How We Communicate
GFA strives a balanced blend of relevant information conveniently offered in a timely fashion.
Email is the primary method we use to ensure members receive the information they need to get the most value from GFA.
Our communications include supplier offers, updates, and opportunities designed to support your farm’s profitability.
We respect your communication preferences, including your right to unsubscribe from any of our email or text lists. Please note, however, that much of the value of your Membership is delivered through these updates. Choosing to unsubscribe may limit your access to important information that can help improve your farm’s profitability.
Member Value Alerts
During appropriate months you will generally receive one email per week, with some weeks skipped to avoid overlap with other communications. These emails present supplier offers and special buying opportunities.
Benefits Package Update
Once a month or less frequently, we will send you an email presenting information on benefits and offers from Preferred Suppliers tied to your Membership Card and services available to your farm.
News Release
Whenever we issue a news release to the general media, we copy GFA Members so that you get the information at the same time as reporters and before it is published.
Management Report to Members
About once a month GFA Managers are expected to report on their responsibilities and activities to Members to ensure a flow of accountability from GFA management to the Membership.
How else do we communicate?
Telephone
- From your Manager: You should receive occasional phone calls from your GFA Member Service Manager to discuss specific value offers from suppliers or to consult with you about GFA, your needs and the priorities you think GFA should be pursuing.
- From the logistics provider: If you order product from suppliers that is to be delivered to your farm, normally you should receive a total of three pre-delivery calls. The first call will be to establish a general delivery date range that could be as wide as two weeks; the second will let you know a one to five day window the shipment will be sent; and the final call will be from the actual truck driver letting you know the truck is leaving and to be ready to receive your shipment.
- For quality and service measurement: A sample of Members is periodically called with short survey questions that test GFA service and obtain specific feedback from Members. Since only a sample of Members is called, it is possible that a given Member only receives such a call once in several years, and certainly it should not be a frequent event for any one Member.
Fax
We use fax where you have specifically advised us that you do not use email and prefer to receive the information by this method.
Postal Mail
On occasion you will receive MarketPower magazine in your mail box. You will also receive postal mail for routine things you would expect such as Membership renewal invoices.
Text Message
We periodically send out messages from head office or directly from your member Service Manager, highlighting urgent deadlines, meeting notifications, etc. If you receive a text from us, but wish to have your cell number removed from our list, please let your Member Service Manager know.
Direct Meetings
GFA is exploring options to provide direct on farm contact with Members at least once per year. We feel it is important to maintain a level of personal contact to ensure we are responding to your needs while providing you with updates on the latest product and service offerings of your GFA Membership.
Social Media
Our primary website and associated websites provide a great deal of information to Members. Let us know what you would like to see changed or added.
GFA maintains a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FNACanada/. Like us!
You can also find us on twitter @FNA_Canada.
Supplier Communications
Some suppliers to GFA Members may be authorized to communicate directly with you. We do not provide the Membership list to anyone, but when you do business with a supplier they necessarily obtain your contact information. They may then use that contact information to engage you in additional communications.
If at any point you do not wish to be contacted by a supplier, let them know that and if they persist advise your Member Service Manager who will take up the matter on your behalf.