Re-vitalized customer service and long-term growth at Kingly

Rumour has it that at Kingly we’re a crazy bunch, working flat out, producing best quality custom designed socks in high volume to ridiculously short lead times, even down to 2 weeks – that’s compared to the six week industry standard.

Well, that is mostly true. But we’re not crazy, just incredibly motivated. Time after time we have beaten our own order size, production and delivery records. We’ve worked double and triple shifts, foregone annual leave and pushed everything to the limit. In short, we’ve done everything that a rapidly growing business does to maintain momentum and standards. And we know it’s worked. Customers applaud our performance and recipients of the products rave about the quality of the merchandise.

But although our products set the Gold Standard for Sustainability, we know the way we’ve worked over the last many months is not sustainable in human terms. In many ways, we have been at the limits of capacity.

It’s also the case that in a few instances our customer service quality dropped below the high standard we expect and that you should be able to rely on. While others might blame pressure of work, we simply want to say we’re sorry and put it right.

So, I thought we’d share what we’ve done, and will do, to ensure our long term performance is on a sound footing – and truly sustainable in every way.

Personnel Changes at Kingly

We have employed two new Production Managers and 2 Order Processing Managers to better share the load of work and give us capacity for continued future growth. As part of the re-organisation, I take on the responsibilities of Chief Executive Officer, to further develop our strategic vision and continue driving the company forward. We have a new Managing Director supported by an expanded accountancy team and a Compliance Officer. This is another key appointment. Not only will he strengthen our internal audit capability for sustainability; his role will help us maintain more reasonable routines in terms of production and staffing – benefits which will be passed on to customers via still better services in every respect.

Systems Improvements & Capacity Growth, because the customer is King

Like any business, you, our customers, are our most valuable asset. And like many businesses during the worst times of Covid-19, we fought hard to stay on track and deliver what you needed. Having weathered the storm, demand for our products has continued to grow, especially for our custom designed socks.

Significant expansion in custom sock manufacture capacity – nothing ‘off the shelf’

• To meet demand, we have invested in 8 more Busi Giovanni seamless sock-knitting machines. they add to our existing line of these formidable pieces of equipment. All units – existing as well as new -?are designed to run triple shifts if required.?
• Online within 8-10 weeks, these additional machines mean that our sock-knitting capacity increases by 200%

A new CRM system will improve the quality and consistency of our Customer Service

• We know that our original Customer Relationship Management systems struggled to cope with the huge surge in demand for our products.
• A new CRM system will be up and running shortly – please bear with us as we manage the transition to the new software and its practical implementation. Once it’s up and running, it will be as seamless as our socks!

Revised Terms and Conditions to be fair to all customers

• We do everything possible to design, manufacture and deliver to customer requirements. Of course, we also rely on prompt customer feedback on designs and specifications to enable us to stay on schedule.
• “Rush” orders – those under three weeks – will see a modest surcharge to reflect the need to work extra shifts, which often means our technicians, engineers and warehouse crews working at weekends. This helps us maintain our highly competitive prices for regular orders.

The same aspirations, the same high standards

The heart and soul of Kingly is unchanged. We’re still at the forefront of ethical and sustainable production in our industry and we’re going to keep it that way.

• We work with carefully selected suppliers to ensure genuinely ethical supply chains.
• Our ground breaking 3rd party Sustainability Platform shines through the products we make – all supporting data is validated and transparent for each and every consignment.
• Our sock-knitting facility is zero waste and even the machine oil is GOTS approved.
• We are fully compliant with ISO standards for business systems and sustainability.
• Our Smeta Pillar 4 audit ensures the maximum levels of safety, health and benefits for our staff.

Finally, I wanted to thank each and every one of you, our customers, for your business and your support. That’s whether you placed just a single small order, are a regular customer, or have been behind some record breaking orders for quantity and variety. Each order is important and each individual human being we talk to is important too.

So here’s looking forward to Kingly, today and tomorrow. Here’s looking forward to Kingly version 2.0??– still the Gold Standard for Sustainability.

Rob Armour, CEO