How KCA Harnesses Technology to Improve Customer Service
There’s one thing that can make or break a business, and that’s customer service. Even the highest quality, most unique products can only withstand poor customer service for so long before the poor service reputation of the company outweighs the benefits of the product. But delivering customer service isn’t as easy as it may first appear and in no instances is this truer than with service-based businesses. These companies often rely heavily on people to deliver services to clients and whilst strong recruitment can bring onboard great, talented people this alone will not achieve great service, particularly on a larger scale.
In this article, we explore the challenges that service-led businesses face in relation to delivering consistent service. We sit down with three of the leaders behind the KCA brand to gain their insights into the role that technology plays in improving customer service and learn how KCA has harnessed processes and technology to achieve an astonishing Net Promoter service score of +87 from their clients, surpassing the score of companies such as John Lewis who have a score of +68.
Adrian Wing, Director and Co-Founder of KCA, explains that he was greatly influenced by his years working as a chef before becoming a kitchen designer. “I appreciated the importance of a reliable system and teamwork to ensure each meal was delivered with great service and quality, so it was natural for me to start KCA with a focus on systems and process. We initially adopted the paper-based systems of the era before moving on to software such as spreadsheets. However, as KCA grew we needed a new system. With no solutions on the market that delivered the specific function that KCA needed, in 1999 I partnered with a software developer to create a solution that would help us provide one of the highest service levels in the industry. 2 years later, we launched this software to the market under the name ‘Smart’ and it is now used by hundreds of kitchen companies within the industry. Having a software house as a sister company has been one of the main contributions to our success and our ability to provide consistently high standards of service and quality.”
“Some people see personal service and process as contradictory, and it’s a common opinion that processes remove the personal touch from service,” says Adrian Wing, Founder and Director of KCA. “However, we believe that reliable systems and processes, paired with great technology, actually improve the personal service that clients receive. By reducing administration and providing an easy-to-follow framework, systems and technology help our talented people to flourish by giving them the time to do what they do best and look after our clients.”
Adrian Wing, Director & Founder of KCA
KCA’s Commercial Director, Jamie Harding, describes the role technology plays in delivering an enjoyable customer experience; “We see ourselves as caretakers of our client’s projects. Our clients trust in us with their investment to deliver the kitchens and bedrooms of their dreams and we take that responsibility very seriously. We believe in leaving nothing to chance and our technology helps us to ensure that our clients receive the kitchen they chose, on time and within their original agreed budget. Our integrated software provides a holistic view of a project journey from initial brief through to the installation and sign-off of the kitchen, while our processes and checklists help our team to carry out tasks accurately every time, improving the accuracy of internal checks, reducing errors and delays.”
KCA’s Operations Director, Mark Schmid, has another perspective on how technology can improve customer service. “Timely responses and actions are essential, particularly in response to issues. It’s crucial to have reporting systems in place that are both accurate and efficient to ensure that all queries are handled in a timely manner with little interruption to the client. We pride ourselves on sharing this information with our clients automatically, so they are kept up to date on every detail of the project in real-time. Data analysis also enables us to identify trends ahead of time for all manner of aspects, from fitting performance down to supplier reliability. We use this insight to pro-actively make decisions that will ultimately deliver a smoother, more streamlined experience for our clients. Our schedule changes almost daily to suit the needs of each project and client from large scale contracts for developers, to individual kitchens for private clients, and our technology helps us to offer this flexibility.”
Ultimately technology makes us more efficient and it ensures we remain competitive in the marketplace. Our processes and technology allow us to do more with less, helping us to keep overheads low and in turn, we can pass these savings on to our clients with lower, more competitive pricing.
While there’s no doubt that processes and technology can improve customer service, for us it has to start with a client-centric culture that focuses on service and a shared belief in the value that technology can bring. The culture is the glue that ties all processes and systems together and we believe that process and technology, combined with a strong culture and talented people, are the core ingredients for any company to deliver great customer service, consistently.
For more information on KCA’s service, or to discuss your next project with a designer, please contact our showroom.
