Retail and Office Space Overhaul

Case

One large room that needed to serve multiple purposes: retail display, product workspace, office/business processes, order processing, and customer interaction. The client wanted a smooth flowing space where work orders and work did not get lost and customers felt compelled to hire her business services. “We recently built a house with my shop attached. I have a nice showroom but it is not giving the appearance I would like, nor is it flowing the way I know it should be.”

Organization Challenges

The embroidery business, by nature, has a messy environmental look. Material, thread, designs etc. cannot be neatly filed away. Because the space needed to hold both working space and customer interaction space, the “messiness” of the product development could not be hidden away in another room. In addition, there were numerous hoops, scissors, and other tools of the trade that needed to be easily accessible in order to work efficiently.

Business Challenges

There was no designated location for clothing to be placed before or after the orders were complete.
Orders were misplaced: “I take orders, process orders, and create in the same area. I have no room on my desk. I multitask day & night which creates clutter. I often lose things.”
The business was conducted out of the home, but the owner did not want the business and home to intertwine. “I want to keep everything in my office. It is already starting to spill over into my home.”
No time to organize. “I just don't have the time to do it. It is a catch 22, I know it will help me, but I always have a deadline.”
Business was increasing and the owner was concerned about being able to effectively handle the work. Very long hours and little sleep were commonplace.
An open house was scheduled for a week from Calahan Solutions’ initial visit. The open house was intended to create an opportunity for new business and clientele. Concern was mounting about being ready for the event.
Embroidery designs and software were stored throughout the space and it took a lot of time to find the right designs.
They did not have any marketing materials for potential clients regarding services available or pricing. Frequently, the owner would need to take time to answer the same questions to different customers, thus taking away from development time.

Getting Down to Work

The physical work space was assessed and measurements were taken. As the owner was quite motivated, work began that day. Originally the owner believed that the more retail items were in the space the better. If they were there, they would sell. Unfortunately, the volume of items made the space very cluttered and displayed items that were ready to be embroidered rather than completed items. By changing the philosophy of the space from a retail area to a showroom, there was more ability to utilize the space to showcase the embroidery work.

Processes:

In order for the owner and her employees to maintain the space, processes were developed:

Embroidery Work-in-process – everything had a home and moved to various locations depending on the stage of the production process. Items to be embroidered, items in progress and finished items all had a home and steps to get to where they belonged.
Paper handling processes were developed.
Order taking process was refined.

Marketing:

Since the company did not have marking materials, Calahan Solutions interviewed the owner as well as did research on the industry to develop the following items:

Signs to guide customers through various available items in the showroom
Flyer to answer Frequently Asked Questions regarding embroidery
Flyer to highlight products and services
Flyer to highlight who uses embroidery services
Flyer to identify pricing structure

Physical Space:

Space was designated into 3 major zones: Physical Work Area, Showroom & Display Area, and Business/ Customer Order Area. Each area was assessed and assigned specific responsibilities.

Cabinets were moved to make the most of vertical space.
Shelves were installed to provide more display area for hats.
Retail clothing items were sorted, categorized and duplicates were taken to a storeroom in the basement.
Furniture that did not serve a worthwhile purpose was moved out of the room.
A new computer business workstation was purchased and assembled.
Clothing dividers, files, and designs were labeled for easy retrieval.

Before		After
Tremendous amounts of retail items were displayed, but very little of the design company’s work was available for viewing.		The space transformed from a retail space to a showroom of the design company’s work.
Retail items were difficult to find.		The space transformed from a retail space to a showroom of the design company’s work.
The work area and office space are intertwined		The production area is confined to one corner of the room & specific work zones have been established for each worker. Vertical space has been utilized by allowing embroidery hoops, thread, scissors, etc. to be accessible on the wall. Customers now have a designated pick up area for finished orders.
Designs and other software were difficult; files were intertwined with work space.		All business items have a home and a process for locating and updating.

Business Results

According to the owner one month after organizing services were delivered, the following benefits have been observed:

Production has doubled.
Employee errors have significantly decreased.
Employee satisfaction has increased.
Orders are no longer lost.
Everyone feels more in control of their part of the business.

Testimonial

I wanted to thank you for your services over the past three months. After our first meeting I was thankful for your vision of my embroidery business. You asked leading questions of what I did, the services I was providing, and where I wanted to go in the future. You assessed my physical layout and offered a new direction for my business.

Not only did you deal with the spacial layout, you also drew up a handout of the "What, How, & Why's of my Embroidery Business". This was also valuable as customers browsed the showroom. It gave them more ideas (thinking outside the box) of what services I may provide for them. It also serves as a guideline for my business. I was particularly impressed by the research you placed in creating the three handouts. It is professional in content and appearance.

I was again appreciative of your follow-up visit in January to look at my work space. You asked about "my process," what was working and not working, and worked out a plan that fit MY needs and work process.

What is most important is that I can see to profit from your organizational services. It has resulted in greater productivity, fewer errors, and a much more comfortable work environment. It can be measured in $ and cents since I am getting more done in less time, with fewer errors and frustrations.

Your plan is working because I am able to maintain what you have put into place.

Thank you for your services! I have recommended your services to other business people and I look forward to working with you in the future.

— Linda Lambert, Lambert Designs Custom Embroidery, Pontiac, Illinois

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