By David MacDonald F or most home owners and contractors, there are two major fear factors involved in the modelling or remodelling of kitchens and bathrooms: the bottom line and the “scary or daunting task” of buying your kitchen or bathroom online to save money. For Ackerman, Rougeux, and the folks at TheRTAStore.com “educating consum- ers” is a major factor in the success of their business. “First of all,” Ackerman stresses, “we have to be able to convey to customers that you no longer need a minimum of 20k to remodel your bathroom or kitchen. Customers no longer have to wait in line at a brick and mortar store to receive their design; it can all be done from the comfort of their own home on their schedule, with no high pressure sales people involved.” That is not to say that a customer service experience is lost at TheRTAStore.com; in fact, it’s quite the opposite as Ackerman and Rougeux can corroborate. As a largely online company, The RTA Store spent its early days fighting the customer service stigma that haunts Ecommerce. “We’re built on customer service. We always put the customer first and constantly keep lines of communication open,” Rougeux attests .In the litany of for instances Rougeux recollected with a palpable pride, her proof was in the Thanksgiving pudding. “It’s Thanksgiving and a customer emails in,” Rougeux explains, “detail- ing how frustrated they are with waiting for one of their cabinets that happens to be on backorder. Within minutes, they receive a response (not an automated response – an actual response from an owner) apol- ogizing for the long wait time and that we will check on the status again
with the manufacturer first thing in the morning.” A visit to TheRTAS- tore.com quickly verifies Rougeux’s claims; there are no stock photo avatars serving late-night customers with algorithmic consumer clichés in an inconveniently small pop-up window. “We’ve had customers ask when we sleep and are amazed at the level of service they’re receiving from an online business. Just because we’re an online business, does not mean that we don’t want to give each and every customer the most personalized and unique shopping experience they’ve ever had.” “We’ve had customers ask when we sleep and are amazed at the level of service they’re receiving from an online business. Just because we’re an online business, does not mean that we don’t want to give each and every customer the most personalized and unique shopping experience they’ve ever had.” As The RTA Store has grown from a fledgling company that totaled $110, 000 in sales in 2009 to an industry juggernaut that is on track to surpass $17 million in sales in 2016, so too has the TheRTAStore.com evolved. But, as with anything, the more it changes, the more it stays
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS • MAY 2016
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