Jenkins, a Gas Safe Installer based in Cardiff, said: ‘’I’ve run my own plumbing & heating business since 2004 and have worked all over Wales and the South West on projects for customers who demand a high quality of work using a wide range of materials. I have already found working with John Lewis has opened doors for me and helped create fantastic opportunities for my future business.’'

Tradespeople interested in joining the Home Solutions team can sign up on the  Home Solutions site at johnlewishomesolutions.co.uk/trades or call 0203 739 9470.  

Source: Insight DIY Team & John Lewis press release.

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