6 Good Questions to Ask Your Supplier of Canteen Furniture
If you are looking for the best canteen furniture for your establishment, you have to find a good canteen furniture supplier that will be able to provide you with what you need, when you need it, and at the price that you can afford. Choosing canteen furniture can be tricky – there are many different factors at play – hygiene, comfort, the social aspects, space and configuration.
Finding a supplier or distributor can be as easy as going online or responding to a print advertisement in a trade magazine, but in order to get the best canteen furniture supplier that is truly in tune with your needs, and is able to provide you with the products and services you need, you need to ask the right questions. Before making a selection, we recommend that you ask the following questions from potential suppliers.
It is best to associate with suppliers that have an established track record and a solid reputation in the canteen furniture industry. Often, the suppliers who have been in the industry the longest have the best access to the product lines you need. They may also have experience that can really help you in the long term when it comes to choosing the right pieces for your canteen or office.
Often, it is best to select a supplier that specialises in the type of furniture you need, but it is not always necessary. Nowadays, product lines and furniture are made to be multifunctional, so finding a supplier that can bring together their product lines to create a great look with high functionality and adaptability can be a real plus. It also helps if you are keen to partner with fewer suppliers who can provide more products.
It is important to ensure that other clients also like the canteen furniture you are choosing. Often, a good track record is supported by glowing customer references. Ask for these, and if there aren’t any, or if there are no long-term clients, steer clear!
It is crucial in any canteen that space is planned properly, in order to get the most from the canteen space. Buying good furniture is not enough – you need to have access to professionals who can help with the planning of the configurations and layout of the canteen or office, and interior designers who can help to make the space as welcoming, practical, and good looking as possible. Sometimes, suppliers may use external consultants, but this will often work out more expensive, and they may not know how to use the products the most effectively in a layout. Those planners and designers who work with the product lines on a daily basis are often more in tune with what to do to make the best of the space.
A good canteen furniture supplier should have their own technicians who are able to carry out the installation according to the space layouts and specifications of the design team. They should know how the pieces fit together, and how they work together to form a cohesive look and function. An in-house installation team is always better than a sub-contracted installation team, because there is more accountability, and they are very familiar with the product lines they are working with.
We all know that a good service doesn’t stop once the payment has been made and the furniture has been installed. A good supplier should be able to support you with advice and guarantees if or when things go wrong. If a piece of furniture breaks or something is not working as well as it should, they should be able to replace, repair, or correct it. A long-term commitment and a good long-term service is what you are looking for – not a fly-by-night operation that forgets about you once the sale has been made.
If you are looking for a supplier of canteen furniture that is committed to your business, give our team at Quantum Office Furniture a call today.