Stoneside's Industry-Leading Company Culture

How Stoneside’s Company Culture Builds the Best Customer Service in the Window Treatment Industry

Even Better Homes & Gardens rated us #1!

What is company culture and how does it affect customer service?

Company culture is quite the topic of discussion in today’s world. More than ever, people are choosing who they support based on company values rather than their product or service. BuiltIn defines company culture as a “set of shared values, goals, attitudes, and practices that characterize an organization.”

While that is a great place to start, we believe there’s something more to it. Company culture isn’t just about the values of a company, but rather the atmosphere, support, and community a company creates.

At Stoneside, we’ve made our values the cornerstones of our company.

Honesty
Positivity
Generosity
Continuous improvement
Passion

These are our guiding principles — the foundation of the choices we make. But this isn’t what makes our company culture stand out.

Our approach to company culture starts with creating support and community. Yes, ultimately the goal is for our values to help us create a stronger level of support and community for our clients and customers. But it has to start with our team.

Because of this, building a strong relationship within our teams is a top priority.

In a recent article featured in Forbes, Mickey Fain, Stoneside’s CEO, discussed company culture: “40 years ago when I got my MBA, nobody talked about culture. But today, more than ever, I believe culture is the most important thing in any business.”

It really is about creating an environment where team members can feel valued, supported, and respected. When teams feel that level of empowerment and support, the trickle-down effect occurs, and pretty soon it’s not just our team members who feel that way, but our customers as well.

What is the effect of culture on customer service?

When a company creates a positive, supportive environment for their team, those employees are more likely to concentrate on how they can contribute to a positive, supportive customer experience. Think of it this way — a disgruntled employee may not go out of their way to help a customer who was needing guidance. The employee would be more likely to do the absolute minimum required, rather than going that extra mile.

However, when the opposite occurs, team members are happier, more productive, and more engaged. That trickle-down effect is experienced by the customer.

Don’t take our word for it — our customer reviews are first-hand evidence of this occurrence.

“Trent Warnick came to take shades down and then reinstall after new window work was completed and he was excellent. It was so refreshing to have work done in our home by someone who was punctual, courteous, personable, and efficient. Trent loves his job and it shows!”

When team members feel the effects of company culture, it has a direct impact on the customer service experience.

Creating a positive company culture with remote teams

These days, working remotely has made creating community and support in the workplace a challenge for some businesses.

Before, face-to-face interactions, meetings, and events kept team members connected to their peers and to management. As the working environment shifts into more remote locations, maintaining office connections is much more difficult.

At Stoneside, we recognized that it was paramount to keep our company culture standards high, despite this workplace upheaval. We took it upon ourselves, and commissioned a survey to gain insight into how remote employees were handling the experience of working from home.

The article in Forbes dives deep into the mental health of workers who are working remotely. In his interview, Mickey discusses how the task of creating a positive work culture has transformed. Now, it’s all about maintaining connection.

How do you create good company culture?

In an effort to build and grow as a remote team, Mickey prescribed “virtual happy hours, photo contests, and virtual check-ins/coffee chats, which will allow us to stay more connected to our entire team and provide the flexibility to our ‘office team’ to work at home more often.”

The company culture survey results revealed that some of the most helpful efforts were to make the focus more wellness-minded, such as mental health resources or wellness programs.

The survey also meant looking deeper into team members outside of work. “This experience forced us to think about each of our team members in a broader sense,” Mickey said. “We learned to consider how our policies and actions affected team members and their families and explored additional resources or flexibility we could provide to help maintain a great culture.”

It’s clear that workplace culture goes beyond creating a positive relationship between company and team members. Creating a good company culture spreads into our team member’s homes, into their families, and also into the homes of our customers.

So what does all this mean? A positive, community-based workplace culture is absolutely essential to creating high-quality customer service.

“Thank y’all so much for incredible, kind, and professional service. Jason, our designer, was not only friendly but incredibly knowledgeable about design and color. He made the process of choosing our window treatments effortless. Brandon installed our blinds on time and quickly. Thank you guys so much!”

Why should you support businesses with good company culture?

Workplace culture has been a trending topic in the business world, especially during and since 2020. It has become clear that a greater effort needs to be made from employers to create a better experience for their employees.

More than ever, customers and clients are choosing companies to invest in and partner with based on their company policies, values, and workplace culture. According to a consumer report done in 2020, being aligned with a company’s values was extremely important to the vast majority of consumers; ie, consumers are more likely to invest, purchase, choose businesses if they know they align with them.

You can see it everywhere. People trying to find businesses that are more than just a big name — and that’s what we are.

We believe in a customer-first approach, but that all starts with creating the most satisfied teams.

Stoneside: a company with the best culture

What we choose to embody in our company directly affects our workplace culture, our team members, their families, and our customers.

We’re eager to help one another reach a common goal, and our customers feel the effects of that. We believe that’s why Stoneside consistently outranks other window treatment companies in customer reviews.

We’ve made it our goal to remain #1 in America, and we’re committed to creating a culture that inspires that result.

Our customers know our team members by name

“Joe, as usual, goes above and beyond any expectations of great service. His thoroughness and professionalism is why Stoneside is our family’s only choice when it comes to blinds & shades.”

Because we don’t just get in and get out — we’re not solely focused on getting the job done quickly. We’re all about getting to know you and your home so we can deliver the best possible product and service.

Everyday, we see evidence that we’ve created a company where customer service is our top priority, stemming from great company culture. It’s backed by the customer reviews pouring in from Google, Yelp, TrustPilot, and more.

That’s what makes us stand out from the rest. Sure, you can choose a national brand that offers a cheap, quick option. But if you want something more — if you’re looking for an experience that results in excellent customer service and high-quality product — we’re the team for you.

How do we work?

Together. With each other, and with you.

In our early days, we contracted out our designers and installers. We quickly realized that to give our customers the best, we had to create the experience of a local shop but with the convenience of the internet.

Since then, we’ve turned our attention to creating professional teams of experienced designers and expert installers.

Company culture is at the heart of our company.

But for our customers, it all begins with a simple conversation. We begin the conversation when you’re ready, setting you up with a free consultation.

We pair you with your own personal design consultant. At your in-home consultation, your design consultant asks you about what you’re looking for in your window treatment, your style preferences, your budget, and even how you use your home. Even if you’re unsure, our consultants guide you. There’s no need to have all the answers. If you want to feel more prepared, you can check out some of the standard questions you can expect from your consultation.

But remember, this is just a chat to see how Stoneside can help you find the right fit for your space. We help create a custom design plan so everything is laid out clearly for you to make the best decision for your home. At that time, if you’re ready, we can place your order for your home refresh.

Next, our in-house installation experts double-check measurements and set specifications to our manufacturers, based right here in the US.

When your window treatments have been crafted, your installer will personally come to your home. Your installer isn’t just there to get a job done, they’re there to ensure you’re pleased with your product and your experience from start to finish.

Our work culture inspires exceptional customer service, and that’s what you can expect from our installation team.

Company Culture Creates Lasting Impact

Our customer experience should always be the best. We support our team members, and together, we support you.

Reach out now for a free consultation, and experience the top-rated Stoneside culture firsthand.

“Entire process was incredible! Just had our install today, a million percent satisfied! From consultation to install, such a pleasure to work with. Thank you!”