If you’re planning to purchase office furniture in the near future, you’ll be faced with different options not only in which furniture to purchase, but also which source to buy from and which service provider to perform the furniture installation. Below, we answer some common questions that consumers have about this topic.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of both in-house furniture dealers’ installers and independent office furniture installers?
Furniture Dealers’ Installation Team
Advantages:
- Dealers have more control with scheduling
- More quality control in regards to craftsmanship
- Provide a value added service in the eyes of a consumer
Disadvantages:
- Have higher fixed costs (due to full time employees, equipment, etc)
- Not able to scale effectively (large volumes can cause them to use independent installers)
Independent Office Furniture Installation Companies
Advantages:
- They have less overhead costs than furniture dealer
- Can be more cost effective than the dealer (less add-ons and lower cost per job)
- Scalable (accustomed to adjusting to fluctuations in sales volumes)
- Flexible – they are used to adjusting at the last minute to changing schedules, demands, etc
Disadvantages:
- A lot of business/work derived from outside sources
- Less overall control (schedules & quality)
- Bad Furniture Installers can cause fingerpointing (blame the dealer, manufacturer, etc) when things go south
When should you use an independent furniture installer or dealer?
Many times during a furniture installation, the customer can often be unaware of the inclusion of an independent installer until late in the planning stages. Often, furniture dealers will enlist the help of furniture installation companies when they experience high sales volumes or need to augment their own personnel due to large-scale furniture projects. Depending upon their size, some furniture dealers aren’t staffed adequately for large projects – that may be a good time to consider using an independent installer.
Independent furniture installers also get used by out-of-state dealers when customers purchase product online or over the phone. This happens a lot for state and federal government procurements (large or small). So, if you plan on buying your office furniture online, you’ll want to engage a local furniture installation company to perform the install for you. For advice in the selection process, see Common Problems with Furniture Installers.
What to do?
As long as you plan your job appropriately and select quality service providers, furniture dealers or independent installers can get the job done right for you every time. You just have to weigh out your options and make an informed decision. Ask for references and estimate the cost of your installation by reviewing The Cost of Office Furniture Installation. And don’t forget, review our free eBook – get it below so you can make that well-informed decision.
That’s it – feel free to leave comments or questions below.
Thanks!
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