Kitchen & Bath Business - February/March 2016 - 44

CATCHING UP WITH VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY
In case you missed KBIS this year or were too caught up on the show floor, we've got you covered with a look at several
of the NKBA's Voices From the Industry sessions. More than 90 were offered, granting attendees a chance to hear from
their industry peers on a variety of hot topics and trends.
It's Not Sci-Fi!
Designing and
Selling Using
Virtual Reality
While it might seem
more the style of a Star
Trek movie, virtual reality is trickling more
into the mainstream and
therefore more into your client's hands. The possibilities
of virtual reality are also coming into the design world,
where a designer can already show a client what a design
will look like in a more realistic fashion.
John Morgan, owner of Morgan Pinnacle, explained
that virtual reality puts the user in a different place. Using tools like Google cardboard or the Oculus Rift, an
image is replicated into a left- and right-eye projection
so the image feels real. Most importantly, it allows a
client to stand in his or her own kitchen and look all
around and see how a new design would look. This
would allow for quick and educated decisions where a
user can view different possibilities while looking into a
virtual room while standing in their home. Showrooms
can also benefit by showing examples of projects to those
who walk in. There could be better communication in
long-distance selling and more opportunities for virtual
tours of model homes and previous designs.
One easy way designers can try the virtual experience
out is by going to Panorama.202.net/pano and clicking
on 2020 Design. Example projects are available, where
a user can put the designs on a phone, place the phone
inside the Google Cardboard glasses and feel suddenly
transported into that project.
Creating a WorldClass Customer
Experience
The most successful
businesses in the industry understand the need
to communicate their
value to a customer for a
long-lasting, meaningful
relationship. While good customer service meets a client's expectations and produces a satisfied customer, the
client often still feels indifferent toward the company.
Instead, companies should aim for world-class customer
service. This achievement requires an experience that
exceeds customer expectations, producing satisfied,

loyal customers who are also promoters.
"Customer service is not a department," said Kate
Bailey, national showroom manager for Ferguson Enterprises. "It represents the whole of a company."
First define your business' market and niche within
that market and who your target customer is, then
work on communicating who you are and are not.
Ensure your marketing clearly articulates this. Setting
customer expectations and aligning them with the experience you provide is the key to success. Like upscale
companies such as the Ritz-Carlton, make customer
service part of your company's DNA. Empower your
employees and have confidence in their abilities, and
watch how your business grows toward a commitment
for constant improvement.

Living in Place -
Accessibility,
Comfort and
Safety in
All Homes
Universal design, obviously a hot topic in today's
industry, differs in definition from this session's
title. Instead, Erik Listou, vice president of the
Living in Place Institute,
and Louie Delaware,
the cofounder, argue that
there is a better approach
to designing specifically
for safer homes.
"It's an education to make all homes accessible, comfortable and safe for everyone, regardless of their age or
needs," said Listou, who explained that the institute
is offering two-day training courses nationwide to go
beyond aging-in-place and universal design.
The problem with the term, 'universal design,' is that
it is not tailored to a specific client's home or issues.
Universal design focuses on equitable use, simple and
intuitive products, perceptible information, a tolerance for error, low physical effort and enough size and
space for a wheelchair. But there are differences in
designing for a particularly tall elderly client or a wheel
chair-bound one.
Referring to statistics like the high number of falls
that occur in a home, Listou explained that the institute
is taking a positive approach to aging in place and is

meeting that hidden need in society. More significantly,
it is creating a standardization for living-in-place education. Those who go through their class become Certified
Living in Place professionals, with the access to knowledge on the subject.

Tough
Conversations:
How to Navigate
Customers'
Apprehensions
Toward
Accessibility
While accessible product and design features
allow homeowners to age
in place, simply broaching
the topic with homeowners can be awkward and
uncomfortable. They may
find it hard to admit that
these features are needed,
or the buyer is concerned
about how the changes will look or affect resale value.
With a slowly expanding Baby Boomer population,
designers need to know how to have that conversation.
"There's a stigmatism toward universal design," said
Rob Cooper, director of business development at White
Oak Construction, who led the seminar with Nate
Jensen, a sales manager for the company.
Begin overcoming that stigmatism by asking pointed
but subtle questions, like inquiring what bathroom
activities need assistance from others or a handle to
hold on to. Find out what the client's needs will be in
the future, and decide where grab bars should be placed.
Change the perception of aging-in-place products by
taking advantage of the thousands of color and material
options available for a more customized look.
It's all about the presentation. Building upon the
relationship with the client and building trust will help
them accept these changes. Be sure not to overwhelm
them, and simply identify a few main needs for them
and your solutions. If worse comes to worst, refer to the
costs of assisted living care in your region, which should
move your client to reconsider his or her hesitation to
aging-in-place design.

Kitchen & Bath Business / FEB.-MARCH 2016 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official sponsor of KBIS (KBIS.com)

http://www.KBBONLINE.COM http://www.KBIS.com

Kitchen & Bath Business - February/March 2016

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