Consumer rating sites like Angie’s List, Yelp, and Houzz offer consumers a chance to have the last word, as well as prove the validity of the old motto, “The customer is always right,” especially when it comes to service.

These sites also help consumers quickly narrow the search, which works against your business if you are not measuring up. For closet and home organization companies that pride themselves on high-quality customer service, these sites provide a chance to shine brighter then competitors, showing off high ratings and positive testimonials from their customers.

Each year Angie’s List and Houzz publish ‘Best Rated’ and ‘Best Of’ lists highlighting companies that received top ratings from their database of subscribers and readers. The reach and influence of these sites can’t be overstated: Angie’s List has more than 2 million subscribers and Houzz has more than 16 million monthly users.

In 2013 Angie’s List awarded nearly 5% of the closet and organizing companies in its database with the Angie’s List Super Service Award. To make the list, companies have to be in good standing with an overall rating of “A.”

Consumers can easily find these top rated companies by going to Angie’s List and searching for contractors by city. In Chicago, approximately 638 closet designers are listed and 120 are Top Rated. In New York approximately 1,404 closet designers are listed and 207 are Top Rated.

Several firms making the 2013 Angie’s List of Best Rated include:
• Franchises of California Closets
• Closet Factory
• Tailored Living
• Closets By Design
• Closet & Storage Concepts
• Closet America, Lanham, MD
• Valet Custom Cabinets & Closets, Campbell, CA
• transFORM, New Rochelle, NY
• Innovative Cabinets & Closets, Westfield, IN
• Closet Organizing Systems, Bartlett, IL
• Econize Closets, Clifton, VA
• Spaceman Home & Office, Houston, TX
• Closets2Envy, Jacksonville, FL. (View the full list of winners.)

Houzz gives its Best Of awards in two categories: Customer Satisfaction, and Design. Customer satisfaction honors are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2013.

Making these lists is a badge of honor for many companies, who take the opportunity to highlight the awards in their marketing campaigns by issuing press releases and including the ratings logos on their websites and in marketing material.

Creating Customer Satisfaction

Closet America joined a panel of experts from in Wood Products’ 2013 WOOD 100 to discuss its strategies for building customer satisfaction. The company’s efforts in providing a high level of customer service have garnered it industry awards including the Angie’s List Super Service Award, the 500 Top Remodel, Best of Houzz, and the Guild Master Award for exceptional customer service and satisfaction.

“Customer satisfaction is the first thought in everything we do,” said Closet America president Skip LaBella in the WOOD 100 webcast. View at woodworkingnetwork.com/webcast.