Being in the market for new office furniture may seem like a daunting task. As a business owner or someone in charge of a growing business, you know that you need some new chairs, tables and desks but don’t know exactly where to start. Therefore, you go to Google and search some something like “office furniture [CITY NAME]” and get hit with a ton of results, some sponsored links and a couple of cat videos. Where should you even begin? Should you stop the search process already?
Every piece of furniture in your office needs to serve a particular function while being visually appealing to your unique style. At the same time, not every piece of office furniture needs to be expensive. The internet has changed the way people buy products and services. Even though it’s great that you can buy a pizza throw pillow at 2 A.M., having access to a skilled team of professionals to help you find the right office furniture for you is crucial.
There is a time and place for everything. Some people may enjoy not having to interact with another human being in order to achieve a task, while others are looking to build a relationship with someone they can trust. With that said, today we’re going to break down the different tiers of office furniture options available to you and the level of customer service you receive at each tier. The important thing is to get the best fit for your business while not forgetting about style and functionality.
Online Retailer
You’re looking to get some office furniture fairly quickly. The fact that you can order a pizza or taxi cab today without actually talking to someone is pretty cool, right? Maybe you think the same thing about getting office furniture.
Let’s say you’re bringing in some new talent to your company. That means you’re going to need a few more desks and chairs for these folks to work at. So you search these online retailers for a little bit, trying every combination of keywords and filter changes until you find what you think is right for you. This may take a little effort on your end to make sure everything works together.
After some time, you find a few options that you like. But before pulling the trigger, you have some questions you’d like answered on these products. How well do they hold up over time? Can I assemble them even if I’m not super handy? Does everything I need come in the box? What types of materials are these made from?
Thus begins your search for a customer service support phone number in an attempt to get some answers. However, there doesn’t seem to be a number where you can talk to a sales representative directly. A 1-800 number is the best you can find and it does yield the best results.
On to the product page, you see a comment section towards the bottom. OK, that’s cool, maybe some of these folks have some insight on the product. It turns out that these comments range from “Great!” to “it gets the job done” or even “hard pass”. The ratings are mixed on the options that look best for your style. At this point, you’ve invested so much time and effort that you’re just going to make a purchase. You really need to get something ordered anyway and your new employee starts on Monday.
Your furniture has arrived, but never got a good explanation of how easy (or hard) it would be to assemble your new chairs and desks. Since you purchased multiple pieces of the same types on furniture, you could assume that once you figure out the first one, the others would be set up in no time. That is, until you realize that the instructions included with your purchase don’t exactly make sense. Not to mention, some of the included low quality, ill-fitting hardware, so that doesn’t make this process anymore easy on you.
A few of your employees were brought over to help you in finishing this construction process. There was some frustration, but nevertheless, it’s done now. You have a set of assembled desks and chairs for your newest team members to work at. The furniture doesn’t look that bad but the customer service (or lack thereof) and installation process leave a slightly sour taste in your mouth. Next time your company brings on new talent, you may think twice before going down this path again.
Big Box Store
Maybe you’re not a fan of making larger purchases online. You like to see and touch what you are about to buy. While buying online is great for little purchases, buying office furniture is a long-term investment and you’d like to talk to a proper human being while doing it.
You know of a couple of furniture retailers in your area and you decide to pay one a visit. You’re greeted at the door by a sales representative who offers their services to help you find what you’re looking for.
At this point, you feel much better in comparison to your online options. That is until this salesperson doesn’t let you get a word in edgewise before they give a long speech on why you need to sign up for their store credit card right now in order to get 0% financing for 18-months with a purchase amount over $799 plus tax. Whoa, whoa, slow down. They didn’t even ask what you’re in the market for yet.
When you kindly decline their offer for applying for a store credit card, the salesperson’s attitude changes slightly. You’re able to explain that you’re a growing business and you need some new office furniture to accommodate your new employees. There are some design elements you’d like to keep in mind that match your business style.
It’s almost as if the salesperson didn’t even listen at all. They immediately take you over to one of the most expensive office furniture sets they have. It’s almost as if saying “growing business” meant “unlimited cash flow” to them. Needless to say, this sales interaction isn’t going the way you thought it would.
So you’ve been to two big box stores and leave feeling confused. You have more questions now than answers. In terms of customer service, both experiences weren’t great for different reasons.
Office Furniture Partnership
It’s been determined that making a purchase from a large e-commerce site isn’t going to be the best option for you. Instead of dealing with inexperienced or pushy salespeople, you decided to pursue an office furniture boutique company. In your opinion, it’s best to work with properly trained professionals and to build a lasting relationship.
So you get ahold of this local company and talk to a nice salesperson. You explain that your company is currently growing and you see potential room for more growth down the line. That means you’re going to need some new office furniture in the short term and you may need to add on. Not to worry, because the furniture company you’re talking to knows this industry well. They understand your needs and will recommend the products that meet your budget and style. They will even go a step further and help design your space. And if you ever need something in a pinch, they also office used furniture at a discounted rate. When you win, they win.
Something unique happens here that hasn’t happened before in your furniture buying process – the salesperson on the phone actually listens to you. You weren’t able to talk to a human being online and the two in-person retail stores you tried didn’t have salespeople who were trained or cared. Before talking about the exact pieces of furniture or going over the numbers, the salesperson on the phone gets to know you.
This phone call is going great. Your salesperson decides to set up a meeting in person with you to go over your options in detail. They offer to come to you or for you to come to their showroom where you can see everything in person. That sounds great! A time is set up for you to come to visit their showroom.
Once you see the showroom, you’re not disappointed at all. There are so many options to chose from that match your unique style. After figuring out your needs as a growing business, your salesperson makes some recommendations based on your design interests and budget. The staff is able to help out with some interior design recommendations as well. Bonus.
So, after building a relationship and getting your know each other, you decided to make a purchase from this office furniture company. The delivery date is set and everything arrives on time as described.
What’s great is that you don’t have to do any of the heavy lifting or assembly because a crew of trained professionals is able to do all of that for you. That means you’re able to stay productive at the office and get work done while your recent purchase is being assembled for you. The products are high-quality and your space comes together perfectly.
At the end of the day, you were greatly impressed with not only the salesperson you worked with but the company as a whole. They got to know you and the needs of your growing company. As the saying goes, people are in the business of doing business with other people. That really goes a long way, especially when you can build a relationship and partnership with another company that understands you.
Conclusion
Buying office furniture shouldn’t be a scary or difficult task. There are plenty of places in which you can buy office furniture from. You should view your options in the frame of reference from your business. That means working with a company who understands your wants, needs, and desires and can provide a whole package solution. Being in a position where your business is growing is a great thing and you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished.
Hopefully you found this information useful. If you have any questions or like to chat, feel free to reach out to us at sara@midcityoffice.com. We’d love to hear from you soon 🙂