NKBA Live’s “Brave New Business,” Episode 4, offered tactical strategies for optimizing work in a virtual environment. By Dianne M. Pogoda

Mastering the finer points of e-design and managing a remodeling project remotely has become a necessity in the era of the coronavirus pandemic, and NKBA’s “Brave New Business” live online series last week shed some light on strategies for maximizing utilizing the best tools available, will help NKBA members work most effectively alongside other trade partners – and deliver the best experience possible to consumers.

Interior designer and e-design expert Jenna Gaidusek, founder and CEO of eDesign Tribe in Gainesville, Fla., and NKBA members Jeremy Bauer and Jason Clifton, partners in Bauer-Clifton Interiors, an interior architecture and design firm in Juneau, Alaska, weighed in with best practices in digital communication, virtual design and remote site management have long been vital tools of their business.

“The first thing to remember about e-design is that it’s electronic communication with your customers,” said Gaidusek, “so you have to think about your website —  which must be beautiful — adapting your existing workflow process to an online environment, and using social media tools to drive traffic to your website. And make sure all the links work!”

The communication with customers is important, but equally critical is communication with contractors. Frequent check-ins during all stages of the construction process — after rough-ins, to ensure plumbing is in the right place and measurements are correct, before cabinetry or after dry-walling, for instance — is all crucial.

“We tell all our contractors at the outset not to make any decisions without getting us on the phone,” said Bauer. “And we can do most of it through Facetime.”

The panel discussed other online tools, including project management software like Asana for internal task management, 2020, Chief Architect and Sketchup for renderings, auto-cad and PowerPoint for  digital presentations and more. Gaidusek developed her own proprietary cloud-based platform, EDesign Tribe, but said there are a number of terrific tools out there. Some of the functions include developing invoices, shopping lists and directories.

Clifton said he and Bauer work directly with manufacturers’ and product reps’ websites, so it’s important that these sites are as thorough as possible. Once initial selections are made, they go through the sampling process, to give clients a hands-on look at color, texture and finishes.

The most important element of all e-design, the panel concurred, is keeping the lines of communication open.

To watch this episode of Brave New Business on NKBA’s YouTube channel, click below.

Brave New Business livestreams on Thursdays at 2 pm (Eastern Time) and features thought leaders across all segments of the business in a free online forum. They’ll share best practices, experiences and advice on topics of critical interest to kitchen and bath design, remodeling, manufacturing and distribution, as well as survival tactics for small businesses and independent operators.

The next episode livestreams on Thursday, building on the online operations theme with  “Open for Business: Working with Showrooms in a Virtual Environment.” It will explore the ways national, regional and independent showrooms are working with their customers and keeping business moving forward.

To register for this week’s Brave New Business forum fill out the form below.