How Kyle Cox of Blindster Achieved Growth the Old Fashioned Way: Unbeatable Customer Service

As the CEO and Founder of Blindster.com, Kyle Cox is an entrepreneurial risk-taking leader with a customer-first approach that makes it easy for anyone to improve the style and privacy of their home with blinds and shades.

After graduating college, the Houston-based go-getter left his job in sales at a Fortune 500 company to start his own business in 1999. With $5,000 in savings and no experience in the product, eCommerce or business ownership, Kyle started the first custom window treatments website. Based out of his garage, Kyle teamed up with his mother who worked on the administrative-side of the business, processing payments manually through a physical terminal. After growing that business to well over $30MM in revenue, he sold the company and it now sits under The Home Depot umbrella.

Five years later he ventured back into the industry to found Blindster, now one of the largest online retailers for custom window treatments. Blindster, a family-owned company out of Houston, offers high quality custom blinds, shades, and shutters with a fanatical dedication to outstanding customer service. Kyle’s empathetic human-centered approach to business continues to position his brand ahead of their competitors as his customers know that they can trust and rely on Blindster to give them the best product recommendations paired with knowledgeable support.

Customer-First Approach

Give customers a great experience, and they’ll buy more, be more loyal to your brand and share their experience with friends. According to a Forrester study, companies that lead in customer experience outperform laggards by nearly 80%. Since its inception in 2010, Blindster adopted a customer-first approach in every facet of their business. By ensuring that customers feel supported and informed through every step of the purchase process, Kyle has obtained a following of loyal customers that feel comfortable taking measurements and tackling installation on their own.

Blindster’s comprehensive website makes it easy for anyone to be an expert on different window coverings with detailed instructional videos on measuring and installing. With friendly and knowledgeable sales and service representatives available five days a week, customers are that much more confident in making well-informed decisions when purchasing blinds and shades.

Because Kyle and his team know that mistakes happen, they offer a 60 day satisfaction guarantee and a fit-or-free guarantee. While ordering online can seem risky, especially with a custom product like blinds, customers can be assured that the window coverings they choose will absolutely work for them. If a customer’s blinds don’t fit, even if they made a mistake in measuring, they can simply contact Blindster within 60 days of receipt and they will remake them in the sizes needed free of charge. If customers are unhappy with their purchase, they can let Blindster know within 60 days of receipt and they will work to find a different product, or assist you in returning it for a refund.

Kyle puts it simply: “Customer satisfaction isn’t just our goal, it’s the lifeblood of our company. Time and again companies start out with an emphasis on customer service only to lose sight down the road, forgetting that happy customers are the original reason for their success. At Blindster, we will always strive to exceed the expectations of our customers. We truly mean it when we say; ‘We don’t just want customers today…we want customers for life!’”

Do It Yourself, No Tools Required 

Drilling holes and using power tools to install blinds or shades isn’t always an option, especially with 36% of Americans renting their living space. Kyle realized this problem and decided to make a solution, the first patent-pending no tools required blinds and shades. The No Tools family of products feature a 3M adhesive mounting bracket that provides the highest strength and elevated temperature resistance which will ensure a secure hold without the need for tools or screws, leaving no holes in the window frame.

For the 37.5 million Americans living alone, this means that they can install the shades or blinds by themselves. Plus, with the current pandemic, customers can continue social distancing without professionals coming into their home. Finally, the ease of self-installation makes this fit the budget of far more homes; historically the high cost of installing shades or blinds was driven quite a bit by the labor component.

Growth Through the Pandemic

Despite turmoil during this unprecedented pandemic, Blindster has grown tremendously and has seen dramatically higher sales throughout the year. As more people are working from home and less people are wanting professionals inside their home, 70% of American’s have decided to tackle a do-it-yourself (DIY) home project. Blindster’s products bring an added layer of comfort and privacy to homes that is easily accessible for any homeowner to do it themselves.

With more people being at home, parents of young children also have to be more conscious of safety precautions throughout their home. Kyle is a family man and ensures that his products are reliable and enduring, as safe as possible, and as beautiful as they are beneficial. By encouraging and educating parents to install only cordless window coverings in bedrooms and areas where young children sleep, the Blindster team takes part in providing a home that is safe and hazard free.

Executive Excellence: Business Role Model of the Year

Kyle stands as a prime example of how to lead a business with compassion and care. This year the Customer Sales & Service World Awards®, the world’s top achievement awards program for sales, service, support and business development, named Kyle the gold winner for Executive Excellence: Business Role Model of the Year.

During the pandemic, Kyle launched the COVID-19 Program: with every product sold on Blindster.com, $2 was donated directly to United Way’s COVID-19 Response & Recovery Fund to help fund critical services such as rent and mortgage assistance, donations to food pantries, shelter options and more. Kyle concluded: “It is my responsibility to stand up as a leader that not only cares about the well-being of my employees but to also take a step back and implement ways to better the community as a whole.”