Well I couldn’t fit the entire title.
Managing Customers, Their Expectations, and Satisfaction.
A few thread’s and reality have me pondering this.
On the surface it would seem simple, Give them quality work and they’ll be happy and be honest with them, however I don’t believe it is that simple.
What, if any, processes, systems, personal belief’s etc. do you have to help you keep your customer’s happy and how do you truly know they are happy? Sure if someone is pissed you probably here about it, but mildly un-happy or just barely satisfied customers probably are not going to say much.
Replies
I agree with what you said in the Pulte house thread. People in general are less concerned about quality as they are a painless experience that looks good. They don't want to deal with problems and better yet they want it to cost less. Definately not more cost due to a change order or any other such inconvienence.
We have intentionally built our business around this model. Explain just what they need to know so they are not surprised. Offer a limited amount of selections so they are not overwhelmed by it all. If they already have their eye on something then we will install that but if not, "look at the 3 Moen faucets we offer Mrs. Smith."
We can hardly sell a decent vanity but they are more than willing to put a $300 nickel plated faucet on a $150 vanity. Cheap tub, nice surround. After all they are both white aren't they. Yes but the steel tub will only last 10-15 years usually, "oh well, we won't be here that long anyway".
Anyway it is all cosmetic, feel good, and service. We throw decent structure in and few good products when we can but overall it is just a Wal Mart mentality. And I don't think it will get better. The only place I hear of plywood sided cabinets is at the place to order cabinets and here. No one else has a clue and when you try to sell it as a quality feature the glazed eyes happen. I am not surprised at all to find that most people wouldn't pay for house wrap. They simply can't see it and won't be here that long!
I just priced a kitchen last week where we offered the cheapest cabinets I would be willing to install to the home owner. Cabinet price for 14 units, my cost, $4500. She had her drain fixed and the bill came to $2000. So her response was she would have to cheapen the cabinets. She called the yard and someone told her she could get the same cabinets with 3/8" particle board sides and MDF fronts. 3/8!! I passed on the job. It reduced the cabinets cost to $2400. I can't imagine what it will look like. But I will never know. DanT
Don't get me started on cabinets...
We had been using Merillat Classic Delux or Masterpiece for years, they're not great but for the money, with the right upgrades, they're a good value...
Until recently, where we've had a bunch of problems.
We've now switched to a different cab company.
I see a lot of pretty pictures people save and show me for what they want, then they get the price....and it's differnt story... HGTV be damned.
Edit, Forgot to comment on the number of selections.
I run into problems with that, the worst is cabinet pulls, Standard line for cab pulls is:
"Install owner provided cabinet door and drawer pulls and bath accessories"
Then people ask for a catalog... so I start out small, recommend they go to a local shop and see if they can find them, if that doesn't work I will give them catalogs, problem is the catalogs have 1000's of choices... Same with faucets etc.
With our kitchen sinks on c-top replacements, we used to spec an Elkay 18Ga lustertone with an option for a Blanco 20ga, and I'd explain the difference. 9/10 saved the 150 or what ever it was and went with the cheaper model. Now the Blanco is spec'd with an upgrade.
Edited 3/19/2006 6:41 pm ET by CAGIV
I just sent a bunch cust. sat. surveys out...looks like I'll get about 1/2 back. Some suprises & new insights. One customer was given a low figure on our labor due to a mistake by the kitchen designer...I told them we had to sort that out before I would start work...I thought getting off on the wrong foot like that would poison the whole project (they gave us an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10 for overall satisfaction). I can't believe we pulled that off.
Some gave us higher marks for cleanliness and timeliness than quality of work. That actually irritated me...we aren't really that clean, but we try. I value the quality of the work above all else, but I found out the customers often value other things more. It let us know what was important to people & who knew good work when they saw it.
It will help us improve and get more business from good customers & their friends. Just asking what they think and value bumps our image up a notch in their eyes.
I value the quality of the work above all else, but I found out the customers often value other things more.
That is mostly what I am getting at. I know we can and do give good quality work, and if it's not quality the first time it is re-done... However most customers do value that as much as other aspects of the process.
What would you say the most important aspects are to your customers?
For mine, from what I have taken out of the one year I've been in my current position is, Keeping the Job site clean,
Did I show them that I care about them behind their project, I have/had a tendancy to come across as to serious or blunt, not being personable enough, soemthing I'm working on and getting better at.
Keeping them with working/functional utilities...
Did I keep my commitments to them
Did I explain what is going to happen well enough before it happens.
Did I return their phone calls quickly and communicate well, keep them well aprised of the job and where it's at, At least once a day someone tell's me "Thanks for calling and telling me whats going on"
to name a few
edit: we usually send out a survey, I'm not sure how much I value the results, if you want to recieve more then 50% and you mail your final, send them with the final bill with a return envelope. If someone doesn't send one back, there is probably a reason, might warrant a call, if you really want to find out what they are thinking.
Edited 3/19/2006 6:42 pm ET by CAGIV
I'm still not quite sure what their priorities are...I'm sure most want the total package. I was just surprised to get so many high marks for cleanliness, timeliness, friendliness and not more value placed on the quality of work.The work has to be good (a given perhaps) and they expect that (I hope), maybe they expect us to be late, be pigs, and short on social skills. They gush about how clean you leave the job, and are suprised when you show up and finish on time. A national survey I read about gave contactors a 50% satifaction rating. Among the dissatisfied 1/2 cited poor work as the primary issue. The other half of the irked off had issues with communication (lack of or poor comprehension), delays (no shows/show and disappear for a day or week, etc.), and the big gripe "overcharging" (bill significantly bigger than estimate).If you get all that stuff right, then people have a chance to care about...say, cleanliness etc.They didn't survey the contractors to see what they thought of the homeowners <G>.Now that we have a survey, we get the current customer to fill it out on completion of the job. The ones mailed out were "catching up" with prior customers. We did use a SASE to entice returns.
Mind sharing your from?
We receive good marks on quality of work, like yourself we get the most comments on other issues, usually a line or two they just circle a number in the range for quality, the comments on other issues are usually longer and more in depth.
Here is the text:At Basswood Home Improvement, we value the opinions of our customers.
Please take a moment to fill out this short survey to help our business improve and grow!
Thank you,Where did you hear about us?
________________________________________Quality of workmanshipUnbelievable, the Picasso of carpentry!
Good, I got my money’s worth.
Only fair-not bad, but not that great.
Poor, I’ll ask the grade school wood shop students to do my next project.Service/friendlinessFantastic & with a smile!
Good, I had a positive experience.
Only fair…they did the work.
Poor…caveman communication skills.TimelinessWonderful. The job was completed earlier than I expected!
Good, the job was done on time as expected.
Only fair, the job ran a few days late.
Poor, ever heard of a watch or a calendar?CleanlinessUnbelievable, better then when you arrived.
Pretty good for carpenters!
Only fair, a bit of rubble left behind, but okay.
Poor…I wouldn’t let my dog walk through there.Based on your overall experience, how would you rate Basswood Home Improvement on a 1 to 10 scale?Poor The Best!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Let us give you an estimate on any future project you are planning! Check all that apply out of the following services we provide:Cabinets
Countertops
Door installation
Trim work (baseboards & casing)
Built-in furniture
Custom closets
Other ___________________________________Comments:
____I posted this a couple of weeks ago for feedback on improving it, we made some minor changes and will tweak it some more. Here is the MS Word version with an infomercial page preceeding it:
I remember the survey now.
I can post ours when I get to work if anyone is interested, though it's not quite as lively or fun as yours ;)
Some gave us higher marks for cleanliness and timeliness than quality of work. That actually irritated me...we aren't really that clean, but we try. I value the quality of the work above all else, but I found out the customers often value other things more. It let us know what was important to people & who knew good work when they saw it.
Bass, that discovery should not irritate you, it should enthrall you! The fact is that most people don't have the knowledge or experience to judge good work, so they judge what they can. The reason you should be excited is because almost anyone can clean whereas few can install high quality kitchens. If you can combine the two you will be a dynamo!
I'll admit that I really don't know what good plumbing is. I've been around a lot of plumbers and seen a lot of plumbing but to tell you the truth, if they haven't hacked up the framing, cleaned up after themselves, weren't to slobbish in appearance, and know how to use a cell phone to call when they will be late I will give good marks. About the only real test I know about plumbing is that water should come out of some pipes and go into others. It's the tangible elements that I focus on.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
That you are getting 1/2 your surveys back is great! Often 10% is about what can be expected.But I wonder how well your customers can tell "quality" work? What is quality to them? Do they know it when they see it? What matters to one person, might not matter to another.
I've been called a hero by two customers in the last 2 weeks. One was for finding a washer for a really old faucet. The other was for taking the initiative and hanging a shutter that blew off. Took all of 5 minutes, but made her day.
To keep customers happy:
It's work for me.
Pete Duffy, Handyman
I agree with your entire list, Two struck a cord.
Wipe your feet or take off your shoes when entering their house. Be respectful of their home, no matter what shape it is in. It's their castle
It's a small jesture but I always take my shoe's off when entering a home, even when they say it's ok.
Treat them with respect and courtesy, but you don't have to be formal.
I almost always used to address customers as Mr or Mrs (insert last name) it seems to make some people uncomfortable and I can also see it working against me in other ways such as placing myself below them. I now try to use first names more frequently.
Except with some doctors... A good number seem to be called Dr so & so, I've even been corrected when I called one Mr. so&so and was told it was DR. It took self control to not let what I was thinking show ;)
Included in my price is an allowance for sinks, cabinet pulls, faucets etc . This way they can go pick it out and I will buy it. My O&P is on that figure so sometimes they are lower and I make a little or sometimes they are higher and I lose a little. Either way they work it out on their own time. They just have to give me the selection by the drop dead date on the contract or they install it themselves. Usually good incentive. DanT
"A good number seem to be called Dr so & so, I've even been corrected when I called one Mr. so&so and was told it was DR."Was that a college proffesor (Phd) rather than an MD?
On the other hand, the ones that I've had go sour both had one thing in common:
The customer thought that he/she was getting screwed in some way. Once this happens, I've found it almost impossible to satisfy them.
One, after getting a quote from me and thinking it too high, told me it was too high. I was new to the business and inexperienced in this, and ended up meeting his price. While driving to the job site the next day, he calls me and tells me my price is STILL too high (his price!) Then, after following his directions on how to install some tile, he told me I installed it wrong. Nitpicked everything else after that, and withheld a few hundred $$. Once it goes sour, find a way out that saves face for everybody, if possible, but try to get out with the least amount of damage. Then move on.
2nd one I scratched a fridge. They accused me of trying to cover it up (false) blahblahblah. Even after I bought her a new fridge, she nitpicked everything, including the taping and 1st coat of mud (never looks good for me, but the final product looks excellent.) Footprints on the 1980 vintage carpet (dust was from her garage, not my work area.) Anyway, she kicked me off the job, then asked me back. Stupid me, I went back trying to do the right thing. DUH!
Anyway, once the trust is gone, the relationship is sour, and chances are, you'll be out some $$.
Also, knowing how to say "No." is an incredibly effective business tool. Knowing when to say it is even better.
Pete Duffy, Handyman
The on time on date thing is one of the biggest as far as setting the standard with a customer. If we are going to be 10 minutes late we call, apologize and say how far away we are. It is one of the areas we get the biggest compliments.
I also agree on the trust factor. Once gone you might as well pack up and go home (not really you need to finish) but they will never be 100% satisfied again.
We tarp everything from the door to the area where we are working if we are doing any real work at all. We always get rave reviews on that. But your point is the same as mine. I am looking to do good work and they are looking for service and appearance. DanT
be honest.
under promise.
over deliver.
working with a place at the moment ... for some reason ... they have the uncontrolable desire to over promise ...
I looked at a bath job ... said ... U get me everything I need ... and there are no problems along the way ... 5 weeks.
They said great .. they first thot 6 weeks, then if they send me help ... 5 ... and had a glimmer of hope for 4. I said ... fine ... but it's 5 weeks.
So ... they tell the customer .. after the freaking job is already sold ...
4 to 5 weeks.
???
Why?
I'da said ... 6 to 7.
U get done on time ... in 5 ... thrilled customer. The inevitable happens ... and U are done in 6 ... they're still happy. Something goes wrong ... yer still covered at 7.
Customer had already mentioned that they were hoping for 4 weeks and we were at the start of the 4th.
Then ... stuff started going wrong and not being ready ...
Looks like 6 will be happening after all.
my buddy was working a smaller bath redo ... he said 5 days ...
they had thot "maybe as lomg as 5" ... "but we already told the customer 3" ...
???
underpromise ... over deliver.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
I always try to give a fair range and qualify the lower the number with "If everything goes just right"
which happens 1/10 jobs, something almost always comes up.
I've 100% stopped ballparking money on the initial visit. no mater what I say they only here the lower number.
I had never given much thought to doing/handing out a survey but it seams like a good idea for a company with multiple employees. I think I know whether or not the customer is pleased because I deal with them myself.
Of all the things that I feel are important on the list of things that people have mentioned is the "be on time" "do what you say your going to do" and "be honest".
I disagree with the "don't give em to much to think about", I want them to think about all the options available to them. I don't want any of my customers saying sometimes down the road that they were never given the option of something or another. I hand out catalogs with thousands of knobs and pulls, I also give them the places to go that have thousands more. I don't care how much they toil over the decision.
I never bid a cabinet job where I include the knobs/pulls. I will install them and I include that in my cost but I'm not even going to bother trying to figure out costs when you can spend between $1 and $20 per, and at 100 knobs/pulls as in the latest job I'm doing, that adds up to some serious coin.
I do some sub work for a guy that couldn't tell the truth to save his life, latest customer always tells me, "Ed tells us what we want to hear and you(me) tell us the truth" I'd rather have my rep then Ed's. Honesty's important!
Doug
Edited 3/23/2006 11:32 pm ET by DougU
I never bid a cabinet job where I include the knobs/pulls. I will install them and I include that in my cost but I'm not even going to bother trying to figure out costs when you can spend between $1 and $20 per, and at 100 knobs/pulls as in the latest job I'm doing, that adds up to some serious coin.
I used about that very same line tonight to a couple I sold a kitchen to, even the dollar to twenty part ;)...
I don't want my customers to feel limited in their options, on the other hand I do not want to give them so many as to drag a job out.... I start out small with my favorite suppliers of what ever and tell them if they can't find something I have more... If I gave a customer a catalog for every knob and pull and every faucet and sink I have in my shop it would be overwhelming
If I gave a customer a catalog for every knob and pull and every faucet and sink I have in my shop it would be overwhelming
I agree, guess it depends on what it is that they need.
I like the customer to have a lot of options when there looking to have custom cabs built. The more options that they have and see the more I can sell them. No fun building simple cabinets! I like all the bells and whistles.
As you mentioned, some can get overwhelmed with choices, gotta be able to sniff that out early!
Doug
With kitchen custome cabinets I can your advantage to showing them all the options.
Think of a whole kitchen though.
all the options for cabs
knobs and pulls
countertops
lighting
backsplash
sinks
faucets
flooring
etc.