Are your customers telling you the whole truth?
The best home builders, remodelers, and contractors understand and respect the influence their customers have on the success of their business. Client relationships require nurturing, and there are always things you can do to improve. The following are a few strategies to consider when looking to improve your company’s delivery of customer service.
1) Encourage your staff to become customer-focused
Every interaction your client has with a member of your staff is critical, so encourage your team to focus on making your client’s experience as positive as possible. Rick Goldstein, a registered architect and Co-Owner of MOSAIC Group [Architects and Remodelers], shares how to inspire stellar service from your team:
“Regular training and reinforcement are essential to ensuring that employees understand the goals and are prepared to carry out their work with them in mind, even in unusual circumstances. Train your staff to monitor conditions while they work and address, or better yet prevent, anything that might be problematic. Don’t wait for the customer to call your attention to a problem. This will help build trust, which is an essential component of a successful business relationship.”
Show your employees just how much of an impact they have on a customer’s overall experience with your company. Survey your clients and include specific questions in your surveys about their interaction with your employees. GuildQuality offers a series of questions that are extremely effective at gathering feedback regarding employee performance. Once you receive your client’s completed survey, share the results with your staff. It’ll be a wakeup call for some, and a shot of confidence for others.
2) Sweat the small stuff
The little things matter, and you’d be surprised at just how much they matter to your client. Is your company missing the mark when it comes to attention to detail? GuildQuality member AK Complete Home Renovations uses the small stuff to help their company standout in the minds of their clients. Their Marketing Communications Manager, Emily Smith explains:
“At AK Complete Home Renovations, our goal is to make sure the process is as stress-free as possible for our clients. We often take on other chores that surprise our clients: we bring in the mail; sign for packages; and even return the trash cans to the house once they’re emptied. These actions show clients we care about them and their home. Even when the project is complete, our service doesn’t stop: We offer warranties on our work and regularly keep in touch with clients. We have been known to help them move back into their new space, assisting them with organizing their new kitchen or bath to make maximum use of all their new customized storage solutions.”
At GuildQuality we focus on the little things by listening to all improvement suggestions from our members and developing solutions to better their user experience.
3) Communicate and build trust
Part of providing quality customer service hinges on your ability to clearly communicate with clients. Make your contact information accessible to clients and create a comfortable environment for them to come to you with any questions or concerns. Communicating with your client builds trust and enables you to gauge whether your company is meeting their standards. Many of our members will go as far as to implement a survey mid-way through a project just to ensure their communication has been on par. Megan Chenovick, Senior Customer Care Representative at Quadrant Homes reflects on her company’s use of surveying clients at multiple points of a project:
“We use GuildQuality’s mid-way through survey as an extra check-in with every customer to make sure their home buying experience is going well, or allow us to take action if needed.”
Communicating with your clients during their project is vital, but remember to also stay engaged with your clients well after the project is completed.
Now that we’ve shared some strategies for improving customer satisfaction, we want to hear from you. What does your company do to create happy clients?
