Signature Kitchens and Baths Magazine
Seven
Selection Criteria to Help You Identify Firms with the Greatest Customer
Value
by Kenneth W. Peterson, CKD
copyright © 2002
This article is protected by copyright law and may not reproduced
without written consent from its author.
So you need a new kitchen? Friends have already warned you that they
can cost a small fortune. Where do you start looking when there are so
many different sources available? Home Centers, local cabinet shops,
national design center chains, cabinet distributors, or kitchen dealers?
More importantly, when kitchens are so complicated to design and involve
many different product decisions, how can you accurately determine which
firm represents the best value? After all, kitchens are not like cars
that come completely assembled where you can choose and test drive the
one you want right off the dealer's lot. Rather, kitchens comprise more
of an "erector set" model, composed of hundreds of pieces where the
right advice and fit will determine whether you will be happy with the
end result…but only after you have spent tens of thousands of dollars!
To determine the best customer value from each kitchen source, here are the criteria – The
Magnificent Seven – to help you evaluate each firm. Use a scale of 0-10, with 10 representing the greatest value.
 1. Appearance of Showroom or Studio
Here, customers will gain a sense of a firm's products, quality standards, and design capabilities. For example, how uniquely configured are the kitchen displays? How broad a range of styles are
shown? How well are the various surface materials integrated for a pleasing appearance? High marks here tell how much about the firm's design talents.
Are the displays complete with cabinets, sinks, appliances,
lighting, flooring, and wall coverings? Or do they represent more of a cabinet ensemble? Unless all of the elements that go into a kitchen are taken into consideration by a single source, rarely
will a customer achieve full value from his/her investment.
What about the "fit and finish" of the display installation? Are
the mitre cuts on the various moldings tight? Are the fillers neatly scribed to fit the contours of adjoining walls? Or is there
evidence of white seam fill or other caulking used to hide poorly installed materials? The most expensive set of cabinetry that is inexpertly installed not only depreciates the entire kitchen
investment, but can become a constant source of embarrassment
Finally, how tidy and clean is the showroom/studio? Are the samples strewn around to
distract
your attention? A company that takes pride in its display environment will likely exhibit the same care and attention to detail throughout the course of your project's design. 2. An Educational Approach
Beware of firms that start pitching a particular
brand of product before they have even listened to
your needs, wants, and questions! Their best chance
at getting your business may be convincing you of
the marvelous benefits of a specific product line –
for which they have an exclusive in the area!
Companies, on the other hand, that put your needs
first will ultimately offer the greatest intrinsic
value. They recognize that customers need objective
information to make intelligent decisions for
themselves. They serve as facilitators to help you
weigh the pros and cons of virtually every product,
design concept, design detail, and service that goes
into a kitchen project, enabling their
showrooms/studios to serve as your education center.
Evidence of this educational approach that empowers
you to make the right choices can be found in any of the following items:
-
A prominent Information Center or Resource Library
filled with booklets, articles, magazines, books,
and videos that are made available for your use.
-
A variety of Informational Booklets on topics such
as Buying a New Kitchen, Buying New Cabinetry,
Buying New Appliances, How to Relax During
Remodeling, etc.
-
A "storyboard" or a three ring binder detailing with
forms, sketches, and photos the major steps in the
kitchen design & installation process.
-
A Cabinet Comparison Wall composed of a series of
wall and base cabinets, so you can inspect the
construction and cost difference among cabinet
quality grades.
-
The publication of a kitchen project in a magazine
which recounts the story of a design solution for
one set of customer problems and/or challenges.
-
The conducting of a Consumer Seminar on various
subjects throughout the year.
3. Selection of Quality Products at Special Values
These benefits provide customers with an opportunity to touch, feel, and buy the best-valued product in a specific quality grade. For example, there are as many as (6) cabinet quality grades
ranging from Ready–To–Assemble (RTA) to Luxury. Until recent years, customers had no choice but to go to national home center chains to buy cabinetry at lower prices. Today,
independent kitchen design firms can offer customers a wide range of products (including furniture and luxury grade lines) at special values by belonging to national buying groups with equivalent purchasing power.
4. Highly Trained Personnel
Staff expertise is perhaps the single, most important factor in helping you achieve the greatest value from your kitchen investment since kitchen products are only as good as the
people who work with them. Look for designers that have been with the same firm for a few years and have credentials to prove their expertise – including formal training, certifications, awards, and/or
magazine publications. Look for installers who have been consistently associated with the same firm and who also have proof of their expertise – including vocational training, certificates
of apprenticeship, certification, and customer testimonials.
Additionally, look for designers and installers associated with the
same firm who are committed to continuing education. You want people on your project to have received the latest training in product knowledge, appliance technologies, design techniques,
state-of-the-art client services, and business practices. They should have earned training certificates from educational programs attended within the last 12 months.
Generally speaking, you will find the most qualified personnel at
independent kitchen design firms. National home center and design center chains are notorious for high personnel turnover, which poses a serious risk when a kitchen can take 3-6 months
from needs analysis to completion. The level of intimacy and multitude of detail involved in designing new kitchens require the same people to be involved from beginning to end. And, what a
comfort it is to be able to contact the same designer a couple of years later for some service work or a bathroom renovation project!
5. Documentation
Important project documents include: (a) Floorplan & Elevations (or Perspectives), (b) Specifications of products and services, and (c) an Agreement detailing terms and conditions. The
completeness and accuracy of these documents when ordering your project reduces your risk of error, oversight, misunderstanding, and extra
unforeseen costs.
 6. Specialized Services
Here, again, independent kitchen design firms shine above the rest. The attention to detail that
their specialized
services deliver during the creative design development, ordering process, project management, and installation prevents mistakes,
oversights, and unnecessary delays. The net result is greater customer satisfaction during the development phase and greater enjoyment of the finished project. You,
therefore, want a firm that can
furnish evidence of most of the following specialized services:
- A thorough Needs Analysis in your home which includes questions about your design goals, recording of pertinent information, and thorough
measurement-taking.
- An
interactive Budgeting System that, upon the drafting
of a rough layout, will generate within 20 minutes
time a cost range for your project accurate to
5-10%.
- A
routine Schedule of Cost Options to furnish you with
considerable flexibility to put together the final
details of the project the way you want it.
- A
thorough Technical Check of your plans and
specifications prior to ordering by a staff person
trained to pick up small errors and oversights that
may otherwise become troublesome only after the
installation has begun.
- Written Notifications after the sale to remind you
of lingering selections to be made, confirm Change
Orders, and project the date for your Job Start.
- The mailing of a complimentary "Tips Booklet" to
prepare and guide you through the confusion and
potential hurdles of the remodeling process.
- A
Pre-Job Conference where the staff reviews the
details and the scheduling of your project.
- The Protection of Your Possessions and adjoining
spaces with plastic coverings and rug runners at the
commencement of the job.
- The "Punchlist" Meeting with you and the installer where all of the loose ends are tied together
working toward job completion.
- The mailing of a Job Performance Evaluation where
the company solicits your assessment of their work
and recommendations for improvement.
7. Business Integrity
The ultimate purpose of a project is
that the firm actually does what they say will be done. It will also give you enormous peace of mind to know the firm you have selected will do the right thing under any circumstance
that may develop during the design process. So look for a firm with
a good solid reputation, an appealing warranty, and written endorsements from clients that validate their integrity. These are the qualities you
won't want to be without once your kitchen is underway!
In conclusion, low price does not mean the best customer value when it comes to a kitchen remodel
or redesign. Any firm which ranks high cumulatively in these seven areas may cost a little more at the contract stage, but the highest scoring firm will represent a much better value
during the life of your kitchen. Any extra investment will pay you daily dividends in family enjoyment, peace of mind, and pride of ownership.
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