How to WOW! World-Class Operation & World-Class Service.

“AUS (now Smarter Furnishings) is definitely a contractor that “gets it”- who truly understands the meaning of partnering. From day one, they worked with us to ensure our project was a success. Without this level of commitment, we would not have met our goal.”

– Michael Turturro, Project Manager, Corvias

We get it. That’s how.  

And, that’s how we became Smarter Furnishings. 

AUS, founded by Johnny Tipton in 1992, has built a reputation as a furnishings supplier in the student housing market who gets it. After almost thirty years of delivering a world-class customer experience every time, that’s what our customers get from us. 

We took time in 2020 to evaluate how well our branding reflected the messaging that our great customers tell us about the quality of service we furnish them and their constituents. Out of a thorough review of customer feedback about our track record and our brand promise, a new name emerged – Smarter Furnishings. Our new name merited a logo which incorporates a new image – a stylized owl mascot that best reflects our messaging and mission, that we are simply the smarter choice.  

Since 1992, the customer experience we provide puts their goals, their challenges, their priorities first – because we get it. As our Senior Project Manager Carson Vines explains, order execution is vital to our customers. “The student housing industry runs on tight deadlines and high expectations from the end user. We have to be on time with product in place. Otherwise, we put our customers in a bad position.” At any point in the process, Carson adds, a late delivery, a miscommunication, or a damaged piece of furniture, has the potential to severely damage our customer’s reputation in the market.   

What does this mean to our team? Carson defines customer care as “building better partnerships by holding everyone on our team to a higher internal standard. We execute every task in such a way that adds no stress to the project as a whole. We believe in showing our customers that our team cares even more about their project then they do, and we view their project as unique and specific in all of its particular requirements.”

“We have enjoyed a long relationship with the staff of AUS (now Smarter Furnishings) beginning with John Tipton and continuing today with Brian and Dean. Their staff makes the difference to us – they go the extra mile to offer options and to assist us in providing a high quality of living for our students.”

– Herbert Reeves, Dean of Student Services, Troy University

Carson further explains, “Our customer should be able to observe the way we go about our work and be immediately struck by our commitment to excellence and our passion for doing things to the very best of our ability. Hopefully, that gives them the confidence to trust us with their business. We want them to see that by continually meeting our own higher internal standards, we can exceed their expectations. We bring a different mentality to the table on installing our customer’s furniture.” 

“Our operating premise focuses on meeting the customer’s goal to deliver a superior housing experience for their students,” Carson adds. “The turmoil of construction, renovation, turn season, and other factors often means that the tight deadlines we face can come down to the last few hours before students arrive with their families. We have been a part of countless situations where our customer looked to our install team for help during a construction delay, for example, to do whatever it took to put them back in a position to succeed.”

And, in almost thirty years, since our founding, we have never missed an installation deadline for move-in. 

“Brian and Dean are always just a phone call away if we ever need any assistance. The service is great and the delivery crews are amazing. We love the quality of the furniture, but the professional service is what makes AUS (now Smarter Furnishings) so exceptional.“

– John Denson, Director of Housing and Residence Life, University of Montevallo

Now, how can we WOW you?  

Let’s meet! We can livestream demonstrations from our showroom or schedule in person presentations at your convenience. Call Jennifer at 205.621.2502 or contact us online.