Massachusetts Retailer Stresses Customer Service

Sudbury, MA, Apr. 26--One of the biggest misconceptions in the flooring business, according to Tracey Marinucci of Only Flooring Inc., is that the untrained husband can install the floor himself as a weekend project. "We've probably saved more marriages than marriage counselors," quips Marinucci, the Sudbury company's administrative assistant. "The husband says, 'I can do it' and the wife is yelling, 'No, you can't!'" Floor installation is best left to the professionals, and at Only Flooring its professional installers not only meet the company's high standards, according to Marinucci, they're company employees. "We do not subcontract," she says. "We have installers on staff and the advantage of that is we can send them out tomorrow if we need to." And they frequently need to since customers, especially contractors, need floors installed on short notice to meet building deadlines. Anxious homeowners also make a similar request. Only Flooring provides that next-day service at no extra charge. Such a practice is in keeping with the company's emphasis on customer service, according to Marinucci. "Service is what it's all about," she says. "Customers are our top priority and we truly care what experience they have. Without them, you're nobody." As a sign of its client focus, Only Flooring has two employees who deal only with customer service. "Customers can call them ahead of time to verify the schedule and they can call them afterward to verify that everything was satisfactory. Customers can fill out evaluations, too. And we follow up our jobs with thank-you notes. A lot of companies just sell floors, and then it's basically, 'Here you go. Have a nice day.'" Only Flooring was founded in 1993 by Jerry Rubin, who grew up in the flooring industry. "He wanted to create a company that would raise the bar," says Marinucci, and he did so by raising the level of customer service. The strategy has clearly worked. Only Flooring has grown from a company with one store to a quartet of showrooms and a 35,000-square-foot warehouse/headquarters. The company's sales also grew 50 percent last year compared to the previous year, according to Marinucci. "That type of growth has going on for awhile," she says. "We're thriving. "The size of our jobs has grown, too," Marinucci continues. "In the beginning we only did kitchens and bathrooms. Now we do every room in the house. We can also do entire houses, new houses, old houses, renovations and repairs." Carpets, laminates, sanding and finishing are part of the package, too. The company caters to both residential and commercial markets. From a product standpoint, Only Flooring offers all types of flooring from ceramic to hardwood to vinyl. "We either have what you want or we can get it," says Marinucci. "It's only a phone call away." Prices range from $100 to $50,000--depending on the size of the project and the type of flooring. An average job costs between $2,000 and $5,000, according to the company. "Our prices are in line with other flooring companies," says Marinucci. "If another company has a lower price, we will definitely try to match it." Only Flooring serves an area that stretches from Boston to Worcester, including all of MetroWest. It will even travel to Cape Cod. For the future, Only Flooring is looking at opening more stores. "But nothing is set in stone," says Marinucci. "We'll see how business goes. We want to concentrate on what we have now and not overwhelm ourselves with expansion. We want to take care of the customers we have now."