The professional building and design community is demanding… as it should be! They have high-end customers that know they like and want the best in every category. One of the key factors inherent in our success within this community is our ability to keep customer commitments. Our customers have always been our number one priority. By coordinating an exceptional group of suppliers and focusing on innovative design and on-time performance, we can provide our clients with the best product and service available. A seamless and comprehensive process of creativity, consultation, expert fabrication and delivery requires a tremendous amount of coordination and execution.
While developing expertise around a vast combination of glass products and services, we have come to know thousands of vendors. As we perfect our craft, we recognize that we are not alone on the journey. Building strong, long-lasting relationships with many distinguished vendors is a key component of our success. These critical materials and service providers have each demonstrated that we can count on them and that they understand the demands and needs of our client base. We are also very proud of the fact that some of these relationships go back to our founding more than 30 years ago.
Maintaining this core group of qualified suppliers brings a significant amount of stability to our business, so we take these relationships seriously. How do we decide which vendors to work with? And what do we look for in a vendor relationship? A quality product is a must. There is no compromise on this—we never settle for less. But, client satisfaction is more than just a great piece of glass! As an integral component of a larger installation, our products must consistently meet the design and installation criteria the first time and every time.
A beautiful product that isn’t exactly what the client ordered means an unhappy customer. And a perfect product that is two days too late is almost never acceptable. That’s why, in addition to considering the craftsmanship of our vendors, we also examine their capabilities and dig into what they realistically can and can not accomplish.
Broken promises never lead to satisfied customers. Our suppliers have earned our trust through years of experience—we know they will do what they say they will do, barring unforeseen circumstances. It’s that confidence which allows us to make commitments to our customers and consistently meet and exceed their expectations.
The last few years have also tested our vendor relationships. Economic hardships have affected everyone—including vendors, clients and ourselves. And just as we try to make considerations for our valued clients who have experienced setbacks from these hard times, we appreciate vendors who have worked with us when we needed their assistance. This kind of loyalty is a two-way street. When the need arises, we will ask for special consideration as clearly as possible. We don’t ask for rush orders that don’t need to be rushed; we honor payment terms, and try to work within our vendors’ preferred parameters.
Keeping customer commitments is a cooperative effort at our company. It happens because we are supported by suppliers that we can count on to provide the quality items we expect and in the time frame we demand. We know that our suppliers are an extension of our team and we will continue to work to maintain and enhance these relationships for years to come.
