“Our clients invest in a story, not just a piece of furniture. With Crust AI, we can now share that creation story visually and effortlessly. It has transformed our client relationships from anxious check-ins to excited collaboration. The trust it builds is priceless.”
Lars Bergström
Founder & Lead Craftsman
,
Atelier Vinter
The Problem
Atelier Vinter, a European workshop renowned for its minimalist, handcrafted furniture, built its reputation on quality and trust. Clients would commission pieces for thousands of Euros, understanding that true craftsmanship takes time. However, during the weeks and months of waiting, even the most patient clients would become anxious for updates on their significant investment.
The workshop's small team found themselves spending hours each week taking photos, composing descriptive emails, and ensuring the right update went to the right client. "The joy of woodworking was being overshadowed by the burden of digital project management," says Lars B., the founder. "An email with a few photos just doesn't do justice to the process, and it was becoming a disorganized, time-consuming chore that took us away from the workbench." They needed a way to share the journey of creation that was as elegant and well-crafted as their furniture.
The Solution
Atelier Vinter used Crust AI to create a private, beautiful "Project Journal" for each client commission. The solution seamlessly integrated with their existing project management workflow on Monday.com, requiring zero changes to how their team operated on the workshop floor.
Now, instead of a sporadic email, clients receive a single, private link at the start of their project. This link opens a visually stunning, real-time journal of their piece coming to life. They can see photos of their specific slab of walnut being selected, the intricate joinery taking shape, and the piece after its first coat of oil. Each entry is dated and carries a note from the craftsman, turning a simple status update into a chapter in the story of their furniture.
The best part for the workshop team is its complete automation. When a craftsman moves a project to a new stage in Monday.com and attaches a photo, the client's Project Journal updates instantly. There is no double-entry and no extra administrative work. Lars used Crust AI's simple prompts to design the journal's aesthetic, instructing the AI to display the updates as a vertical timeline and to use a rustic, workshop-style font that perfectly matched their brand.
The Impact
The Project Journal has fundamentally improved Atelier Vinter's client experience and internal efficiency. The impact was immediate and clear.
"The constant 'just checking in' emails and calls have vanished," Lars notes. "We've seen over an 80% reduction in proactive status requests."
This shift has had profound effects on the business:
Deepened Client Trust: Clients feel involved and educated in the process. This transparency has eliminated anxiety and replaced it with excitement and anticipation.
A Powerful Selling Point: The Project Journal is no longer just an operational tool; it's a key feature of their service. They now showcase it to prospective clients, proving their commitment to transparency and craft. It has become a significant competitive differentiator.
Time Reclaimed for the Craft: The time once spent on composing emails is now dedicated back to the furniture itself, improving focus and maintaining the quality the workshop is known for.
How Can You Replicate?
Creating a visual progress tracker is an incredibly effective way to build client trust for any high-value, long-term project.
Connect to Your Project Hub: Link Crust AI to the tool you already use to manage projects, whether it's Monday.com, Airtable, Notion, or a Google Sheet. Your data should include fields for status, notes, and photo attachments.
Use a "Single Item Snippet": Since each client views only their own project, a Single Item Snippet is the perfect choice. You can create a unique link for each client's project record.
Set to "Read-Only": For this use case, clients don't need to edit anything. Making the snippet "read-only" is simpler and more secure. The snippet will automatically display any updates made in your backend data source.
Design a Visual Story with AI: The key to this solution is the visual presentation. Use natural language prompts to create a compelling layout. For instance:
"Display the project updates as a vertical timeline with photos. For each entry, show the date and the status update text."
"Make the photos the main focus of the timeline entry."
"Use a rustic, slightly distressed font for the titles, and a clean sans-serif for the descriptions."
"Ensure the layout is a single, elegant column that looks great on both a large desktop screen and a mobile phone."
