The foundation of designing a space is leveraging amazing relationships designers have built over the years with architects, builders, contractors, suppliers, and other awesome vendors.
Whether you’re furnishing one room or designing an entire luxury hotel from top to bottom, there are hundreds if not thousands of questions; a ton of moving parts and lets just say that the receiving warehouse (or a receiving company) is likely one of the most integral parts of the entire process.
Which is why, we are taking a couple moments to educate you about all the tricky nuances of our business. But first, let’s look at the differences between Freight, Receiving, Delivery and Installation. Shall we?
What Is A Freight Charge?
Freight is the transportation of goods from the manufacturer (i.e. the vendor) typically to a receiving company. Almost always it’s billed after an item has shipped from the manufacturer.
Why is it billed after it’s shipped? Because often the actual costs are unknown because of the constant fluctuation of labor costs, fuel costs, regulatory fees and others.
What Is A Delivery Charge?
Delivery is exactly what it sounds like; it’s when a receiving warehouse delivers furniture to your sidemark. We have separated it out from Installation because some receiving companies do not offer installation, some offer installation through a third party, and a receiving company may deliver furniture to a vendor for upholstery or other work, but not offer white glove installation.
What Is An Installation Charge?
You are finally at the home stretch and all construction is complete, (well maybe, there are likely some small punch items that need to be completed, but there is light at the end of the tunnel!), a receiving warehouse delivers and installs furniture inside your sidemark. Sometimes you’ll hear this referred to as “in-home” or “white glove” delivery.
For us at BringPro, installation includes placement of furniture, assembly of items such as desks, tables, chairs, etcetera, the unpacking and positioning of area rugs, disposal of trash, and any other small details needed to make your install day go smoothly. It’s everything fully installed in your space so your clients can enjoy it as you envisioned.
What Does A Receiving Warehouse Do?
A receiving warehouse accepts deliveries on your behalf. Upon delivery, they inspect each shipment and document any of the damage to the box(es) and items.
If something has been damaged, they’ll communicate the issue with you. Sometimes, an item is repairable but other times it needs to be returned or replaced. How a receiving company handles problems is what separates the good from the great receiving warehouses.
A great receiving warehouse is in charge of a lot more than simply receiving deliveries and quality control. They give you the ability to take on more projects because you are not trying to receive items, coordinate the repair, replacement, or obtaining the new item.
A receiving warehouse also is in charge of repackaging, protecting and storing items until it’s time for your installation. Top receiving companies will provide white-glove delivery and installation to your sidemark.
At BringPro we do all this, plus we leverage our proprietary technology to give you access to your sidemarks 24/7 in the palm of your hand. As an interior designer, procurement manager, project manager, principal designer, or really anyone involved in the design process you want to know if you’re on track for installation. All your items are QR coded and updated in real time in the sidemark. Once we receive your items we take multiple images of the box and note any damage on the BOL. Our warehouse team uploads images of the item from different angles, any damage to the item, notes about the item, and a notification is sent to you via email and / or text message instantly.
Our customer support team is available 7 days a week to assist you with the returns, repairs, and replacements. We strive to be an extension of your brand and give the superior service you give your clients.
Why Is A Receiving Warehouse Crucial?
We love this question, which is why we are writing our first blog on this! To really give you the clearest picture of why a receiving warehouse is critical, let’s assume you don’t use a receiving company.
You’ve got two options:
Ship All Furniture, Rugs, Art, The Artisan Pots You’ve Been OBSESSED With, And All The Other Accessories To Your Elegant Chic Office
In an ideal world, this sounds like a great idea; unfortunately, you’d need a full-time warehouse manager, a loading dock for an 18-foot semi truck to unload in and then you’d need to open, inspect and dispose of packing supplies, crates, and any items unrepairable. You’d also then need to have a place to store, wrap, and protect each item before loading each piece into our own delivery truck. We won’t get into the other details such as liability insurance or tracking the items so you can properly bill your clients for all that work.
Fortunately, we specialize in working with interior design professionals. That’s why we are 5-star rated!
We Ship All Furniture To The Project Site
Let’s assume it’s not a new construction or a complete remodel because you could never have furniture delivered and stored there. So, for the sake of simplicity, let’s assume you’re simply furnishing and styling a few rooms. In theory, you could have everything delivered directly onsite … at your client’s space…but…
Again many items are delivered without an appointment or notification by 18-foot big rigs and it’s unlikely the client’s space has a loading dock for that 18-wheeler. Likely what will happen is the delivery driver will leave the shipment on the sidewalk in its crate or the street. Once you receive the item off the sidewalk you’ll need to unbox the items, dispose of the trash, inspect the items for damages and then place it in the room. Imagine doing this for every single piece you are purchasing on behalf of your client.
Not to mention this will take typically 2-3 hours for each delivery; you’d have to block out a window of time to do this full-time work, instead of focusing on higher priority work.
Alright; are you ready for the #1 reason to partner with a receiving warehouse? Besides all the reasons we’ve listed above — most trade vendors won’t ship to a private residence. The vendors are optimizing their processes and trying to streamline their routes, they can’t prepare for delivery where their trucks may not be able to get to.
For all intents and purposes a receiving warehouse is one of the most crucial functions to the full design process based on the various logistical standpoints.
How Do You Budget For Freight, Delivery, and Installation
Many designers allocate a percentage of the budget towards freight, receiving, delivery, and installation. Then before creating a final budget for their clients to review, they revise it to account for any changes that would impact these areas.
As mentioned, freight charges aren’t known until after the item has shipped which is why it’s important to be in communication with your vendors about any changes they foresee in their pricing.
As for delivery and installation, ask for pricing. Unfortunately you’ll find that many receivers are not clear on how they charge. At BringPro we have a standard pricing sheet that tells you all the costs so you can budget accordingly.
Well, there you have it…Everything you need to know about Why A Professional Interior Designer Works With A Receiving Warehouse.
In order to create a space that feels like the most welcoming and comfortable part of someone’s day, a professional interior designer has to consider every aspect of how clients live / work –– does it make sense for that client, their family / brand / employees, AND the environment?
Because it ALL matters.
Yes it sounds exhausting or overwhelming? Lucky for you BringPro helps you get more done and look amazing doing it! We do the heavy lifting and more so you can focus on what matters, your clients. Now don’t wait, if you’re planning your next sidemark, let’s chat.
Book a one-on-one call with us and get ready for some awesomeness! As a bonus, you’ll receive $100 off your first sidemark; so what are you waiting for?