FOR Carson Tan, president and CEO of GQWEST Inc., dedication, foresight, quality, service, and technology are key factors that led to the success of Aquabest—one of the biggest and most recognizable brands in the country.
A brainchild of the late Dr. Albert Ching, Aquabest started in 1997 with a small group of friends who wanted to start a new business. “I was approached by Dr. Ching, and he invited me to join him in this endeavor,” narrates Tan. “I thought it was a good idea. It was a simple business and I saw a future in it,” said Tan.
His initial exposure to bottled drinking water was at a former classmate’s house, where he saw a fridge filled with branded water. “Back in the day, people had to pay premium price for bottled drinking water. But I knew that time would come when everybody will want it, and need it.” And his fearless feature eventually came true.
Making it big
Like any other business, Aquabest’s journey to success wasn’t a smooth one. Despite this, Tan and his team strived hard to propel Aquabest to one of the leading players in the water franchising industry.
“At first, Aquabest was just a store,” Tan narrates. “More specifically, it was a health store that sold organic, health-related products. Eventually we realized that the water business was performing better, so we decided to focus on it.”
Customer education also contributed to Aquabest’s success. When news broke out in 1999 about water contamination, people became more discerning of their water sources. “The public recognized the value of purified drinking water, and since then, demand grew,” Tan shared.
Some Aquabest customers soon recognized the business viability of water refilling stations. These customers went on to become the first franchisees of the brand. Today, there are around 400 Aquabest franchisees in various parts of the country.
For its valuable contribution to the industry, the company has bagged a significant number of excellence awards, including thirteen citations and a Hall of Fame Award from the Entrepreneur Franchise Awards. Aquabest has also received a Gold Award at the 18th International Quality Summit in New York, and has been given an ISO certification in 2008 for their business systems. “This is a testament to our efficient operational workflow, business confidence and good customer relations,” shares Tan.
Value of technology
Aquabest recognizes the important role of technological advancements in the success of the company. Technology has helped ensure the quality and safety of their water products, and has also helped streamline their operations and business processes.
The company also leverages heavily on value-rich technology for their communication needs. “Our day-to-day operations require a lot of coordination across our many business units,” Tan explains. That’s where Tan saw the value of Sun Business’ offerings.
Everybody in the company has a Sun Cellular-powered handset, according to Tan. For him, it is important that each message is delivered clearly. “Reliable communication helps us avoid mistakes. And mistakes are very costly,” Tan says. “Sun Cellular’s communication solutions, particularly its unlimited offerings, have enabled us to have clear, in-depth discussions via phone or SMS with members of our team, without having to worry about extra charges,” he added.
GQWest also found value in the Sun Partner Program—a strategic program designed by Sun for GQWest’s franchisees, which allows them to enjoy preferred and easy application, and the services of a dedicated and focused accounts team that handles the communication requirements of franchisees and business partners. “Since our operations from the headquarters and other partners in the value chain rely on Sun’s reliable communication service, we realized that it is also a must to have our franchises and business partners maximize this advantage. Thus, GQWest immediately signed up for the Sun Partner Program. Not only does our corporate office enjoy the efficient and cost-savings tools of Sun, the same is extended to the whole value chain.” Tan said.
Furthermore, Tan applauds the way Sun takes care of its customers. He shares that the Sun Business team has been very accommodating with their questions and concerns. “They are just a phone call away. They really live up to the true meaning of customer service,” Tan says.
Currently, Aquabest is gearing towards expansion in the provincial areas. And with this expansion, the company will continue to adopt and leverage on Sun Cellular’s value offerings to sustain their success. “With Sun Business, we found a partner we can count on,” Tan concluded.
The post Reliable communication powered by Sun Business, key to success of Aquabest appeared first on Remate.