[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] The furniture industry has intensified its service competition by upgrading customer service levels to the hotel 'Concierge' concept.
The starting point is Hanssem's Rehaus Designer (RD) and Kitchen Designer (KD). KD is the conductor who completes the kitchen space from design to construction supervision. If KD is an expert in the kitchen space, RD can be considered a total interior expert. RD oversees the design and construction supervision of all spaces inside the home, including the kitchen.
A Hanssem official said, "KD and RD are space experts who sell products and consult on spaces on-site," adding, "Therefore, they cannot be handled with simple sales skills alone. In fact, many KDs and RDs met at stores have a design major for this reason."
KDs and RDs are trained through the head office's introductory education program. Dormitories are sometimes provided for applicants coming from provinces. After completing the introductory training, they are assigned to Hanssem dealerships to gain practical experience and training as space experts on-site.
Recently, the level of customer service has been raised to the hotel 'Concierge' level. A concierge is a person who provides all services needed by hotel guests. Recently, Hanssem introduced the 'Living Concierge Service' domestically through its premium brand Nexus.
Nexus is Hanssem's premium brand for customers pursuing a top 1% high-end luxury lifestyle. It sells a total of 16 luxury imported brands, including Italian furniture Molteni & C and Dada, and the world-renowned lighting brand Fontana Arte.
The experts providing Nexus's Living Concierge service are called 'Lifestyle Curators (LC).' LCs have extensive experience in the high-end luxury home field and are experts capable of designing the finest lifestyle by combining various luxury furniture brands and building materials.
To provide premium consulting services, they possess interior consultation skills and design planning tailored to customers who pursue the highest quality, as well as knowledge of world-class brands. LCs with such expertise design spaces reflecting customers' high-class lifestyles through 1:1 customized services that go beyond brand and product recommendations.
While Hanssem has LCs, its competitor Hyundai Livart has 'Design Crew (DC).' DC is a 'Personal Shopper' concept, a personal shopping assistant. DC is a service person who provides overall home styling for spaces customers want to decorate, reflecting customers' budgets and tastes by utilizing furniture and accessory products.
They are active in home furnishing brand stores such as Hyundai Livart's premium brands Williams Sonoma, West Elm, and Pottery Barn Kids. Currently, DC services operate in nine countries, including the U.S., U.K., and Australia, where Williams Sonoma has entered.
A Hyundai Livart official explained, "In the furniture and building materials industry, there have been services that visit sites and provide consultations for products requiring measurement and installation, such as kitchen furniture, windows, and wallpaper, but providing home styling services using furniture and accessories that do not require installation is the first in the domestic furniture industry."
An industry official said, "KD and RD have upgraded furniture salespeople from being nice to have or dispensable from the customer's perspective to essential 'space experts,'" adding, "With the full-scale launch of LC and DC services, the quality of service to customers has greatly improved. Other companies are also joining the service competition. This competition contributes not only to improving the image of the furniture industry but also to expanding the market."
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