'Trusted, relevant, respected and delivering services valued by its members' – that’s the message from the latest Member Survey conducted by the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF).
The vast majority of members view the BMF as a valuable industry voice (95%) and a trusted (97%), relevant (94%), respected (93%) and welcoming (91%) trade body. They were also prepared to back up their words with action, with 97% saying they would recommend BMF membership to their colleagues in the industry.
One area that is particularly valued by members is information driven, as the provision of market data, statistical information, business reports (97%) and advance notice of upcoming legislation and regulations (98%) scored well. Related to this, the BMF’s lobbying activities were also highly rated.
Over 50% of those responding regularly attended regional meetings and 20% had attended at least one of the BMF’s new specialist Forums covering Plumbing and Heating, Timber, Finance, HR and Health and Safety.
Of the 40% of respondents who had used BMF training in the last 12 months, 92% valued the result to their business.
John Newcomb, managing director of the BMF, said: “When we conducted our last member survey three years ago our membership was at an all time low, but a great deal has changed in that time. One of the most pleasing statistics is that 97% of members would recommend joining today’s BMF. We have listened to our members and worked to deliver services that they truly value – and will continue to do so.
“It is clear that one of the most important aspects of membership is the amount of business and statistical information that we are able to deliver to our members. To further improve our ability to service this need, we have just employed our first dedicated industry analyst. There are several other planned initiatives that will be informed by this survey, and I thank everyone who took the time to respond.”
A total of 109 companies (over 22% of the membership) participated in the Membership Survey. The BMF will be undertaking a similar survey on an annual basis to measure its performance against key criteria.
