And the Employee of the Month Award Goes to....

The Green-Eyed Monster?

One of our customers contacted us because some shelving he ordered arrived in mismatched colors. We were quick to remedy his concern, but we are so lucky to have customers like you that can share in our humor. This was our reply to him:

Greenings Bryan!

It seems we shipped you a color that has since been discontinued and we are simply green around the gills regarding our mistake. We are not a company of greenhorns but we are human and we apologize for our error. The greenbacks you spent with us are much appreciated and I hope you will allow us the green light to go ahead and exchange your shelving. We will be sending you a kit that matches the lighter green kit to exchange the darker olive green shelving you received and will email a return label so the shelving can be sent back to us. So don't worry - you will soon be seeing greener pastures when your replacements arrive and you will be giving us a green thumbs up for how quickly we respond. Your neighbors will be simply green with envy at your new shelving!

Should you have any questions in the green-time, please let us know. With a green from ear-to-ear we are always happy to be of service!

Karen

Our customer shared in our humor...

Hi Karen!

You guys at SmartFurniture are nothing short of awesome! Not only did you manage to solve my problem but now I can't stop laughing and smiling after reading your email that my face is starting to hurt a little! This works out perfectly. I'm so happy with the light green color, that I may very well plan my whole room around it!

Also I just got the return label you sent, so I'll be send back the olive green shelving first thing tomorrow morning. I'm so glad for all of your help, you totally made my day! Yay!!

And our thank you...

Bryan,

Before celebrities vent too much information about themselves on talk shows - they often spend much time in the Green Room before their appearance. You are a star in our eyes and we support your consideration of Going Green and creating your own green room in your home. It will give the saying turning green a whole new meaning! Thank you for being our customer!

Greens and Giggles,
Karen

Come Rain or Shine

Even in bad weather, we are here for you! Tornadoes touched down in Chattanooga today; but, we did not want to miss your calls and chats. So, we gathered around our ping pong table (aka conference table) to wait it out. Eventually the storm passed, the clouds rolled away and all was well in the world.

5 Things Your Smart Furniture Customer Service Rep Wants You to Know!

1. We are here for you! Our goal is to make you happy, and we will go to great lengths to ensure that you are. Whether you call us (888-762-7841), email us, live chat or tweet, we will send you a super fast, personalized response (no automated, unfriendly stuff here)

2. We have samples! Deciding between two colors, or ten? Let us help you. We have samples of most of the options we offer, and can have them in your hands within 3-4 days from your request. And once you receive them, the samples are yours to keep.

3. We work on the weekends! We know how difficult it can be to find extra time during the week. That's why we are available to help you all day on Saturdays, and Sundays too.

4. We make returns easy! We want you to be overjoyed with every purchase from SmartFurniture.com, but we know that sometimes things just do not work out. When this happens, call us. We will help you to coordinate the return of your item(s) and make sure that your refund or exchange is handled quickly.

5. We know furniture! Our goal is to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date product information possible. When you call or email, we can help answer questions about product availability, assembly, sizing, warranty, etc. We like weird questions too. Please try to stump us!

The Sincerest Form of Flattery Is...

...not imitation. Not even close. See one customer's comments below...

"You are an angel to get back to me when it is getting so late where you are. Thursday is going to be a very exciting day for us! Everyone I have dealt with at Smart Furniture has been so kind and thoughtful. I so appreciate it. I almost feel like I'm part of the family. Thanks again. "
-Joy W. Walterville OR

We at Smart Furniture believe the sincerest form of flattery is when our customers tell us they feel like a part of our family. This tells us a lot about your experience with Smart Furniture. You like doing business with us and we are honored to have you as a relative. Thanks again Joy!

5 Things Your Smart Furniture Customer Service Rep WON’T Tell You!

5. We’re located outside the U.S. When you call Smart Furniture you will be talking with someone who works in the good ol’ USA - Chattanooga, TN to be exact. We do not outsource our customer service – a real person actually picks up the phone when you call. No infuriating, cold, impersonal answering system here. However, we do have funny southern accents and don’t be surprised if we offer some sweet tea and biscuits & gravy while we chat and visit with you.

4. That’s not my job. You read that correctly. We believe ALL OF IT is our job – taking care of you, our customers, the best way we know how. Now you may get someone in the accounting department answering the phone instead of a CSR or a sales team member, but guaranteed that if they don’t know the answer to your question they will find out for you. Our goal is to provide you with the best customer service you have ever experienced – and that’s everyone’s job here.

3. I don’t care. To us, customer service is relationship building. Shopping online is impersonal but we aim to make your experience with Smart Furniture engaging, genuine and friendly. Often, the only impression one has of the business from which they buy is a brief phone call with them or the tone of an email you receive from them. We understand this and so we try to ensure that every point of contact you have with us (from our website, phone calls, emails, and even the t-shirts we sometimes send to customers) lets you know that you are important to us. We believe the difference between ordinary customer service and extraordinary customer service is that little “extra” – and every one of us at Smart Furniture cares about that!

2. I can’t do anything for you. Should you ever hear this from a customer service rep (words that will never be spoken by any staff member of Smart Furniture) basically what it means is “I don’t care”. (see #3 above). We pride ourselves on being creative and being able to think outside the box – abilities which help us to help you with any customer problem, concern or dilemma you confront us with. We can’t make everyone happy (see our special note to party poopers in our FAQs here) but you can be confident that we will do all we can to find a solution for you.

1. Your satisfaction is not our primary goal. Let’s be honest – there are hundreds, if not thousands, of companies that sell the same products we offer also online. So why should Smart Furniture be different? Because YOU are the difference. We don’t sell products – we offer award winning customer service and our relationship with you is not like other companies. You think it all ends once you get the email notification your order has shipped? Wrong!! We follow-up with you and ask about your experience with Smart Furniture, determine if your delivery went smoothly, send you a customer service inquiry begging for feedback on how we are doing, and sometimes we will call just to chat and say hello and let you know that we have not forgotten you. We want you to be satisfied, we want to exceed your expectations of our capabilities and we want to be the platinum standard of customer service by which you compare all other companies. Your satisfaction IS our primary goal – because we aren’t satisfied and happy until you are. Because you are that important to us.

Coming Up – 5 Things Your Smart Furniture Customer Service Rep Wants You to Know!

What a Returning Customer Has to Say about Smart Furniture Customer Service

Susan came back to shop with us again last evening. This time, she ordered shelving and a Steelcase Uno chair. Here is what she has to say about our service....

"Smart Furniture has Zappos-grade customer service. And soon I will have another bookcase! One more and I'll be done. With bookcases, anyway."
-Susan T. Gaithersburg MD

More Pats on the Back!

Thank you all for your speedy and kind assistance with my order! It is clear to me why your team has been said to have "award winning customer service." You are kind, courteous and helpful in ways that companies just are not any more. I purchased one Cubitec system and within a week came back to buy an additional system. You can bet that when I need things in the future, I will look here first!

-D. Parks, Brooklyn NY

Sometimes we like to pat ourselves on the back. Check out these recent kudos from our beloved customers!

I have to say the service from Smart Furniture is pretty amazing. You guys are totally together. Everyone has been knowledgeable, professional and polite. A winning combo.

-K. Greene; Coatesville PA


Thank you Adam. It is a pleasure to deal with you and your company. The service is excellent!

-M. Mlowkowski; McLean VA


I have just completed your after sales survey and would like to additionally thank Karen Jennings in your customer service team for her outstanding service. Karen was able to provide me with prompt and detailed information and advice on what was a very special purchase for me. I also found Karen to be extremely courteous and genuine in her dealings with me. I would like to thank Karen for her terrific service and support.

-A. Baldrey, NSW Australia