As something that we rely on every day, office equipment needs to be of a certain quality, which in some instances has to last for years. However, sourcing quality items from a reliable supplier at a fair price is one of the many decisions we need to make but that we can’t afford to spend too much time on. So, how do you find the best office equipment retailers online?
With so many retailers to choose from, there are some useful tips that you can put into practice to ensure you know what to look out for in an office supplier. Choose right the first time, and you could have a relationship that you can rely on and benefit from for years to come.
Trust Ratings
First and foremost, make use of the tools which are available online to provide an indication of how trustworthy a supplier is. If they don’t provide a good service, you’ll soon find out through sites such as Trust Pilot which collects hundreds of independently verified reviews from service users. This is one quick and simple way to check that you are making a well-informed choice.
Delivery Options
There is nothing worse than going to the office stationery cupboard to find the printer ink, labels or paper is about to run out! Next day delivery has saved all of us from a dilemma at one time or another and that’s why choosing an office supplier that offers a range of options could be the difference between meeting a business deadline and unnecessary panic.
Office Monster, the service-led, online office supplier provides free next day delivery to all customers that spend over £30 on an order. Having a process like this in place means that everyone knows what to expect and gives customers the flexibility to order a single product and pay postage or to wait until a larger order is required and receive free next day delivery on all items as a result.
Price Point
Making cost savings is undoubtedly one of the things that appeals to business most when purchasing from one particular company over another. Although this is an important aspect when choosing a supplier, it should not become a priority at the expense of reliability and service.
For ultimate peace of mind, pick an office supplier that offers a ‘price promise’ policy. That way, if you find it cheaper elsewhere, you can be sure that your chosen company will offer you the product at the same price. It’s a win, win.
Again, focusing on Office Monster, the company has an online calculator that can be used by customers to see exactly what savings they would make but this sits alongside all of the other benefits that you will receive when working with the business including having a dedicated account handler, no quibble returns policy and a choice of more than 22,000 items from a single ecommerce platform.
Making Contact
A common frustration for customers is a lack of contact options, which has become somewhat of a red flag over the years.
If a supplier decides that they will make it as difficult as possible for you to make contact with them then it is fair to suggest that this could also be an indication of substandard customer service and a reluctance to deal with issues that arise.
Ultimately, this can be become a very costly mistake. Ensure that any company that you work with is available at the end of the phone, by online chat or email and, ideally, all three. This way, you can be sure that your requirements as a customer are taken seriously and any issues will be dealt with swiftly.
Choice
Finding a business which can cater for a wide range of needs is going to be more useful to you than one that specialises and will lead you to having to work with multiple suppliers that takes more time and therefore more money.
Rather than negotiating a number of web platforms, passwords and invoices, choosing just one trustworthy company which offers a range of products to suit all of your office needs is a time, money and stress saving exercise.
Whether it’s office furniture, cleaning supplies, pens and paper or electrical items, it makes sense to pick all of these items up in one place. Look out for a large catalogue of items at a range of price points which will enable you to make the right choices when the need arises.
I am an entrepreneur, marketing consultant, author and speaker. I help companies and individuals build their brands and convert more leads into opportunities & I love to write content about technology and marketing that help people to grow their business.
