From hiring the right teammates to arriving early, here are eight answers to the question, “What are your most helpful tips for a construction company to ensure a superior client experience?”
- Assemble the Right Team
- Communicate Well
- Supply Visual Assets
- Provide Regular Updates
- Give Expert Advice on Design Suggestions by the Client
- Take Advantage of Construction Tech
- Follow-Up Often
- Be Early
Assemble the Right Team
As construction projects can be lengthy affairs, it’s important to get the right team in place from the outset and keep them there. While it’s important to be flexible and adaptable to changes, it’s even more important that your team is up to the challenge, and that the client feels confident in the expertise at their disposal.
That’s why having a knowledgeable team with experience in your chosen trade is so important. If you’re a builder, for example, you should know a lot about the various materials you’re using, and how they’ll affect the project, so you can make the right decisions at the right time.
Matthew Ramirez, CEO, Rephrasely
Communicate Well
Most types of construction will include many factors: securing permits and materials, scheduling, weather, and lack of skilled labor. Communication is key; customers are usually understanding as long as they are kept up to date. Progress reports are great, and any information related to delays or setbacks will also be appreciated. Just keep them in the loop, and more often than not they will be understanding.
Jeff Becka, Owner, Fence Resource
Supply Visual Assets
One tip for a construction company to ensure a superior client experience is to always prioritize communication. Keeping clients informed and up-to-date on their projects by providing regular updates on progress and notifying them of any issues or delays that may arise creates trust in the partnership.
As construction photographers, they often hire us to complete progress photography. These photos are sent to the client via the site manager to provide clear visual communication on the status of the project. This gives the client an opportunity to address any concerns, especially if they are not local, as well as show the client that your company is proactive, the project is a priority, and their input is valued.
Megan Lowdon, Director of Operations, Robert Lowdon Photography
Provide Regular Updates
The key to ensuring a superior client experience for a construction company lies in regular, effective client communication. Regular updates and check-ins with the client can build trust and strengthen relationships. It is essential to provide frequent and reliable updates on timelines, project statuses, any potential issues, shift changes, and other relevant information.
Establishing an ongoing dialogue ensures everyone agrees so that budgets and timeline goals can be met without surprises or delays. Regular updates also show a willingness to keep the customer informed while providing assurance for quality services. With clear two-way communication, a construction company will see loyal customers who are highly satisfied with the result of their projects.
Lorien Strydom, Executive Country Manager, Financer.com
Give Expert Advice on Design Suggestions by the Client
Construction companies should give expert advice on design suggestions made by their clients. This ensures the best possible construction results, while also helping the client to get the most value out of their project.
We achieve a superior client experience when construction companies give guidance that goes beyond simply following orders, and instead provides additional recommendations for improvements and optimizations around the requested design. With proper guidance from experts, clients can be confident that their projects will have successful completion results, as well as satisfaction with the end product of their efforts.
Jim Campbell, Owner, Camp Media
Take Advantage of Construction Tech
Using the Buildertrend Customer Portal is our go-to suggestion for enhancing the customer experience. Clients want to know at all times what is occurring with the construction or remodeling of their property.
That’s impossible, you might say at this point. However, you may come quite close using the customer portal. Clients will have direct access to their project, where they can monitor the budget, check images that their team has contributed in real-time, and watch the development of the work.
Through the usage of the customer portal, many customers have produced stress-free experiences for their clients, and you will, too. Giving them a login and establishing their access level is all that is required. What they can and cannot see is completely under your control.
Janie Doyle, Marketing Director, SC Vehicle Hire
Follow-Up Often
One of my favorite tips for a killer customer experience is ensuring that I follow up on the queries or questions they might have raised before. This is a sales technique that easily translates into the construction company business.
It may seem like you’re only doing your job, but in reality, we forget how many questions go unanswered. Therefore, in a simple yet extremely effective way, you can forge a loyal customer to your business just by observing their concerns.
You also should remember that few “normal” people understand construction language; therefore, there will definitely be some confusion on the client’s side. Ensuring you address the needs they forgot they had will definitely give you the upper hand.
Derek Sall, Founder & Financial Expert, Life and My Finances
Be Early
There are many tips to ensure a superior client experience, but I find “being early” the most effective one because most of the time, clients are busy or in a hurry. If you reply in real-time and provide solutions when they need them, you can easily make them happy.
“Being early” means not only replying to the client on time; if you have scheduled a meeting on Skype or Zoom or any other video call, be the first to present. It shows you respect the client and value their time. Arrive early and don’t hang up first.
There is one more scenario regarding “being early.” When you know that a project is going to be delayed or your company can’t deliver it on time, inform the client proactively before they find out. You can inform them with advance notice. This way, you can avoid an unnecessary dispute with the client over the deadline.
Sanjay Singh, Founder & CEO, Technource Inc.