What does personal customer service look like in today’s impersonal world? Great service doesn’t happen by accident. Your job as a kitchen designer is to guide homeowners through one of the most expensive and emotional investments they’ll ever make.
In our kitchen and bath industry, it’s more than selling cabinets and recommending countertops. Exceptional customer service is about making the experience personal in a world that can feel very impersonal.
Cabinets aren’t an impulse buy. They’re a major commitment tied to design, lifestyle, and expectations. That’s why excellent customer service must be personal and built on trust. This kind of investment impacts your clients’ daily life.
What Does Impersonal Customer Service Feel Like
Impersonal service involves automated systems, such as phone menus, digital forms to fill out and chatbots. There’s a barrier between the customer and the person they want to talk to, a person who can help them. While the automated tools may be efficient and cost-saving, they leave customers feeling frustrated. They resent the automated responses, yes, but what they really don’t like is there is no human connection.
On the other hand, personal service involves genuine care. Instead of chatbots, customer service reps go out of their way to build trust. They remember people’s names and listen closely, then offer recommendations based on what clients actually say.
Give Clients What They Want. What Do They Want?
Clients want to feel heard and understood. They want someone they can count on to follow through — they want accountability.
A Tale of Two Different Customer Service Experiences
Before we get to tactics for setting up an exceptional customer service experience, let’s look at two different experiences.
Big Box Stores: Impersonal Customer Service
What could be more impersonal than trying to design a new kitchen at a Big Box store? At places like Home Depot or Lowe’s, employees may be working, however, the environment is built for volume, not connection.
Here the sales staff must juggle multiple departments (appliances, flooring, tile, plus cabinets). Appointments feel rushed and follow-up is inconsistent. People complain they get handed a catalog with little explanation. Or they get directed to an online tool – they’re on their own. And if you have questions, you’ll end up talking to someone who had nothing to do with your original visit.
In Big Box stores, it’s not uncommon to meet with three different people before your cabinet order even gets placed—and none of those people may be there when you come back.
Kitchen Dealers/Design Center: Personal Customer Service at its Finest
A kitchen cabinet showroom is focused entirely on cabinetry and all things kitchen-related, and, of course, attentive customer care.
Customers appreciate working with one designer from the start to finish of their project. They like the pace of appointments where they feel heard. Designers get to know their client’s style, space, and the problems they need to resolve.
And after the sale, the same designers continue to be available for follow-up questions or adjustments.
At the kitchen dealer’s, the person who measures your kitchen will most likely be the same one who helps you pick your door style—and the same person who calls to check in after delivery.
What Personal Customer Service Should Look Like for a Kitchen Design Business
1. Help with Decision Making. Not Just Sales.
Customers can feel overwhelmed by all the decisions they are called upon to make: style choices, finishes, construction types (framed vs. frameless, inset vs. overlay), storage built-ins, countertops, appliances – and on and on.
Your exceptional service means asking about lifestyle first (kids? entertaining? aging in place?). You’ll have an intake questionnaire, we know. Follow up their responses with recommendations based on their needs, not industry trends.
Go deeper by educating them on the differences between the cabinet lines you represent, from entry level to high end. Explain the differences and demonstrate the value of each. All the while keeping their budget in mind, of course.
If you have a showroom, walk through with them, pointing our the design ideas and solutions that went into each display. Invite them to open cabinets to reveal the concealed accessories installed inside.
In an industry full of choices, what people remember most isn’t what you sell. It’s how you made them feel.
2. Communicate, Communicate: Why it Matters
Excellent customer service continues through every stage of the project. From the first sit-down consultation to the final installation and walk through, keeping clients informed builds trust and reduces anxiety.
At the onset, share timelines for design, delivery and installation. It’s crucial that you follow up quickly when questions arise or if there’s a problem or delay. Use tools like Zoom for design reviews or walk-throughs, anything that helps your client feel involved and in the loop.
Communication isn’t about updates only. Give your clients your full attention when you’re meeting with them —no side conversations, texts or other multitasking activities. When they feel like they’re your top priority, that’s personal customer service.
Use technology as an integral part of your communication process. Virtual reality design previews, client portals and project management tools can keep your clients involved in all steps of the remodel. Using these tools show that you’re invested in getting things right.
3. One-on-One Connections = Personal Customer Service
Personal customer service is about building trust, showing empathy and paying attention to the details that matter to the customer.
Show that you remember by taking note of your client’s preferences or concerns. For example, is the homeowner worried about fingerprint smudges on cabinet doors? Mention this later when going over cabinet features and benefits to show you were listening.
Your job is to be their guide, not just a designer or salesman. Most people have never remodeled a kitchen before. They don’t know what they don’t know. Help them think through decisions—not just about finishes or layout, but about how their kitchen fits into their life.
One-on-one service is the kind of care people remember. This is where word of mouth recommendations and referrals come from.
4. Knowledgeable Staff Contribute to Personal Customer Service Experience
You can introduce your team members, like design support or project managers, so clients know who’s working behind the scenes on their project. This way they can feel supported every step of the way.
Your team should be able to speak confidently about cabinet construction, features and benefits, space planning, and style coordination. If they don’t know the answer to a question, they should know when to involve a colleague rather than trying to bluff through.
5. Support After the Sale is Definitely Part of Personal Customer Care
In our industry, everyone knows a satisfied customer is your best salesperson. An exceptional customer service experience doesn’t end when the job is done.
The sale isn’t the end:
- Provide job completion binders when the job is done. This binder should contain plans, warranty details, care instructions and project manuals. Walk clients through essential maintenance requirements, to make sure they don’t feel abandoned
- Offer maintenance tips or minor fix solutions
- Be available if a hinge fails or a panel gets scratched
- Ask for photos and testimonials, which build relationships and marketing value
- Reach out 6-12 months post-project to check if any adjustments or service is needed. This opens the door for potential future projects or referrals.
Conclusion
It’s hard, if not impossible, to develop loyal clients without decent customer service. You will have trouble growing your business without positive word of mouth. In today’s social media focused world, poor customer service can ruin you faster than you can say “Why don’t I get any referrals?”
When you prioritize personal customer service, you don’t just close a sale; you cultivate loyalty, set yourself up for repeat projects, and earn the kind of word-of-mouth recommendations money can’t buy. Great service comes not from pushing product but helping clients solve problems.
Personal customer service in our kitchen industry involves building client confidence and calming their anxieties about an expensive and life-changing project. You want to turn satisfied buyers into enthusiastic fans who recommend your work to friends and family.
Bob Aungst Cabinet Sales is a full-service rep agency with the goal of matching kitchen designers and remodelers with the cabinet manufacturers best suited to their business’ style and clientele. Owner Bob Aungst III represents Brighton Cabinetry, US Cabinet Depot, Integrity Cabinets and StyleCraft Luxury Custom Cabinets.