Picture above: Chris Brunsdon, Founder & CEO, Tommy Trinder
Tommy Trinder marks a new milestone in its rollout to The States – quotes by American installers top a million dollars in March.
“Quoting a million bucks in a month is a solid first base in our American expansion – feels like proof that there is a Tommy-shaped gap in the US market,” says Tommy Founder & CEO Chris Brunsdon. “U.S window and door software suffers from familiar problems; the tech is built to serve manufacturers not installers. It’s great for running factories, but not so great if you are in a customer’s house trying to make a sale. And having the right software to be able to present professionally in the house is a big driver for U.S customers.”
A key ingredient in Tommy Trinder’s success has been the app’s ability to quote any product, in any material from any supplier through one platform. Phil Wardle, Tommy Trinder’s U.S Business Development Consultant, sees strong parallels between the markets:
“It’s pretty common for a UK installer to have to source from multiple suppliers on one job – a composite door, some sash windows and an aluminium bifold, for example,” says Phil. “Often this means juggling a plethora of pricing apps, spreadsheets, and pricing books just to get the quote out of the door. It drives installers nuts! From my conversations with dozens of US installers, it seems the same is true in the USA; for U.S retailers bring able to easily combine all their vinyl, fibreglass, aluminium, wood and steel windows and doors all in one app is big draw.”
Making the app fit for purpose for American window installers has thrown up a number of technical challenges along the way. Tommy’s development team had to adapt the software to allow American installers to quote and sell in feet and inches, and address formats, telephone numbers, and paper sizes all had to be adapted to suit U.S. standards. The team have also discovered that American window and door language is surprisingly different; glass is tempered not toughened, Georgian squares are grilles, and back-to-back spacers are referred to as ‘simulated divided lights’.
“Making the Tommy American was a long and expensive process,” Says Chris “It’s a great feeling to see that the foundational changes we made are paying off, and great to see British innovation making waves in the U.S market.”
