Chicago—The North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) welcomed ProKeep as the newest addition to its roster of strategic partners that deliver exclusive benefits to its member firms. NAFCD drives growth within its distributor network by aligning itself with partners who provide services and tools to enhance distributor productivity and profitability, the group said.
ProKeep is a texting platform designed exclusively for distributors. ProKeep’s platform is a web-based solution that allows customers to text orders, questions, inquiries and photos to a distributor’s counter or sales rep using existing phone lines. “Texting is something customers are willing to do professionally because they’re already doing it in their personal lives,” said Jack Carrere, co-founder of ProKeep. “Personal communication preferences have shifted to texting, and this is influencing our professional environment.”
Customers of distributors have a growing interest in expanding their communication options with their suppliers beyond traditional mediums with texting being identified as a leading choice, the NAFCD said. As the demographic of those individuals placing orders and making inquiries into the distributorship is growing younger, the demand for a texting option will only grow. “NAFCD distributors are adjusting to the demographic shifts occurring both within their customer base and staff along with attempting to stay abreast of technology,” said NAFCD executive vice president, Kevin Gammonley. “NAFCD’s new partnership with ProKeep addresses both of these challenges with an easy to implement and inexpensive solution.”
In addition to enhancing customer communications, the ProKeep platform offers distributors an opportunity to save time by reducing the number of inbound phone calls while enhancing customer service with quicker response time. The service also helps to reduce fulfillment errors and increase accountability by sharing customer inquiries across multiple touch points within the distributorship.
The NAFCD-ProKeep agreement provides NAFCD members with education and best practices related to enhancing communication by leveraging technology as well as discounts on ProKeep services. ProKeep is a new NAFCD Service Provider member and will be supporting the 2020 NAFCD Annual Convention this November in Colorado Springs.