Good morning. Evergreen, How can I help?

An Evergreen day starts early

Lack of sleep is a common problem for those of you with a chest condition so our first priority is sorting out overnight orders and returning any messages you have left on the answer phone or sent via email. Since the beginning of Evergreen Nebulisers almost thirty years ago we have supported our local NHS trusts as well as private customers in our community. Nebulisers these days are pretty reliable but any overnight breakdowns will take priority and one of us will travel out when they can.

Your daytime calls generally start arriving at about 8:30am. Each one is different, just as every one of us is different, and no two people suffering with a chest condition are the same. We have many expert patients who, over the years, have become skilled at juggling the demands of diseases such as Asthma, COPD and Cystic fibrosis with the demands of their everyday life. When they call they know exactly what they need and we are happy to help.

Everybody has to start somewhere

We also get calls from lots of nebuliser novices who, having been recently diagnosed, have no idea where to start. We can often tell this by their questions and when we hear the uncertainty in their voice. We even get calls from the bewildered who have never really been shown just how effective a nebuliser can be when looked after properly. We occasionally get calls from people who don’t need a nebuliser but are just hoping for some help and friendly advice as they are often desperate and struggling to breathe. Unpicking these conversations can involve a little detective work and a lot of patience. “Blue bits”, “pots”, “that thing in the middle”, “I’ve got a cough”, “had flu”, “used one in hospital” are statements we hear all the time. For those of you who probably don’t need a nebuliser we are always eternally grateful to have our useful links and regularly refer you to their helplines and pages and pages of wonderful information on their websites

A personal service

“Which is the best nebuliser?” is probably the wrong question. Better to ask “Which is the best nebuliser for me?” and again with a little detective work on our part as to suggested usage, your lifestyle and your expectations, our thirty years experience means we are confident we can help you choose the correct machine. Often we work with respiratory professionals too who maybe calling on behalf of their NHS trusts or for advice regarding individual patients. As always, we are happy to help. The ringing of our phone is pretty constant and occasionally, such as a Monday morning, or before a bank holiday, you may have to leave a message. We promise we will get back to you.

The computer thingy!?

Then there’s the internet. Many of you now prefer to order online and to meet your growing demand we recently revamped our website. I won’t lie, it was a little daunting at first. The commitment of taking on the extra work, writing copy, producing photographs and designing the layout, on top of an already busy schedule was a little overwhelming but most of you agree that the end result was worth it. Judging by the number of orders and enquiries that come though the website it’s certainly proving successful.

Deliveries

Throughout the day we are constantly receiving deliveries from our suppliers, Philips Nebulisers, Omron Nebulisers, Pari Nebulisers, Medix Nebulisers and Beurer Nebulisers. The five major manufacturers with whom we work have a major presence in the UK and happily supply us with a gold standard of customer service so we can reflect that back to you. Out of stock is not a phrase we like to use. The cut off point for next day delivery to you is 3pm and it certainly gets a little frantic in the office as the deadline approaches. DPD, the couriers we use, are very reliable and efficient and we recognise that if you need a nebuliser you need it as soon as possible.

A chance to reflect

Teatime is another busy period as those of you returning home from work finally get the chance to make that call. Although it’s a little too late to dispatch a nebuliser it can often mean a frantic dash to catch that last collection for the post.

Finally, early evening is a time for reflection. Our motto has always been ‘If we’re not listening, we’re not learning’ and we try to take this opportunity to review the day. What could we have achieved better, how can we improve your customer experience as well as tie up any loose ends. It’s also our chance to catch up on paperwork and connect with our customers and friends on twitter; you can find us @evergreennebs. Evening provides a quiet moment too to write this blog, with which we hope to keep you up to date by providing information and inspiration to help you stay well, look after your nebuliser and generally enjoy your life.

In the words of Trevor Clay, founder of Breathe Easy, people should "live with their lung condition and not suffer from it".