To Anubhav Agarwal, President & CEO, Irpinia Kitchens, and Partner at Rhyno Equity Group, providing the Company’s employees with a safe, secure and productive working environment is priority number one. Anubhav believes that the most important resource of any organization are its people. Understanding this fact is a critical aspect of Anubhav’s inclusive and non-bureaucratic leadership style with the goal to inspire employees at all levels to perform their best each and every day.
“Our employees choose Irpinia as their family away from home and we want to make sure that we reward them for placing their faith in Irpinia,” says Anubhav. He likes to challenge the norm and encourages everyone to bring a continuous improvement mindset to work every day.
Anubhav recognizes the need to have a strong management team that shares the same sense of responsibility to the Company’s employees as he does. He empowers Irpinia’s management team to operate their departments autonomously, fearlessly and most importantly, collaboratively. “The minute we stop challenging the norm and each other is the minute we stop growing as people and as an organization” says Anubhav.
Anubhav explains that a customer-centric approach strengthens Iripinia’s position as a leader in the industry, ensuring a secure future for its greatest asset – the Company’s employees.
Anubhav stresses the need to provide customers with the ultimate customer experience. So instead of creating a “Customer Service” department, the Company created a “Customer Experience” department with the basic concept being rooted in one fundamental fact – without customers, the Company has nothing and cannot provide gainful employment for its employees. Therefore, it is imperative to give customers an exceptional experience while working with Irpinia. “We are grateful to our customers for choosing Irpinia and try to take every measure possible to ensure each customer receives the ‘white glove’ experience”, says Anubhav.
The Customer Experience
Irpinia’s talented designers combine the best of European flair with an infusion of character and functionality. When hiring designers, the Company’s VP of Sales seeks candidates who display a creative, fearless yet down to earth and humble personality. Every design is different and has its own “DNA,” and it takes time to develop. It is not every day that people spend money on kitchens or bathrooms, so this process can be incredibly intimidating, considering that cabinetry will be one of the most expensive items in the house. “Therefore, it is important for our designers take a soft and methodical approach during the design process. We want the customer to feel as comfortable as possible,” explains Anubhav. “We focus on the customer’s needs and desires as a starting point and our designers provide a forum where customers can communicate without judgement, interference or influence from our designers. Often, our designers get to the know the families and sometimes all of the members of the household and the end result is a superior design that not only incorporates the needs of the entire household but delivers the “wow” factor.”
Anubhav shares that often, customers want to go with the latest trends based on what they saw in a magazine or online. Irpinia’s sales team is always up to date with the latest trends worldwide, especially in Europe, through regular attendance at design shows, discussions with suppliers, etc. We can incorporate the latest trends and materials into some incredible designs. Once the customer is comfortable with the designs and the material selections, the team begins the process of production. During the production process, our designers and customer experience department liaise with the customer every step of the way until the job is complete and the customer is happy!
“Our job is to turn our customers’ vision into reality through communication and understanding. Combined with some ‘Irpinia magic,’ we have ourselves a recipe for a successful customer experience and a very happy customer.”
The company operates in a complex industry with many moving parts, so providing a quality product on time may come with its share of challenges from supply chain issues, expectation gaps between customers and designers, manufacturing issues, etc. “I think our customers understand the complexity of our business, so when challenges arise, our ability to overcome them with limited impact on the customer can make or break the customer experience,” says Anubhav. “For that to happen, one needs a strong management team along with dedicated employees all rowing the boat with the same objective.”
The steadfast leader believes Irpinia has the industry’s best management team. Led by the President of the US Operation, Vice President of Sales, Vice President of Operations and the Partners at Rhyno Equity Group, the Company’s management team is amongst the most senior and well-respected in the industry. They all share the same values when it comes to a customer-centric approach. The management team understands the implications to the employees of not providing exceptional customer service and will not settle for anything less.
Anubhav says that there is no doubt the cabinetry industry is highly competitive with minimal ability to classify products or technology as “proprietary.” While Irpinia keeps an eye on its competition, the Company does not let their competition dictate their strategy. The Company strategy is simple: keep in mind the responsibility of providing the Company’s employees with safe, secure, and a productive work environment while providing the best customer experience for every single customer that works with Irpinia. “If we do what we are supposed to do, customers should have no reason to go somewhere else. Let the experience speak for itself.”
Irpinia also sets itself apart from many in the industry by providing a diverse product offering to satisfy even the most discerning customer. “We are more than just kitchens and baths. We can engineer and construct any millwork for wine cellars, office space, entertainment units, wardrobes, utility rooms and mudrooms – you name it, we can produce it.”
Partnerships & Future
Irpinia’s success relies heavily upon its many partnerships with suppliers and customers. “We expect quality products on time at the best price from our suppliers which is the same expectation our customers have of Irpinia. We understand that a partnership is a two-way street and we cultivate those relationships in the same manner. We are in constant contact with our suppliers and customers about new products and trends. By having close personal contact with our suppliers, we are often able to receive information on trends and new materials before the market at large and incorporate them into our designs for presentation to our customers. This would not be possible without a personal touch. We work with some of the most prestigious builders in Toronto and Florida and managing and learning from these relationships is essential to Irpinia’s future”.
A successful partnership requires communication, core values alignment, and, most importantly, a personal and respectful approach. “At Irpinia, we are fortunate and grateful to work with some of the best customers and suppliers in the market.”
Irpinia has been around for over 60 years and has survived several economic downturns. This is a testament to the strength of Irpinia’s brand, its loyal employees, amazing customers and innovative suppliers. The Company continues to take steps to ensure its longevity and relevance by providing an exceptional customer experience. As the Company’s VP Sales often likes to say, “a repeat customer or a customer referral is the ultimate compliment” – that is Irpinia’s goal.
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