We can count on there being some beautiful new products at Coverings this year. But more goes into actually using these products in real projects than beauty alone. There are many factors of course, but at Igloo Studios we pay special attention to a particular, timeless need: Great customer service. We are especially interested in how we can leverage technology to help tile & stone companies provide remarkable, differentiated customer service to the showrooms, designers and homeowners who specify and purchase their product. Because, let’s face it, we all like to do business with companies and brands that invest time and care into us.
In the San Francisco Bay Area where we’re located, there are a lot of tech companies that have popularized the idea of serving ‘users’ instead of only paying customers. In other words, they’ve realized that they can extend their brand even further by allowing folks to try-out or ‘use’ a product before buying it. That’s a fine strategy for a Tech company, but how can a tile or stone company have ‘users’?

I mentioned in my previous Coverings blog post that Google SketchUp allows designers the ability to actually show their clients what tile or stone will look like in their space. In essence, SketchUp gives users the ability to try-out products and materials before buying them.
Even better, the companies that provide SketchUp users with compatible product catalogs are giving great customer service. By giving designers and homeowners their products in SketchUp, they save potential customers time and money and give them a powerful tool to sell their products. A symbiotic relationship if I’ve ever seen one!
If you’re interested in how companies from the Tile Council of North America, Ceramics of Italy and Tile of Spain are using Google SketchUp to support their ‘users’, then join me at Coverings 2012 on April 19th at 10:30AM for my session Selling Your Project to Customers Using Google SketchUp. Designers and tile sales people will learn how to present tile and stone in stunning design presentations, and manufacturers will witness the power of supporting SketchUp users with their product catalogs.
Please register for the show today and remember it’s all FREE!