The following blog post was written by Stephanie Suiter, a former customer care representative at Norix who just recently transitioned into her new position as Marketing Coordinator. Below she shares the answers to the questions she was most frequently asked while working in customer care.

It’s been a long but rewarding journey here at Norix for me. I started as a receptionist in 2008, and then decided to move forward in my career by accepting a position as customer care specialist in 2010. In this position I was one of the first points of contact every day, interacting and assisting customers with quotes and orders. This entailed much time devoted to listening to their needs, making furniture recommendations and answering many questions to ensure they were making the right purchases that would fit their specific needs.

While doing this, I was taking advantage of Norix Furniture’s tuition reimbursement program and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a Concentration in Marketing. That degree and the years working in customer care – which taught me nearly everything about our products – has allowed me to take the next step in my career as Norix Furniture’s Marketing Coordinator.

While I reflect on my time in customer care, I would like to offer some of the insights I learned during the four years in the position and give you the answers to the questions I was asked the most.

How do I know Norix Furniture products are durable?

This was probably the most-asked question. And for good reason. If you are buying furniture for a challenging environment, you want to make sure the product is going to last. Durability is one of our top commitments to our customers, and we put our products through a variety of industry-standard testing. Our products meet or exceed flammability tests, puncture tests, weight-limit tests and a variety of other tests that ensure our product is highly durable. You can find a specification sheet on each of our product pages which will detail testing certifications. Need a visual? Visit our YouTube page to watch videos where we put our furniture up against jackhammers, garden tillers, sledge hammers and other high-impact testing.

Are your products easy to clean?

In correctional facilities, shelters and hospitals, cleanliness and infection control is paramount. All Norix products are made of materials that are easy to clean and sanitize. For example, our rotomolded line of products is often made in one piece of polyethylene or polyvinyl. This makes the furniture impervious to moisture, allowing you to clean fluids, grime and debris from the product with ease. Additionally, Norix has a new line of cleaning products for wood, stainless steel, glass/mirror, fabric and a bio-enzyme mattress solution. We also provide our signature 1-2-3 Care System Kit, which allows you to clean, rejuvenate and protect your rotomolded products.

How is the furniture installed?

You can take one of two avenues on this one. All Norix products came with in-depth instructions for assembly. If you’re handy with tools or only ordered a small amount of furniture, you may be able to handle the task. But if you’re purchasing hundreds of products and want your furniture bolted to the floor or caulked, then you might want to consider Norix Furniture’s Factory Installation Services.  This service includes:

  • Preparing a detailed scope-of-work document
  • Project scheduling and coordination
  • Coordinating shipping and delivery
  • Meeting the delivery truck, off-loading and staging the furniture
  • Distributing the furniture throughout the facility
  • Un-installing and removing of previous furniture, if requested
  • Assembling the furniture to specifications
  • Installing all tamper-resistant mounting hardware provided
  • Anchoring furniture to walls and floors
  • Removing all packing materials and debris
  • Caulking and filling gaps with security caulk, if requested
  • Conducting a walk-through with a facility representative to obtain final sign-off

Additionally, our installation services come with a five-year warranty. So, in those rare cases where a bed doesn’t perform the way it should due to installation, we come out and fix the problem for you free of charge.

How can I see a product before I buy it?

Would you buy a house without first seeing it in person? Me neither. Norix makes it possible for customers to feel, touch and sit on our products before they make a purchase. We have sales representatives throughout the country who have samples of our products that they can bring directly to you. Additionally, we can ship a product sample if you would like to see what the piece looks like in your facility. We also can send color samples or brochures and even let you know what trade shows we will be at in the future so you can visit our booth and see our products. Lastly, we can put you in touch with facilities in your area that have purchased our furniture so you can arrange a visit to see how our products are performing in real time.

Are Norix products eco-friendly?

Norix Furniture is very conscious of its environmental footprint and has taken multiple steps to ensure its products are as eco-friendly as possible. For example, Norix received “GREENGUARD and GREENGUARD Gold certifications after it was shown to meet the program’s chemical emissions criteria by UL Environment, the governing body for this globally recognized certification program.” That’s from our Green Statement which you can view here. While you‘re there, read about how we have made environment-friendly strides through our choice of suppliers, materials and procedures.

In closing

There are many other important questions that were also frequently asked. And although those weren’t answered here, a quick call to the current customer service team will leave you in good hands.