What studios ask us most often.
Your question isn't here? Write to us, we reply personally.
How do I get started?
You start for free: request access, and the TMC app guides your team through capturing your library sample by sample, without limit and without payment details. Prefer to talk first? We are happy to arrange a conversation.
How do our samples get into the system?
Sample by sample, via scan: photograph the label and the surface, the AI does the rest.
What happens on the scan day?
We come to you and capture the entire sample cabinet. On the same day we go through the onboarding in the app together, once, in five steps. Afterwards the concierge stays beside your work in the app, and we complete the data with your suppliers over the following two weeks.
Does it work on the go?
Yes. The Material Concierge runs in the browser, on the laptop as well as on the phone. You scan directly with the phone camera, in the office, in the showroom or on site.
What happens with suppliers that are not yet in the catalogue?
The scan still creates the product, visible only to your studio. We request missing details directly from the supplier, so your library becomes complete without you chasing anyone.
Do you connect to our email inbox?
No, never. No IMAP, no password, no mailbox sharing: your email address is used purely as a username. Supplier requests are sent from The Material Concierge's own domain. Full details at /en/security.
Who owns our data?
You do. Your library can be exported in full at any time, there is no lock-in. Your material data is stored on EU servers, compliant with the GDPR and the Swiss FADP; supplementary services are covered by EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
What happens to our data if The Material Concierge one day no longer exists?
You keep everything you have exported, and you can export at any time. Settings has an “Export data” button: it packs a ZIP archive on the spot with your library, projects and requests as an Excel file, plus the photos of your samples and the data sheets we hold. As often as you like, no request form, no waiting. All in open formats: Excel or LibreOffice for the spreadsheet, any image viewer for the photos. You do not need us to read your own library. Run the export on day one, then you can see for yourself what you are holding. The scanning day is therefore not a rental: what is created that day is yours.
Are prices and product data up to date?
Not every supplier releases prices; where none are provided, the system shows none. Available prices and specifications come from the supplier and are maintained together with them, without guarantee. Where data is missing or outdated, The Material Concierge follows up with the supplier.
How do product data stay up to date?
In two ways. We continuously compare the products with the supplier's website, weekly for active suppliers, and follow up on any differences. And suppliers with portal access we ask every three months to confirm their data in the portal, upload new price lists or catalogues, and hide discontinued products. Responsibility for the information lies with the supplier; we remind them of it. If you notice a difference yourself, write to us and we will check with the supplier.