What Dealers Want

Few will argue that in a challenging economy, customer service becomes more critical than ever. Kitchen and bath dealers and designers are well versed in this credo, and many have taken their customer service practices to new heights in the past year in order to stay competitive.

But when the tables are turned and they’re the customers, are they getting that same high level of service? And what are the most critical services that kitchen and bath dealers and designers want and need from their suppliers?

These were some of the key questions posed by a recent survey that looked at supplier services in the kitchen and bath industry, as well as dealers’ and designers’ future plans and overall business outlook for the next 12 months (see related Editorial). The results of this exclusive survey, conducted by the Charlotte, NC-based Research Institute for Cooking & Kitchen Intelligence (RICKI) for Kitchen & Bath Design News, were presented at KBDN’s inaugural Kitchen & Bath Industry Leaders Conference, held in Chicago in late September (see Industry Barometer).

The survey, which polled more than 300 kitchen and bath dealers and designers from across the country and Canada, looked at how dealers and designers rate supplier services, products and features they are most likely to add or change over the next 12 months, how dealers/designers view their relationship with manufacturers and what products and features they see as most needed right now.

Topping the Want List

Because different economic climates evoke different needs, respondents were first asked about what supplier characteristics they view as most critical right now. Interestingly, while price was high on the list, the number one answer was prompt, reliable and complete delivery. This was cited by a whopping 98% of those polled, proving that there’s no substitute for getting the order right and on time (see Graph 1).

Next on the list were fast response to inquiries (96%) and consistent and competitive pricing (96%), followed by consistent availability of product (94%) and supplier rep knowledge/helpfulness (86%). Also high on designers’ and dealers’ wish lists were product warranties (85%), comprehensive sales literature and product info (85%) and a helpful Website (81%).

Of somewhat lesser importance to those polled were product, sales or business management training (65%), purchasing incentives (63%), exclusive product representation (57%) and marketing/advertising assistance (57%).

Respondents were also asked to rate supplier services now as compared to three years ago. Although a slow economy usually creates more pressure to upgrade customer service, this appears not to be the case, with half of those polled rating the quality of service as about the same now as it was three years ago. Another 26% rated it as worse now than three years ago, and only 22% saw it as better now (see Graph 2).

Perhaps more disturbing was the fact that the majority of those polled (56%) believe manufacturers do not see themselves as partners who are genuinely concerned about dealers’ and designers’ business success, but rather are just interested in selling them products.

But while survey respondents feel there’s definitely room for improvement, neither is the news all bad; in fact, those polled reported that an average of 71% of their suppliers provide “very good” or “excellent” service and support, with dealers giving slightly higher ratings than independent designers (72% vs. 68%). Additionally, 59% rated their supplier rep knowledge and helpfulness as “very good” or “excellent,” and 57% gave “very good” or “excellent” scores to their suppliers for prompt, reliable and complete delivery and fast responses to inquiries.