Glasgow based building fit-out firm Morris & Spottiswood is to target maintenance contracts across the North of England with its round the clock emergency repair service.

The firm is returning to the responsive repairs market in the north after a gap of around 10 years. Until now the firm has limited its operation based out of Leeds and Warrington to fit-out work.

Craig Robertson, Morris & Spottiswood operations director, said the firm’s experience and resource enabled it to act swiftly to repair damage following this winter’s severe flooding to all manner of properties and businesses in northern England and across Scotland.

He said the firm’s centralised helpdesk, manned around the clock, is key to the operation providing a guaranteed fast response from in-house maintenance teams.

Mr Robertson said: “Our centralised helpdesk which runs 24/7 is managed by our dedicated Customer Service Hub Manager and is supported by a team of fully trained Customer Service Hub Coordinators. This means the team can handle emergency repair calls and each day schedule planned visits, keeping our customers updated at all times.

“The recent floods show how our approach to service delivery focuses on minimising disruption to customers. We also have a policy of a directly-employed workforce, which is supported by a locally based supply chain. This ensures we achieve outstanding levels of being able to fix the problem on the first visit and that gives customer satisfaction.”

The £74.4 million turnover firm employs 400 staff. Over the past 15 years the company has built up its reputation by providing reactive and planned maintenance services covering all core trades, including joinery, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas servicing, building, flooring, roofing and decoration works.

Mr Robertson added: “We’ve got existing national clients like B&Q whose maintenance contracts we take care of in Scotland and so we’re simply expanding our work for them down south.

“This means in effect we have a UK-wide reputation for maintenance, as well as for fit-out and housing. We’re well placed to increase our scope of business with our Warrington and Leeds offices. The Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Yorkshire corridor is much bigger than that of Glasgow – Edinburgh. Our appeal to clients is that we offer maintenance contracts of differing lengths, depending on the client, whether big or small.

“We understand that buildings are among a company’s most important physical assets. Being a company that embraces all elements of a full service through support of our specialists in our other divisions means we can take proper care of that asset.”