iStock.com/artvea and bgblue
40 years of kbbreview
Trevor Scott CEO, RFK Studio
How has the process of kitchen design changed? Is it easier now? Prior to CAD’s arrival, many of us worked on full size architects’ drawing tables. This was hugely time consuming and, of course, designs couldn’t be easily altered once done! Although I do think consumers really appreciate it when they see hand drawn plans, the ability to now render wonderful designs in a whole variety of finishes, showing clients many options almost instantly, is a fantastic sales tool. However, being able to measure and survey a kitchen accurately and transfer those measurements correctly onto the system is still a vital skill.
Showroom manager, Plumbits Stafford Julie James
How did you enter the industry, and what was your role? My first job was at Leisure, the sink manufacturers, in 1983 where I was as an office junior in the sales office. Bathroom ‘design’ wasn’t really a thing, and new projects were more about replacing a bathroom, like for like.
How have products changed since that time? There is so much more choice now. So many different colours for furniture, and so many styles of baths – from freestanding in acrylic to stone baths, not to mention the bespoke colours available. Back in the day it was just chrome plated taps or lustron gold, but now it’s chrome, brushed gold, brushed brass, black, copper and more. I think it was definitely simpler but not half as much fun. Now I feel like we are interior designers rather than a ‘Bathroom Sales Person’. Although you do have a lot more products to remember, the customer is more blown away with what they can have.
How about customer expectations? Do you think they’re still shopping in the same way? I think that the initial consultation takes a lot longer now, because customers have come to expect so much more. They expect design and a full CAD drawing. With the internet, I feel sometimes like the showrooms are used for the design and get product knowledge and to see the product, but then the customer goes online to order if they think it’s cheaper. However I think by selling products exclusive to showrooms, suppliers can help avoid this.
How has the customer experience evolved now from where it was? Weirdly, I don’t think the customer experience has actually changed that much. At the entry level of the market there were still sheds such as Texas and retail giants like MFI. But consistently, the independent studio has held a firm grip on the mid to mid-upper market. What has changed since the rise of the internet is the way consumers pre-research the market in advance, meaning that by the time they do walk through our door, it’s not by chance. It also means there is nowhere to hide as one bad review online can destroy a reputation that has taken years to grow.
In your opinion, what’s one of the best ways the industry has changed in your time? Although kitchen styles themselves are transitory, product quality has consistently improved over the years. On the day-to-day operational side, computers and CRM systems have made managing projects so much easier than when we would quote by hand on an A4 pad with file after file of suppliers’ price lists on a shelf. Despite having a computerised job diary, we still use a good old fashioned year planner with coloured pens to see at a glance where we are. Some things will never change!
kbbr
Listen to the full discussion with Mark
Pearson, Tina Riley and Phil Beechinor on an upcoming episode of The kbbreview Podcast
56
kbbreview
September 2024
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
