California Closets – Embraces New Technology

At California Closets, we lead. We lead in technology innovation. We have made great strides in technology so that our clients get the best service. In the last year we have made major changes to make the customer experience state of the art.

Closet Design Technology – NEW

Our designers will be getting the best design program in the industry – developed exclusively for California Closets. This new computer aided design program will allow our clients to see exactly what they will be getting while insuring that the design will go directly to our factory for accurate manufacture of the closet system.

This program eliminates any design sizing issues and gives a very accurate depiction in a 3-D rendering. The client will be able to see the color and size of the product relative to their space. All information is transmitted to the head office and factory electronically which eliminates paper and the mails. This must be a “green” program – we are using far less paper and saving some trees!

Customer Service Program

Another technological advance is our customer service program. With this program we can accurately track all customer activity. This program also allows us to schedule our designers and installers and eliminates any possible scheduling conflicts. All client needs are tracked and mapping options allow for our people to find client locations easily for on time appointments.

This new program also allows for the storage of all the design files for future reference and storage solution enhancements. Our customer service program allows for better client communication and service -just another demonstration of our commitment to making the clients experience the best.

National Website (Californiaclosets.com)

This website immediately communicates to the client what we are all about. It shows off exactly what we can elegantly do in your home. This website offers inspiration on creative storage solutions for the home and allows the client to develop an understanding of when we talk about “space to be.” We want our clients to see the possibilities.

I like this website for one very important reason – it demonstrates our approach as a company - our commitment to detail, functionality, and elegance. When researching online, the client can easily compare us to our competition and know what our approach will be. Check out this site – you will see the difference.

Web Enhancements

Sometimes you luck out. Last year a close friend’s daughter worked for us in our showrooms and did some extra work for us in photographing and cataloging displays. She is an Economics major at UMass Amherst and she took a special interest in our marketing approach and put together an innovative marketing plan during her spring semester. She did an excellent job and wanted to come back and try out some of her ideas.

She has me blogging, we now have all our showroom locations on Facebook (see Facebook Business Pages), and she is now collaborating on a designer website that will allow our designers to individually customize a site with their own design portfolios. These web enhancements will allow our clients to know who they are working with and help us communicate why we are the best. Sometimes you just luck out.

In Other News…

Every once in a while I will talk about one of my other passions – coaching hockey. As with my business I enjoy associating with committed and skilled individuals in my coaching. I am a Midgets U-18 coach for the Valley Junior Warriors and have been with that organization for over 15 years. I really enjoy working with the young men who have dreams and hopes for our team and their future.

This week I found out that one of my players just committed to play for the National Champion Boston College hockey team. This is in addition to another who recently accepted an offer from Yale. We start hockey camp in one week and have our first tournament on Labor Day Weekend – we are quietly optimistic. My team is the same as California Closets – committed to being the best.

That’s the story for today. Look for my introduction of our new product – Virtuosso in my next entry. This stuff will stun you with it’s contemporary beauty and utility. It’s coming and I will tell you all about it next time.

Ken Cleary – President, California Closets – New England

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California Closets – my Providence, Rhode Island weekend

California Closets - New England Showrooms

California Closets- New England does a lot of work in Rhode Island – the smallest state size-wise in land area is a very good area for our business. People in Rhode Island like to be organized. I was in Providence for a very happy occasion – one of my sons was getting married. He got very lucky by finding a very nice young lady from the Providence area and the wedding was an extremely joyous event. However, my passion for California Closets, organization and my blog were never far from my mind. So what could have possibly distracted me, even for a moment, from this fun time?

STYLE AND FUNCTIONALITY

When we were in Providence we stayed in a newly renovated downtown hotel. We needed a very large suite as we were going to host the “after party” at the end of the reception. The room we booked had just been renovated and was very stylish with a big screen tv and nice furniture. It was all very modern and elegant – the wood furniture was the same as one of the colors from our New Lago line, Venetian Wenge, and was very chic looking. The lighting fixtures were very stylish in chrome and reminiscent of a retro movie set. The sofa and chairs were very plush and everything matched perfectly. The bathroom was ultra modern with chrome fixtures, heavy glass doors, a sink that was stylishly rectangular and towel racks that were very elegant. At first look it all seemed very stylish and elegant.

It didn’t work. Looked nice, very stylish, smelled nice, but there were issues. The light fixtures – finding the on/off switch was a problem, the sofa and chairs were not very comfortable, the TV and electronics required four remotes, and the air conditioning was weak at best. Workmanship was an issue – the big glass shower door allowed the shower to leak onto the floor in the changing area, the towel racks were coming out of the wall because they had not hit the studs with the screws or used anchors, and the chrome soap/shampoo holder in the shower was the wrong design as everything fell through to the shower floor. Style was certainly a more important consideration than functionality in the renovation of this hotel room. This was all a distraction to me as at California Closets we work so hard to leave the client a storage product that is both stylish and functional. I wanted to get my design team and installers in there immediately to make this room the full style/function package.

You can go to http://californiaclosets.com/newengland and see the most elegant closets, home offices and garages. They are more than stylish – they are functional. They are functional for you as they are designed for you. We started this industry thirty years ago – and we are still are in the lead with innovation, service, and functionality.

OUR DESIGN APPROACH

Our certified designers understand the importance of making your home both pleasing to the eye and pleasing to the inner organized you. They know that they must create a design that is perfect for you. This is why they spend the time with you during your free consultation at your home. They not only measure your space but count what items you want to put into your closet or home office. They get to know you and what they can do to make our product both elegant and functional for you. The closet has to work for what you need to do day to day – not just look stylish.

OUR INSTALLERS

They understand that it is imperative that they make their end product elegant yet durable and functional. They know that we have a lifetime warranty and that they must build a system that will stand the test of time. Our belt and tie racks must be secure, the valet rods will not fall off the system, and the pull out mirrors, baskets, and drawers must all be located in the correct spot for ease of use. The job is not complete until the installer reviews your system with you. You must not be in the dark about adjust-ability, or functionality. Our designer will also follow up at job completion to make sure everything happened as planned. The final product should have the balance of style with functionality that you want – we strive to make that happen.

I know what you’re thinking – “This guy has to get a life! – just enjoy the wedding.” Don’t worry, the hotel room distracted me just a little. I told the front desk about the issues (another crackpot they thought) but alas, I think it fell on deaf ears. The next time you’re renovating a hotel room give me a call, California Closets will make it elegant and IT WILL WORK.

CALIFORNIA SONG LIST

I have heard from you on some more songs with “California” in the title or as a part of the song. I started the list with two of my favorites:

Beach Boys: California Girls

The Mamas and Papas: California Dreamin’

Stan added to the list with: Going to California by Led Zeppelin

Kyle did some work on this one – he sent me some I would never have found:

California by Metro Station

California by Joni Mitchell

Going to Cali by LL Cool J

California Love by Tupac

Californication and Dani California by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

He also added Hotel California by the Eagles – how did I not put that one on my original list?

My Ipod is not full yet – we need more!

Well, it was a fun weekend. My wife cannot understand why I don’t like to travel. It’s hard for me – being the “Monk” of the closet and storage world.

Ken Cleary, President – California Closets New England

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