With the present pandemic set to continue to cause disruption to business and working practices around the globe, C&T Channel Matrix (C&T) is ensuring that its team forms stronger relationships with its customers to support them through these challenging times.
“Since the start of the pandemic the C&T Matrix team’s, international customer relationships, have never been closer,” said Simon Shenton, Managing Director at C&T Matrix.
For a specialist UK manufacturer with a global customer base and an international sales team, COVID-19 presented C&T Matrix with unprecedented challenges. Despite being grounded, C&T Matrix embraced technology to bring distant customers close and introduced new ways to communicate and collaborate. The impact has been overwhelmingly positive with stronger customer relationships than before the crisis.
As an international manufacturing business, C&T Matrix exports 90% of production volumes to its diverse global customer base. The sales team are used to spending extensive periods on planes or the road, travelling between their 150 international distributors and visiting remote customers. Conferences, exhibitions, and providing in-person technical support have contributed to winning and retaining long-term business.
The COVID-19 crisis showed just how quickly life can change. As well as a new routine, C&T Matrix was quick to embrace new communication technologies. They established online seminars and developed new technical animated simulations. Using video conferencing and newly installed software infrastructure, C&T Matrix partnered with customers and distributors to solve customer challenges and explain product technical specifications - all from home office working.
“The impact of this business transformation cannot be overstated. At the start of this crisis, we were concerned about losing vital personal contact with customers. However, video technology and online support have brought us closer to customers and reduced response times on occasions,” said Simon. For C&T Matrix, reducing the time associated with international travel has also helped to maintain business efficiencies and reduce costs.
C&T Matrix is the world leading manufacturer of creasing matrix, a product used in the manufacture of cardboard boxes, to facilitate accurate high-quality creasing prior to folding. As well as manufacturing creasing matrix for the print and packaging industries C&T Matrix also produces a wide range of other consumables and accessories in the box-making process.
