Talking to Stephen
We sat down recently with Stephen MacNeil, president of Stay Organized by Design, to talk about space, storage, organization and customer service. Here's a transcript of our conversation.
Q: So are closets the new kitchens?
A: In a way they are. Years ago, people had lovely homes. But the kitchen was this unattractive, utilitarian place. Then people realized that a well-designed kitchen would not only enhance the dining experience, but it would be an attractive space in itself and also add value to the home. And over the past few years, I think people have come to see the same thing in closets and storage areas. Nowadays, when people give you the house tour, they show the kitchen and, more and more, they want to show off the closets, as well.
Q: Do you watch those TV home organization shows? Have they enhanced your business?
A: I don't watch them all the time, but I've seen them. They're a bit on the extreme side, but they are a lot of fun to watch. And I think that when people see how a space can be transformed from a mess of clutter into something really livable, they tend to relate that to their own space. We do get people coming in who've watched some of those shows and it's got them thinking about their wardrobe or their basement or something.
Q: It seems that furniture companies in Ottawa are always opening with a big splash, then a couple of years later, they're gone. You've been in business more than 18 years now. Is there a secret formula?
A: Well, it sounds like a real cliché, but the secret is customer service. Everybody talks about it, but hardly anybody actually knows what it means.
Q: So what does it mean?
A: More than anything, it means listening. It means paying attention. It means asking sensible questions and listening to the answers and really working to understand what your customer is trying to accomplish and what they have to work with and then coming up with the best possible way to deliver what they want — and, hopefully, a little extra. And it means delivering at every single stage of the process, from when a person calls us or walks into the showroom to a consultation to the installation.
Q: Give me an example?
A: How many times, when you buy something, say new carpet or a furnace or appliances or something, and when the installers are gone you have to clean up behind them? It's annoying and it's disrespectful to your customer. When our team does an installation, they leave the area spotless. There's no junk lying around. It's a small thing, but it sends a big message — it says we appreciate your business and we'll treat you and your home with respect.
Q: It sounds like its mostly about the people you hire?
A: Not mostly, it's all about the people. We are really picky. We only take on people who take huge pride in their work. We want folks who understand that it's the customer who keeps us in business. We also look for people who are interested in the whole business, not just their individual part. I like to see our design consultants riding along with the installers to see how it's done, or installers looking in at the workshop to learn how products are created. Everyone at Stay Organized by Design has his or her specific job, but what makes us special is that everyone is interested in the big picture.
Q: You build everything at your own workshop. These days, most companies don't bother. Why do you do it?
A: It would be much easier to sub-contract the work out, but we'd suffer in quality and in customer service. We have a great ongoing channel of communication between our cabinet makers and our design consultants. So it's really easy for a consultant to drop by and say "Hey, I've got a client with an odd space. What can we do here?" and the cabinet maker can really help solve the problem. This sort of thing happens with us all the time and I don't know how you could do that if, whenever you had a complicated job or an after-sales issue, you had to call somebody in China!
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