Häfele is sponsoring the Kitchen Customer Service of the Year category at 2020 kbbreview Retail & Design Awards.
The finalists for this unique category are chosen by kbbreview’s mystery shopper from the best visited in the course of our monthly Shopping Around feature.
We asked Dianne Sullivan, Häfele’s client services manager, what supporting this category of the awards means to Häfele.
Q: Why would you say the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards important to the KBB industry?
A: In every industry, it’s important that we celebrate innovation and excellence – it’s all part of its growth and evolution. Awards like the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards encourage continuous improvement, provide a platform for us to learn about best practice and celebrate the incredible talent in the UK’s KBB market.
Q: Why did Häfele choose the Kitchen Customer Service of the Year award for its sponsorship?
A: Giving the best possible service to our customers is at the heart of everything we do at Häfele and the kitchens market has been our heartland since we came to the UK in 1980. The category brings together two things we’re very passionate about, so you could say it’s a perfect match.
Q: What constitutes award-winning customer service for Häfele and why do you think is that important to the KBB industry?
A: Helping and supporting customers in choosing the right products, installing them correctly and guaranteeing a long-life value is the basic of good customer service. But, for me, award-winning customer service goes much further than this. Our customers put their trust in us every day when buying our products, so it’s not just about supporting a buying cycle, it’s about building relationships.
We must truly understand our customers’ needs and desires and be able to offer them something that ultimately makes their lives as easy as possible. It’s about becoming a partner to customers, not just a supplier. We strive to achieve this truly collaborative approach at Häfele by not just supplying products, but through services such as Häfele to Order – a bespoke manufacturing service, Häfele Assist, which supports our Studio Partners with product queries, product installation and displays, and the new Lighting Design Service that we launched this year to help customers create a lighting plan for their environment and ensure they’ve got the right products.
This way of thinking is something every KBB business can aim for. We are all living in a world that demands a lot from us so anything we can do to ease that pressure, we should aspire to.
Q: In what ways does Häfele support or work with kitchen retailers?
A: Häfele has been working with kitchen retailers for 40 years and by listening and working alongside them closely, we have learnt a lot. To that end, in the past 10 years we have strengthened our commitment to this market with our Studio Partner Programme.
This exclusive programme enables us to work a lot more closely with our loyal kitchen retailers to help them to deliver first-class solutions and service for their customers.
Q: How would you describe the role that kbbreview plays in the KBB industry?
A: kbbreview has a strong heritage in our industry and is a well-respected source of information that helps keep us informed, drives innovation and ensures we’re aware of the key issues affecting our customers. This credibility is also true of the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards and the scrutiny that goes in to choosing a winner. In the customer service category, for instance, this is judged on mystery shopping results rather than just a panel’s view of an entry. This means we end up with a shortlist and winners who are genuinely deserving of their accolade and represent the best of our industry.