By Pat Blank
Furniture Answers, National Training & Support Director

Instructors and students work side by side to perform various repairs.  After sufficient aptitude is demonstrated in various types of repairs, certification is granted.

Do you have certified repair technicians on staff to handle your repair needs?  More and more Rent to Own companies are finding it beneficial to invest the time and money to properly train staff for handling various types of repair needs. Furniture Answers offers its Repair Technician Certification program in response to this growing demand.

"Our program goes farther than just showing people how to fix things"  Says Pat Blank, Director of Training.  "We try to create a system, whereby there is a paradigm shift in the way people approach the whole idea of furniture repair, service, techniques and costs."

There are various levels of certification and/or course completion, depending upon an individual's course selection and investment. 

For many, the on-line streaming videos are enough to gain the skills needed to perform the repairs at hand.  Upon request, course completion certificates can be attained.  Certification is earned upon photograph verification of completed tasks and a technical exam.

Others prefer a more intensive hands-on approach to jump start their service/repair program. Instructors and students work side by side to perform various repairs.  After sufficient aptitude is demonstrated in various types of repairs, certification is granted. The on-line program can then be used to gain additional skills as new techniques are introduced.

Courses vary in cost and duration depending on a company's needs.  Training can be done at a store's location or at Furniture Answers' facility.

The benefits for RTO employees and companies are tremendous. Employees earn a new title and greater authority at work.  Their specialized skills tend to make them more valuable, and they enjoy more job satisfaction.

With the employee performing better and feeling better about being at work, the store gain greater employee retention.  There is a huge savings in service costs, a much more timely response to customers' needs, and furniture idle-time is reduced dramatically.

Skilled finishers of wood can use their talents in many different aspects within the wood finishing trade. One major area would be a furniture restoration specialist. This person is someone who can totally refinish or refurbish older furniture, considering the heritage and integrity of the furniture. This includes everything from repairing or replacing wooden parts to repairing or replacing the finish itself.

Another area of specialty is that of a commercial finishing technician. This uses today’s modern finishes and techniques on new furniture construction. Being able to create beautiful finishes and match new colors on furniture and millwork is of great value to today’s wood finishing industry.

Within both of these specialties lies another profession, a spot repair artist called a furniture service technician, who can creatively disguise those unavoidable small damages, such as nicks, dents and scratches. This technician can take care of damages that can be repaired at the production site, in the warehouse being prepared for delivery or at the site of location where the furniture has been delivered. Upholstery repair and vinyl repairs are also taught to accommodate other repairs needed to be a furniture service technician or a furniture restoration specialist.

Skilled furniture restorers will work for or start their own furniture refinishing shops. They may also specialize in the restoration of antique furniture, clocks, radios and other items. Commercial finishing technicians will find employment with any furniture manufacturer. Their responsibilities include color matching, surface preparation, color application, sealing, top-coating and rubbing out the finish. A furniture service technician can work independently with the general public, furniture stores, furniture manufacturers or setting up contract maintenance agreements with business offices. Furniture service technicians can also work in-house for a furniture store using their skills repairing nicks, dents, and scratches on furniture before it is sold.

Certified Repair Technicians! Another economical way to go!

To learn how to do simple repairs on upholstery items and wood case good furniture, visit Furniture Answers website - www.furnitureanswers.com. All the tools and supplies your company needs in a simple to use shopping cart and On-line Video Library.