Just about everyone says they shine at customer service. At Blue Rock Stone Center, based in Westbrook, Maine, they’ve had decades to fine-tune the way they relate to their customers. And you know what? It’s working.
Although established in 1920 as a paving company, Blue Rock is now all about countertops – mostly. Sure, you can get a gorgeous granite, marble, soapstone or quartz countertop with all the trimmings from one of the company’s three locations in Maine – but there’s more, lot’s more. How about a stone fire-pit for the backyard? A stone planter, or a birdbath?
Okay, maybe that’s not so much of a stretch for the typical granite countertop company. So, how about a rock lamp, a stone bonsai sculpture or any of a number of custom items utilizing rock? In fact, the company is open to creating just about anything you can imagine.
“We are always looking to expand our product offering and enter new markets,” says Ryan Smith, estimator and account manager at Blue Rock. “We do anything that is interesting, unique and profitable.”
According to Smith, the custom-made approach stems from Blue Rock’s over-the-top culture of doing what it takes to create the ultimate countertop experience. “We are known for our customer service and attention to detail,” he says. “We involve the customer in every aspect of the job and we listen to what they have to say. If there are problems we get back to the client right away. Our brand is very strong because of our focus on the customer.”
Not surprisingly, Blue Rock’s emphasis on people extends to its own employees. The company employs about 40 people full-time, not counting seasonal summer help. Smith says it is common for an employee to go to work for Blue Rock right out of high school and stay with the company for their entire career. “The average employee has been with the company for 10+ years,” he says. “Our guys are second to none. They go out of their way to do right by us. It’s a big family.”
The recent recession had its impact on Blue Rock Stone Center, but they managed to weather the storm and come out on the other side looking pretty good. Smith says the first few months of 2012 have been the best he can remember, and the future is looking bright.
Smith credits Moraware JobTracker with making a huge impact on the way Blue Rock employees interact with its customers. “Moraware is absolutely amazing,” he says. “We are able to organize things quicker and better than ever before. And we are not even using it to its full potential.”
Blue Rock Stone Center installs the equivalent of about 30 kitchens per week. The company has a CNC for custom edges and sink cutouts, but most of the edge polishing is done by hand. “There is no substitute for the human touch,” Smith says.
Want to know more? At Moraware, we make software for countertop fabricators. CounterGo lets you draw, estimate, and layout countertops in just minutes. JobTracker is scheduling software that helps you eliminate the time you waste looking for job folders. RemnantSwap is a free place to buy and sell stone remnants with fabricators near you.
