A furniture store without a repair technician is like an auto dealer without a mechanic. Every single thing after the sale that might go wrong, or require maintenance, is left to a third party. And nothing left to any third party is ever cheap.
If you don’t happen to have a technician, or yours is retiring or moving on, don’t panic! Training a new technician isn’t that complicated, provided you take a moment to consider what is necessary for the success of your new recruit.
When looking for a new technician, choose carefully. Look for someone who is artistic or expresses their art…like tattoos, believe it or not! Ask around if anyone is interested in art in their free time; in particular, anyone who has worked with color, like painting cars or airbrushing or watercolors. Color theory is the most critical part of technician training.
Have a shop ready. Nothing sets up a trainee for failure like not having everything needed to perform repairs. By ready, that means the touch-up materials, properly working tools, plenty of light, and preferably a separate climate-controlled area.
Avoid “trial by fire.” This is ineffective at best, cruel at worst. Expecting something to bubble up out of a new technician’s mind to repair difficult damages is not going to happen. This can quickly erode self-confidence if he or she fails. Failure is inevitable and expected, but it should be minimized whenever possible.
Find a trainer. Secure a trainer who can not only repair all damages but can also teach the proper repair process. The ability to relate to your already anxious candidate, to disarm them and make them comfortable to not only succeed but also to make mistakes, is critical to a positive outcome.
Securing a repair technician is critical to the ongoing success of your business and ensures customer satisfaction and retention. Peter Schlosser at Profitability Consulting Group has trained technicians all over the United States and Canada and has been published many times by Furniture World Magazine. His teaching style is encouraging and energetic. He is able to relate to all people on any level of experience. He knows how to take the “scary” out of color theory, chemistry, biology and physics of furniture repair, using easy-to-understand language and step-by-step processes. Peter is here to help you every step of the way. Contact us today to learn more or to schedule a consultation with Peter and our entire team of experts!
