To produce innovative and inspiring results, it takes talented people and a proven process. At Wittigs, we simplify the process of crafting better workspaces to deliver an environment of productivity and enhanced organizational culture. To know if a dealership is the right fit for your workspace and team, you need to investigate their approach to planning, progressing, and executing a project.

How Does a Dealership Approach Your Furniture or Interior Buildout Project?

1. Listen

You may find that you forgot to listen to yourself in the hustle and bustle of beginning these kinds of projects. That’s why we take the time to consult with you before diving into deliverables. It’s important that we get to know you, your people, and your facility so that the right solutions come to light – you are responsible for this project for a reason, so who better to give us those insights than you?

There are many things we listen for during consultation and planning, but these four are at the top of the list:

• How many people does your space need to accommodate?
• What specific roles, responsibilities, activities, or conditions do they need you to consider?
• How many usable square feet are available for this project?
• What does the timeline look like for this project?

Why are these important? Budget. (It’s a dirty, thankless job but someone has to do it.) We typically see budgets defined in one of two ways: “dollars per square foot” or “dollars per person.” Perhaps you already have your magic number; perhaps you don’t know where to start. The four questions listed above will help confirm your expectations if your budget is already established or allow us to advise on expectations while you build your budget.

Remember that there is a product for every need and an option for every price point, so don’t be afraid to talk about this dreaded topic with us. It’s your space, culture, and brand. You supply the vision. We add the expertise. The simple art of listening helps us translate your vision into a reality.

2. Act

If you’re one who likes to read ahead, you might be wondering why we would list “act” as the second point in the process rather than present. You might even think it’s a little redundant. However, acting must follow listening because we must digest and consider your timeline before moving onto anything else. Timeline is everything.

• Do you have multiple decision-makers you need to consult before arriving at final decisions?
• Does your planned occupancy date limit the kinds of products or finishes you can consider?
• Do you have enough buffer space between execution milestones for prior or latter construction phases?

The worst thing we could do to you is jump right in and start suggesting products and services without confirming a timeline, because Murphy’s Law guarantees you and your team will fall in love with something that can’t possibly meet your deadline.

You may have heard the term “lead time” before, especially if you’ve been working with a design professional or manufacturer, but that number is somewhat subjective. Manufacturers talk about lead time in terms of production. For accurate project planning you need a lead time that incorporates all the requirements through delivery and/or completion. This requires consideration for:

• Design development & specification
• Order entry and acknowledgement between the dealer and manufacturer(s
• Production, including availability and receipt of COM pieces
• Transportation and staging
• Delivery and start of installation
• Completion of installation

To illustrate, click here to tryout the Project Lead Time Calculator.

That’s why we act before we present – so that you know exactly what to expect and when to expect it. When deadlines are short and expectations are high, you need a responsive team. From specification through installation, our specialists guide you every step of the way.

3. Present

This is the fun part. This is where all the ideas and efforts of our combined teams come together. We work with the best manufacturers in the industry at Wittigs so that we can present curated solutions for you to consider. So, what does that mean? We often craft up to three comprehensive packages with considerations for all the things we learned from you and identified with you to this point. Those packages are defined as:

• Basic
• Upgrade
• Premium

The “basic” package features commercial-grade products with select options and features that can accommodate tighter production deadlines. Items may be shipped “knocked down” meaning there is some additional time required for post-manufacturing assembly. While warranties for these items cover things like manufacturing defects and product failures, labor services may not be included. The “upgrade” package also features commercial-grade products but the options and features available are expanded. On average, production times for these items run from three to six weeks, and warranty coverage for these items is often more inclusive. The “premium” package maximizes everything. Your finish, component, and material choices – including collection level designs – are limited only by your budget and imagination. This also means your production time for certain products could be longer, in some cases eighteen weeks or more.

Our goal is to present to you what we have learned in the form of clear designs and plans that support your vision. Ensuring that all aspects of the design and suggested products have been identified to reflect your culture and needs is how we are creative, knowledgeable, and professional.

4. Coordinate

You did it! You made final selections and submitted your order. Telling you to sit back and relax with all the adrenaline-inducing activity your project demands seems as pointless as telling the sun not to show up tomorrow. But that’s exactly what you can do because you have a team of professionals working behind the scenes to make sure every detail you specified is covered. Your sales support specialist is collecting acknowledgements from each manufacturer to verify accuracy and timeliness for production. Your design specialist is detailing your plan to accommodate clear and efficient installation. Your project manager is verifying site conditions and delivery schedules to ensure site readiness and timely installation. Your installation leads are studying plans and selecting skilled team members to achieve the better workplace you dreamed about before this project first started.

Go ahead – take a moment to sit back and relax. Everything is under control. Our highly skilled team will keep you up-to-date during the entire process, from order through delivery of your new environment.

5. Move-In

The big day has arrived. Your facility is buzzing as people move into their new spaces. Depending on that all-important timeline, you will be completing the punch process with us around this time. This means we identify items that need tweaking, changing, or altering in order to achieve the results you and your team desire. Perhaps some conditions or expectations changed after order placement – if alternate accommodations were made to cover your needs, we’ll be reviewing plans with you for final accommodations at this time, if we haven’t already. We may also move into deeper planning for future growth or expansion. No matter how the punch and closeout processes unfold, this is just the beginning of a long-term partnership.

So, congrats! You now have the space which supports the culture and expectations of your organization. Change is inevitable, as partners we are here to help now and in the future.

Take the First Step

Trying to envision a space that connects productivity, creativity, and innovation while maintaining your design plan, budget, and schedule can be overwhelming. We at Wittigs understand what you’re facing and strive to be more than a dealership – we want to be your trusted partner. As our President, Mark Wittig, has said over and over, “At Wittigs, we do whatever it takes to make clients for life.”

Contact your Wittigs representative and let’s take that first step together.