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Industry Profle • Acadian House Kitchen & Bath Studio credits part of its success to having top quality subs, which allows the frm to seamlessly complete a variety of designs such as this kitchen. couldn't let customer service be negatively affected just because our company was growing," she states. Poirrier is insistent on maintaining that rating, believing that one of the keys to that rating is to maintain ethics. "We don't just state that customer service is important," she says. "We want our clients to know we are aware of their feelings throughout construction and that we understand the emotion that goes along with it." The physical aspects of the job are the easy part, she indicates. "We've hand selected the best subs in Baton Rouge," she says. "We know that no matter what, they'll do the quality we expect on every job. That's a given… that's the easy part. But, customer relations, speaking with clients to let them know what's going on and understanding their feelings throughout the process… that's the hard part." Poirrier and Simoneaux also work hard to maintain customer service by placing employees in the right job for their personality. Everyone at the frm has taken the DISC assessment, a behavior tool that identifies personality traits, including dominance, inducement, submission and compliance. "We have an amazing staf," she says, "and we understand each other on a personal, as well as business, level. We position everyone according to their best strengths." MAKING CHANGES One of the biggest changes they've made – and one that helped turn business around – was hiring a business coach two years ago. At the beginning of the recession, Acadian House, like many other design frms, was struggling. A lot of companies in the area were shutting their doors, and Poirrier and Simoneaux wanted to ensure they didn't follow suit. "We needed some direction to get back on track," Poirrier notes. One area they focused on was improving systems and processes. "As an older company, we had lost consistency," she says. Their coach also helped harmonize the multi-generational family business. "Being a family business, we have diferent generations coming www.sagehilldesigns.com Visit our new and improved website! Toby Collection www.sunnywood.biz Cambrian Collection Visit our new and improved website! Fine Kitchen & Bath Furnishings - The Difference is in the Details. Circle No. 17 on Product Card 24 | Kitchen & Bath Design News August 2013