Carrying out a design project is often a team work. The more ambitious the customer’s requests are, more are the resources to put in place. Harmony in a team is a fundamental ingredient, especially when the success of a project is decreed not only by the claps of the client but also by the value that this project has over time. These are all aspects that those who work in design face in their daily life. On this occasion I met a professional from the outdoor world to be told how his reality – Edenpark Firenze – approaches design and assignments. Here I am face to face with Claudio Alfieri, Commercial Manager at Edenpark Firenze, a point of reference for the world of outdoor design.
How do you approach an outdoor design project?
The important thing, when we approach a project, is to try to really understand what the customer needs. I think this is something that really sets us apart. The client often wants to experience his outdoor space in the same way he lives indoors. For us it’s never a sales approach, merely a commercial one. Our task is to create comfort for the person in front of us, getting to know him, gaining confidence and understanding his habits and needs.
What are the operational steps you put in place?
Operationally, we start with a contact, usually through architects, who are our main interlocutors, especially in larger projects. Then we make an on site-inspection to see what will be the space to furnish. Our team of professionals, that includes architects, engineers, surveyors and designers, develops the project as a team, each with their own particular qualities. We prepare product presentations, we take care of technical drawings and renderings. We then try to understand if the customer appreciates it, if there are any changes to be made, and then we move on to the economic part, which is a sort of consequence of having understood the needs of those in front of us and what their investment wants to be.
And once you get the go?
Once this is done, if the customer appreciates and confirms, all the work of ordering products, order confirmations and organizing external assembly teams begins.
Tell me more about the team you work with
Our full team is made up of about twenty people, including design professionals, operational, logistic and assembly personnel. Everyday Edenpark sends 2-3 assembly teams to various locations to deliver furnishings and put our ideas into practice. We do not rely on external work groups, but on our specialized fitters, internal to our team.
If a client (of any entity) should run into a problem during or after the project, can he still contact you?
Certainly, the customer can always turn to us, to the project manager, whether it is a matter of design, sales or assembly problems. We take care of everything, also lightening the commitment of our clients, or rather supporting and helping them.
Many imagine outdoor linked only to the summer season, perhaps erroneously. In terms of seasonality, what is the period in which you manage the most projects?
Those who leave early, start between November and February. So they have the project ready in spring.
Those who come in May to have their exterior ready in June have to deal with a more limited time frame and with what companies are able to send us, in terms of products, in 2-3 weeks. Obviously we work to find the best opportunities, but for the most demanding projects we always suggest to anticipate the times. Custom choices, for example, need time to be made, because they have to be produced according to an order that I send. The truth is that Edenpark never sleeps, for us there is no real seasonality. We work all year round, even in winter we are at full capacity. This season we are working on contract structures and on those solutions that allow you to experience an outdoor space even in winter. And that’s where we make the difference, creating comfort even in the coldest months.
How do you manage products and orders?
We have a warehouse that we make available to our customers, whenever possible, to meet their needs. This allows us to have a large quantity of products ready for delivery, so as to reduce delays and optimize deliveries. Obviously our warehouse is a small part of all the products that we are able to supply to our customers.
Which companies are located in Edenpark?
As we are specialists in the sector and have different types of customers, we have many products, with a wide range of choices between brands (from entry level ones to those of unbridled luxury). If a customer wants a specific product from a company we have never worked with in the past or with which we do not have active commercial conditions, we contact the company, introduce ourselves and ask to sell that product.
What do you think of the outdoor market in relation to the production of some companies?
Today several brands are investing in outdoor collections. However, we always make a distinction between those who have invested in the outdoors only in recent years and companies that have wonderful products, designed by incredible designers, who have always dealt with the outdoors. That’s why we are able to suggest the best companies based on the purpose of the project. We always try to meet new companies that have very particular product categories, so as to have them in preview or exclusively on our competitors.
Article in collaboration with Edenpark Firenze
