With 2006 behind us let’s take a look and see if anything relative to claims, complaints, customer service, installation or profitability significantly impacted your business.
Claims and complaints seemed to remain constant with the two biggest categories we heard about being side match shade variation and buckles and wrinkles. This isn’t any different than it’s been in the past. As long as more and more product is dyed using the continuous dye process the color shade of carpet is going to be an issue. In each run the color can vary from side to side and end to end, within the roll you receive. The best advice to follow, which has been suggested in the past, is to take the fill pieces from the section of carpet cut for the main drops and not wait until the end. Also find out who is the best at feather dyeing in your area and make fast friends with them.
We have also found that the some of the mills are getting a little more difficult in handling claims. To combat this you better make sure you have all your information in order, that you did not mess up and that the claim you are filing is indeed legitimate. The claim for fuzzing was particularly difficult to deal with this year. As for buckles and wrinkles, you have to make sure you acclimate the carpet, power stretch it, don’t use a pad that is too thick and place the tackstrip correctly. The other technological advancement that I just wrote about that will solve this problem for good and several others is the new Free Lay backing system. To learn more about this see the last column I wrote.
Customer service seems to be a bigger and bigger issue because customers in all businesses are getting less of it. Customer service is not two words but a philosophy. It can make or break a business. The best way to give good customer service is to make sure you take care of getting the right carpet or flooring material in the right place. If you don’t create a potential problem to begin with you won’t have to worry about having one later on. To combat competition be better at this.
Installation is still an issue and I have found that very few retailers are doing anything to really make a difference. The first step is to make the installer part of the team, and before that you have to have a team. Include them in the business. Get their opinion on installing various products. Have meetings specifically for them and find out about the latest technological advances in their trade you can discuss. If you care about them, they’ll care about you. Bring suppliers in to talk to them at meetings from list of your vendors. Learn more about their trials and tribulations. Sure it’s more for you to do but it is a way to inexpensively prevent installation problems. When you ultimately have one it is actually your fault for not having done something about it.
Speaking of technology your customers are going on line in droves to learn more about the products you sell than you know. You had better catch up with them so they don’t think you’re an idiot when they come into your store. This is one area that has changed in the last year and will continue to change. It is an area that demands your attention. You can’t ignore this. Every year, heck daily, people rely on the internet for more information – some of it good, some of it not so, but they are using it and you must too. This is the future of your business.
My last comment is the continued paranoia of the “Big Box Stores.” My personal opinion is that this is severely overblown. Have you been to these places to see what they have and how it is staffed? They have fewer products, poorly shown and hardly anyone to wait on you. If you have time to get completely aggravated this is the place to go. If you want real service with great selection then you must go to a specialty flooring store. The only reason they are getting business is because they advertise and have incentives to buy.
Have a wonderful new year.
Author: Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts