Online catering equipment sales boosted by low-touch leasing solution

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Equipment type

Catering, refrigeration
and HVAC

Location

South West England

Solution

Embedded leasing into web-shop

Introduction

Carlton Services is a leading regional supplier and installer of catering, refrigeration and HVAC equipment, trusted by a wide variety of clients. In addition to serving domestic customers, increasingly air-con solutions for those working-from-home, Carlton Services’ commercial clientele is vast and ranges from schools and care homes to restaurants, office blocks and manufacturing facilities.

The family-run business has a reputation built on technical know-how, a hands-on team of specialist engineers, and a relentless commitment to delivering the highest quality service to their customers.

Background

With decades of experience led by Director Adam Carlton, who joined as an apprentice nearly 20 years ago, Carlton Services is proud to empower its team and continuing investing in young engineering talent. Their “excellent” rating on Trustpilot is a testament to their deep industry knowledge and personal approach:

“We’re not bots behind an online shop. If you call about a product you see online, you reach a knowledgeable team that live and breathe the work, every day.”

Challenge

Before partnering with Shire Leasing, Carlton Services offered commercial catering leasing options to customers, but the process was manual, slow and disconnected from their online sales experience. Opportunities were being lost as customers browsed the online shop, but would have to enquire about finance options offline and wait for quotes.

Adam wanted customers to access competitive finance online, instantly - without slowing down the sales process or draining internal resources:

“We want to focus on our strengths - using our expertise to develop tailored solutions. If a customer wants finance, we need a trusted partner who can handle that seamlessly.”

 

Solution

Shire Leasing’s Quick Quote tool was the game-changer. Integrated directly into the Carlton Services website, it allows customers to calculate indicative leasing payments whilst browsing catering equipment and enquire in their own time, improving both customer experience and enquiries.

Adam commented:
“The online services create a different sales angle that we weren’t able to capitalise on before. We often don’t know that the customer has been through the Quick Quote, until we get an email from Shire to say it’s accepted. We can come in the next day and have a finance sale agreed and ready to fulfil as usual.”

For Carlton Services, this means faster flow sales, better customer service, and less admin:
“My account manager is easy to deal with. The processes are straightforward and easy. Plus, Shire understand our market and don’t have some of the onerous requirements other finance companies often have.”

On major projects, the benefits are even clearer:
“We did a £100k+ project and, with it being financed by Shire, there was a sense of comfort it was going to get paid promptly, which protects our cash flow and supplier relationships too.”

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Results & impact

65% acceptance rate

Carlton now close lease deals for catering equipment from £1000 through to projects exceeding £100,000, maintaining an impressive 65% acceptance rate with Shire Leasing.

Positive cash flow & customer experience

The Quick Quote tool has increased website enquiries and helped convert more business online, with a positive impact on both cash flow and customer experience.

Confident customers

Customers gain confidence to take on bigger projects:
 “It gives our customers the opportunity to move forward with a sale and project affordably, when they may have otherwise held back.”

Convert equipment sales

The ability to present leasing options online provides a way for Carlton Services to convert equipment sales without eroding margins through costly transactional fees taken by other online payment providers.

Catering Equipment and Turnkey Project Example:

Carlton Services was brought in for minor ducting work at a pub restaurant.

An opportunity presented itself to quote on further work. This grew into a £120k+ full redevelopment, with c.£102k financed through Shire Leasing to cover everything from the kitchen and bar through to the garden, enabling the client to achieve their vision without a substantial cash outlay.

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Testimonials & Perspective

Adam credits Shire Leasing’s people and systems:

“We choose manufacturers and partners that will deliver the same high standards to our customers as we do. With Shire Leasing as a finance provider, that expectation and service is no less.”