Listening to what our customers have to say and developing our services to meet their needs has always been a pillar of Zicam’s business strategy. We’re pleased to say we’re continuing that commitment by offering our customers a full, turnkey facilities management package. While Zicam will supply smart, integrated security systems, we’ve partnered with GasCare – who will operate under our joint venture as Impact Electrical – to provide all gas and electrical maintenance for commercial and domestic customers.

Here, we find out from Carl Enser, Managing Director of GasCare, about what the company offers and what values motivate them to succeed.

Acquisition and growth

My two partners and I acquired GasCare nearly three years ago when the opportunity arose for us to buy the business from the previous owners who had run it for 25 years. Having spent 15 years operating my own IT company, it was quite a change for me, but together with my brother Craig who is our Repair Director and Lee, who is Install Director, we have doubled the size of the company since acquiring it. We’re also proud to have increased our geographical operating area from a radius of just 25 miles around Glossop to serving the north-west region for domestic customers and UK-wide for commercial customers.

This joint venture with Zicam Facilities Management Group is the perfect fit for us. We provide gas and electrical maintenance for landlord-owned properties that are required by law to have a gas safety inspection every year and an electrical fixed wire test (or EIC) every five years. So, with our new facilities management proposition, we can now approach estate agents with a full package for security, gas and electric, as well as garden maintenance and landscaping. It makes the Group and the package a strong option for discerning agents.

Core competency and value-added services

Our core business is conducting gas and electrical inspections in tenanted properties to ensure safety regulations and standards are met for both the landlord and tenant. Under regulations provided by Gas Safe, we’re required to test emissions for every gas appliance in the property, which is not just boilers, but includes cooker hobs and any gas fires as well. There’s also a legislative requirement to test all domestic carbon monoxide and smoke alarms – this is vital, life-saving equipment so it’s crucial they’re in full working order. Electrical testing requires an EIC to make sure the electrics throughout the rental property meet regulatory standards.

As well as our core business, we also offer value-added services:

Energy efficiency

This is a topic that’s been at the forefront of most people’s minds since the cost of energy started rising last year. We always offer an energy saving audit and have seen a significant increase in interest over the last few months, highlighting further where concerns lie. Following the outcome of the audit we advise customers about possible efficiency improvements, such as, using Hive (our fastest selling product this year), thermostats and thermostatic radiator valves or even upgrading to a new boiler.

It’s surprising the savings that can be made from improvement measures – if we take a boiler for example, replacing a ten-year-old boiler will typically save around £800 per year and offer a return on investment (ROI) within two years, and a 17-year-old boiler replaced for new will deliver an ROI in around 11 months.

Payment plans

We offer competitive payment terms and finance packages for new Worcester Bosch boilers as well as our Constant Care service which includes annual service and maintenance following the installation of the new boiler. Constant Care is available for domestic non-tenanted properties at the moment, but I’m pleased to say we’ll be making the service available for landlord-owned properties later this year.

Partnering for success

As a company, we’re looking forward to a joint venture where the other businesses we’re associated with are as committed to providing exceptional customer service standards as we are. We embrace advanced technology and modern working methods but are quite old-fashioned in the way we deliver it. There’s nothing like providing a hands-on, responsive service to keep customers happy and that’s what we’re committed to doing now and in the future.

These companies are placed alongside the other Zicam group of companies including our existing and newest edition, Junction 1 Group.