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Working with a professional organizer should have two outcomes. First, by the end of the process, everything you need for your space should have a place. Second, the organization should improve your life meaningfully by making things easier to find and reducing stressful clutter. At Organizing Genies, we aim to achieve these two outcomes through earning and living up to the trust of our clients. We believe in a systematic approach to each project – one that is efficient and effective.
1. Phone Consultation
We begin our relationship with our clients by phone. This initial call is where we obtain critical information that will help us to define the project for a successful outcome. We conduct an interview to learn the basic details like the location of the home or business, the goal of the project and the budget. This allows us to give the client a sense of how long we will need to do the work. If the client wants us to, Organizing Genies offers to bring a variety of products to help build an orderly system, which we will charge only for the product used. We find that having a thorough conversation, asking meaningful questions and being transparent about our process helps to build trust with our clients. We conclude the consultation by setting a date and time to start the project.
2. On-Site Deep Dive
As thorough as we are in our phone consultations, we know that the first thing we need to do when we arrive at the client’s location is have a second conversation about the project. On site, we can assess the area to be organized to clarify and revise the phone plan based on what we find. As this is our first in-person meeting with the client, we make a point to review our approach to each project. Our job is to sort and facilitate, while we put complete control of the existing items at the discretion of the client. In other words, we assure our clients that no items will be kept, donated, or disposed of without their review and approval. At this point, we invite our client to relax and make themselves a cup of coffee while we get to work.
3. Category Clusters
We begin the actual organization by sorting like items into categories. For example, in a garage we might sort into categories such as gardening, auto, sports equipment and tools. Collecting and grouping related items helps the client to assess each category, noting duplicates or unused items. The physical separation of each category makes the process easier for the client.
4. Decision Time
With the client’s items separated into categories, we bring the client in to start making decisions. Each item is reviewed separately, and the client can decide whether to keep, donate or dispose. Together we look for broken or duplicate items to help with reducing quantities. As part of our service, we will take unwanted items with us at the end of our session for donation or disposal. If there is too much to take in our vehicle, we refer our client to the appropriate vendor for removal. With each item the client decides to retain, we ask how often it is used and by whom in the household. This phase of the process can be very challenging for the client. We help them to evaluate each item and encourage them to take as long as they need to feel comfortable about their decision.
5. A Place For Everything
Putting the retained items back into the space is our biggest challenge. We problem solve based on the number of items, types of categories, and amount of space. Our goal is to make sure that every item has a home. Based on our conversations with the client, we arrange items in a way that is logical and intuitive for the client. Items used more often will be front and center, ready for access. We take the user into account, placing items used by children in spaces they can easily reach. We use labels to help make items easier to find, and we encourage clients to use clear containers. If a client prefers to use another form of container, we can work with that client’s style of storage as well.
6. Fine Tuning
Once we have put items into the order that we think will best suit their needs, we review our work with the client to make adjustments based on their feedback. We don’t consider a job complete until the client is satisfied with the system we put in place.
As professional organizers, Organizing Genies has found that a systematic approach has the best results. Often, our work with a client will take a day or less, so it is vital that we establish trust with the client by being transparent about our process and placing the critical decisions in their hands. Do you want to get started on an organizing project? Contact us today to set up your phone consultation.
We were named a top decluttering and renovation expert by Redfin. Check out the article we were featured in: 26 Small Kitchen Organization Ideas to Simplify Your Home