We were exasperated yesterday when a lady walked into our kitchen studio and proclaimed to us that she was having a white gloss kitchen fitted at the moment and could we advise her on sinks, whether or not to have worktop upstands and what colour tiles she should buy.
We both stood there dumbfounded, I asked which company was doing her kitchen she replied (make your house a home) I am sure you know who this is. I went on to ask why she had not gone through these details with H******E, she said nobody had asked.
This infuriates me, she thinks she has made a saving by bagging what she thinks is a bargain from a DIY company, far from it she will end up with something she does not like and will eventually cost more money and her sanity. As the saying goes "You get what you pay for"
Friday 10 December 2010
Saturday 4 December 2010
A lesson in customer service
The thing I hate above all thing's (apart from the criminal justice system) is poor customer service and reliability.
There is a certain bakery company in the north that begins with the letter S they sell sandwiches, cakes, bread and in the mornings breakfast items I.E toast, bacon barms etc... I used spend approx £6 pounds per day on lunches & the odd brekkie, we work six days a week which equates to approx £1800 pounds PA taking the odd bank holiday out of the equation. I no longer buy from this company even though the food is nice and the prices are fair. Here lies the lesson in customer service.
One Saturday I was rushed off my feet in work, around 1.30pm I got five mins to have a coffee I quite liked the sound of a nice piece of thick hot buttered toast to go with it as I had not eaten yet today, so I take myself off to this shop and asked the assistant for a couple of slices of toast, before she could reply, the Manageress piped up in a very snotty tone of voice, "Its 1.30 we don't serve breakfast after 11" I replied to the assistant who was dumbstruck "I know that but the bread and butter is still out so I thought on the off chance you could", the Manageress then replied "it's company policy not to serve breakfast items after 11" and she disappeared into the back.
If when I first asked she had said something like I'm not supposed to but I will on this occasion or said I really can't in case the area manger finds out then I would have accepted this and bought a ham baguette, so it wasn't that she would not sell me toast it was the way she said it. I have not gone back since (9 months ago)
and I wont be going back, I bought a toaster and put it in the staff kitchen.
The lesson is speak to customers like you would like to be spoken too.
There is a certain bakery company in the north that begins with the letter S they sell sandwiches, cakes, bread and in the mornings breakfast items I.E toast, bacon barms etc... I used spend approx £6 pounds per day on lunches & the odd brekkie, we work six days a week which equates to approx £1800 pounds PA taking the odd bank holiday out of the equation. I no longer buy from this company even though the food is nice and the prices are fair. Here lies the lesson in customer service.
One Saturday I was rushed off my feet in work, around 1.30pm I got five mins to have a coffee I quite liked the sound of a nice piece of thick hot buttered toast to go with it as I had not eaten yet today, so I take myself off to this shop and asked the assistant for a couple of slices of toast, before she could reply, the Manageress piped up in a very snotty tone of voice, "Its 1.30 we don't serve breakfast after 11" I replied to the assistant who was dumbstruck "I know that but the bread and butter is still out so I thought on the off chance you could", the Manageress then replied "it's company policy not to serve breakfast items after 11" and she disappeared into the back.
If when I first asked she had said something like I'm not supposed to but I will on this occasion or said I really can't in case the area manger finds out then I would have accepted this and bought a ham baguette, so it wasn't that she would not sell me toast it was the way she said it. I have not gone back since (9 months ago)
and I wont be going back, I bought a toaster and put it in the staff kitchen.
The lesson is speak to customers like you would like to be spoken too.
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Help is at hand
I have just read an article by David Newton in a very reputable kitchen industry magazine entitled "Help is at hand".
The article is about the initial customer approach by the salesperson on how to do it and. I feel it is mostly correct as I was always taught never to open with a closed question I.E "Can I help you"
But I think you cannot be so generic in the approach to prospective customers, a lot of people find what works for them and they stick to it, it also depends on who you are working for, if it is a larger company where there is a lot of salespeople / designers then they have to get in first with the approach. It also depends on the size of the showroom area, I have a 1000sq foot studio, when people come in I look or stand up say good morning or afternoon and tell them to feel free to look around and open doors and drawers & if they would like to ask anything please do. It works for me, I have made eye contact, I have broken the conversational ice and invited them to look around, by telling them my name at this point is to "car sales" approach for me but giving your name in a multi person sales environment would work.
When I worked for one of the sheds I had to go on the obligatory induction course based in the north of England. There were about twenty or so people,there, the course trainer went around the room asking us to say who we were and what experience we had in the industry, when it came to my turn I told him my name and how long I had been in kitchens and I added at the end that even after twenty years I did not know everything and there is always something to learn, this is were David Newtons article gives somebody information they might not have thought about, by the way on day two of the course the trainer lost his voice and asked me to take it for him I was chuffed to bits, I eventually created an in store training manual for new sales advisors for the company prior to them going on the course, so at least they had a little knowledge before hand.
Another little story about an obligatory course with another shed was at RMA in Stourport, the poor girl was in a showroom simulation about the approach she asked the pretend customer "can I help you" he replied "no" and walked off, she burst into tears and had to go home the next day.
You have to recognise the type of customer and reckon on what they might be coming in for, you can instinctively tell if they need help. We have often been praised and thanked by prospects and customers that they felt no pressure when coming in to look around and during the whole design / sales process
So Davids initial "Can I help you" is true to certain extent.
The article is about the initial customer approach by the salesperson on how to do it and. I feel it is mostly correct as I was always taught never to open with a closed question I.E "Can I help you"
But I think you cannot be so generic in the approach to prospective customers, a lot of people find what works for them and they stick to it, it also depends on who you are working for, if it is a larger company where there is a lot of salespeople / designers then they have to get in first with the approach. It also depends on the size of the showroom area, I have a 1000sq foot studio, when people come in I look or stand up say good morning or afternoon and tell them to feel free to look around and open doors and drawers & if they would like to ask anything please do. It works for me, I have made eye contact, I have broken the conversational ice and invited them to look around, by telling them my name at this point is to "car sales" approach for me but giving your name in a multi person sales environment would work.
When I worked for one of the sheds I had to go on the obligatory induction course based in the north of England. There were about twenty or so people,there, the course trainer went around the room asking us to say who we were and what experience we had in the industry, when it came to my turn I told him my name and how long I had been in kitchens and I added at the end that even after twenty years I did not know everything and there is always something to learn, this is were David Newtons article gives somebody information they might not have thought about, by the way on day two of the course the trainer lost his voice and asked me to take it for him I was chuffed to bits, I eventually created an in store training manual for new sales advisors for the company prior to them going on the course, so at least they had a little knowledge before hand.
Another little story about an obligatory course with another shed was at RMA in Stourport, the poor girl was in a showroom simulation about the approach she asked the pretend customer "can I help you" he replied "no" and walked off, she burst into tears and had to go home the next day.
You have to recognise the type of customer and reckon on what they might be coming in for, you can instinctively tell if they need help. We have often been praised and thanked by prospects and customers that they felt no pressure when coming in to look around and during the whole design / sales process
So Davids initial "Can I help you" is true to certain extent.
"THE" kitchen industry body
A one for all kitchen industry body in my opinion will not work.
Why?
Well it is not in the interest of the major players and multiples to want to be involved because they work by their own set of rules so if it does not benefit them in any way then they won't do it and as a collective group and buying power they are bigger and have more say in what goes on than independents or smaller group kitchen companies.
Some of the multiples have taken up the "Government" endorsed Trustmark scheme, I myself would not want to associate my company with this mark, if people think that by seeing the Trustmark logo ensures them of guaranteed service & quality then they would be mistaken, this is in no detriment to Trustmark themselves they I am sure endeavour to provide the services they offer to the best of their ability but as I said earlier the multiples "run by their own set of rules", they use the Trustmark logo so people think they are good reliable and responsible retailers well if they looked into these companies more before making their purchases they would see how many problems customers have.
Just to clear something up with "I would not want to associate my company with the Trustmark logo"
does not mean I do not have faith in them it is a fact that I do not have faith in the major players to carry and use the Trustmark ethos to it's full and proper use thus I would be tarring myself with the same brush as the multiples.
I would probably have liked to see Trustmark being the industry standard for independents and smaller group kitchen companies, this would have given greater credibility to them.
We all know that the KBSA has had some issues with voting in members and the voting process itself having problems with not many turning up to it's AGM so this shows the lack of respect the kitchen industry has for an already established body.
What would be the criteria for an industry body? would we all have to take degrees in something? Would we all have to have gain some professional qualification if so how would we find the time and money to get them.
The only possible thing that might have credence is a KBB ombudsman set up by the government.
Why?
Well it is not in the interest of the major players and multiples to want to be involved because they work by their own set of rules so if it does not benefit them in any way then they won't do it and as a collective group and buying power they are bigger and have more say in what goes on than independents or smaller group kitchen companies.
Some of the multiples have taken up the "Government" endorsed Trustmark scheme, I myself would not want to associate my company with this mark, if people think that by seeing the Trustmark logo ensures them of guaranteed service & quality then they would be mistaken, this is in no detriment to Trustmark themselves they I am sure endeavour to provide the services they offer to the best of their ability but as I said earlier the multiples "run by their own set of rules", they use the Trustmark logo so people think they are good reliable and responsible retailers well if they looked into these companies more before making their purchases they would see how many problems customers have.
Just to clear something up with "I would not want to associate my company with the Trustmark logo"
does not mean I do not have faith in them it is a fact that I do not have faith in the major players to carry and use the Trustmark ethos to it's full and proper use thus I would be tarring myself with the same brush as the multiples.
I would probably have liked to see Trustmark being the industry standard for independents and smaller group kitchen companies, this would have given greater credibility to them.
We all know that the KBSA has had some issues with voting in members and the voting process itself having problems with not many turning up to it's AGM so this shows the lack of respect the kitchen industry has for an already established body.
What would be the criteria for an industry body? would we all have to take degrees in something? Would we all have to have gain some professional qualification if so how would we find the time and money to get them.
The only possible thing that might have credence is a KBB ombudsman set up by the government.
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