Sleek Modular Kitchens

I chanced upon a second setup of Sleek modular kitchens and was wondering about what they were doing differently. How is it that the 2-3 people who sit around the kitchens are totally disinterested in any sort of customer interaction and hence any opportunity for leads and subsequent conversion. I assume it relates to the way their incentive is structured and after my repeated experience, I am obviously curious.

Copyright: Sleek modular kitchen

The funny thing is that my first visit to Sleek kitchens was very similar. It was at a different HomeStop outlet ( maybe Sleek has worked some arrangement with HomeStop though I doubt that gives them any projects automatically) and there were 2 men and a woman working on their laptops. We were exploring around and were months away from deciding which brand to go ahead. 

I looked around, pulled some drawers and checked the kitchens. Then men didn't bother and the woman glanced. I was wondering when someone would come around and explain what they offered etc. So I tried giving the " I am interested, please come and explain looks." I was really surprised but since I wanted to know the type of finish used in one and the approximate price, I went up to the guy sitting closest to the kitchens and asked him. Few questions ahead, I realized that he neither had sufficient knowledge and nor was he interested. After I explicitly asked him to show us around, and he reluctantly got up, the woman thankfully took over. She was the Sales Manager and adept in her knowledge of the kitchens and everything around it. She took our contact details, sent me approximate quotations and even pursued me for a while. 

However, I also remember a defensive attitude during the follow-ups. "I called because you said you might decide in few months". Really?? If I want the customer to buy the modular kitchen from my brand, I will call because I want to convert them and not because of any other reason. As far as the brand is concerned, if I was a decision making authority I would actually just keep 1 knowledgeable sales person around and remove the unfriendly fixtures to some other office location. Judging from Mouthshut, I am not the only person who feels the same.

The experience continued with the website. I tried to download the catalogue unsuccessfully  by entering my details several times. And I was unable to get a catalogue emailed to myself. While the website looks great, I actually don't know why they maintain several websites like  http://www.sleekworld.com, http://sleekworld.co.in and http://sleekkitchens.com/modular-kitchen. I am hoping they stopped at 3 and there aren't more lurking around.

Copyright : Sleek modular kitchen

As quoted, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. I did get some help in the form of a friend  who had purchased their Sleek modular kitchens. While the kitchen was very nice and he is happy , I got to know that the overall experience was not smooth. The different folks who take care of the various activities weren't in sync. He also had to  call some senior folks to get work done in time. However they did take care of damaged modules and that sounds like a life-saver. If interested, one can get an idea of their positive customer experiences on their website. If you do order a Sleek modular kitchen, my friend's advice is try to figure who will be the team servicing you and get some references.

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Italian modular kitchens from Scavolini

Courtesy: Scavolini

In my search for other stuff related to house interiors, I usually chance upon different stores who also take care of modular kitchens. A lot of these stores have come up ( or have been advertised or known to me ) slightly after the long search for a modular kitchen brand ended. While it is a shame that I wasn't able to look at all of these before, it could also be a blessing in disguise. Too much of choice confuses most humans (including myself) and I doubt I would have been able to take a good decision. Also dear partner would have finally protested at the "torture" of accompanying me everywhere and trying to smile through everything. One such brand was Scavolini. I remember searching for it initially, ending up at another store on Inner Ring Road and finally giving up.

In Bangalore, Sai Gallerium is the dealer for Scavolini kitchens. Sai is already well known for their collection of imported tiles and accessories. They store numerous other brands and we managed to have look at a Versace dining table along with huge mirror and decor elements full of bling along with it. Since the Facebook page for Scavolini by Sai has started posting from Jan 2015 I assume they have been set up some time before it.

We managed to have a cursory look at the kitchens and I liked the one with a mossy green

Courtesy: Scavolini

lacquer wall cabinets and dark wood base cabinets. And as in all Italian kitchens, there are numerous colours like orange, pink, purple and others available. However what I was really floored by was the Caesarstone countertop one of the kitchens. Unfortunately these are pricier than the usual granite and Corian countertops but are less porous and hence vulnerable to stains, visible seams than a granite countertops. Caesarstone is not 100% natural like a granite in case that matters for you. In India, Hafele is the official partner for Caesarstone brand but a lot of modular kitchen brands, including Scavolini also offer this as an option for the countertop.

My learnings from the European Kitchen Design blog made me think that Scavolini would be on the pricier side and I still don't have solid data to confirm or reject that. However, I got to know that a very basic kitchen starts at 2.5L but it would be best to visit Sai Gallerium, have a look and discuss with the designers if possible.

Sai Gallerium is present at 100 Feet Road Indirangar, Banashankari and Banaswadi. You can look up their addresses and contact numbers at their Contact page.

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