Continental Office has applied this concept to its own offices by creating studio spaces in Columbus, Pittsburgh and Toledo. Along with the small percentage of permanent employees at those locations, other staff can work there as needed. The company also partners with Hopewell Works, a membership-based work environment that helps it study how people use space.
After spending the first 17 years of his career working at different offices, client sites and even hotels, Sharfin has been open to letting employees work in different spaces.
“I was used to working that way,” he says. “I think for a lot of CEOs, maybe it’s a tougher leap, but wasn’t as difficult for me. Getting to realize that it’s OK to allow our associates to work, in some cases, in multiple locations throughout the day, that was maybe a slightly bigger leap. But I’m totally on board.”
Experience matters
In a shifting environment, Continental Office needs to continue to be relevant, providing a great customer experience.
“It’s not about how many chairs we can sell someone,” Sharfin says. “It’s about providing value. If they trust us and they’re getting ideas and insights, I’m confident that the orders and the volume will flow as a result.”
The company utilizes its studios for this, as well, providing a space where customers can use virtual reality to see a design. Sharfin sees the spaces as labs that can be easily changed to demonstrate new ideas. It also has a web-based portal where customers can dig into and view all of the details about their projects.
Providing a positive experience isn’t just for clients, however; it applies to employees, as well.
Sharfin says the company always asks clients about their pain points and how the staff can help them develop solutions. He expects the company’s leaders to do the same for Continental Office’s employees.
That can lead improvements and changes, he says. And if things aren’t working, you can’t dig in and say, “It’ll work,” or “We know what’s best.”
“I’ve learned from some of the mistakes I’ve made, in terms of not involving our associates or communicating the right way,” he says. “It hurt us. It led to a subpar result or an implementation that didn’t go as smoothly.”
Listen to your people and take the time to really understand what tools they need to succeed and what would help them be more productive and engaged, Sharfin says.
“It’s not just sending memos out or giving people updates,” he says. “It’s showing them how their efforts are having a real impact, whether it’s with clients or in the community.”
Learn and adapt
With a background as a strategy consultant, Sharfin worked with global companies that used change management, process and focusing on the right things to create a huge impact. He brought that experience to bear when he bought Continental Office in 2005.
He knew the company needed to be more dynamic than just selling furniture and flooring. Beyond growing the flooring business substantially and moving into prefabricated interior construction, he helped add services including managing the inventory for large corporations’ work environments and experiential design.
While much of the growth has been organic, Sharfin has made four acquisitions. For example, last year, with its clients moving away from carpet toward stained and polished concrete, Continental Office bought a concrete business.
“It would have taken us maybe five years longer to do it organically,” he says. “We instead acquired a business, and that’s off and running.”
