Building Industry Magazine - February 2014 - (Page 25)

BestPractices A Post-Job Survey Equals More Work! vey: b Suprctations? Jo Post- et your ex e ? e BY GARRETT J. SULLIVAN * What could we do better? Being in the construction r we m bette na * Did business is like owning a tiger. we do nce o e ld * On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the forma ing th t cou r per e You bid a job, organize it, build * Wha highest, please rank our performance in: nk ou , with 10 b a 0 ase r it and then go out and find * Ple e of 1 to 1 * Sales experience another. Similarly, you can keep scal t: nce hes * Construction experience hig a tiger happy as long as you are ce perie es ex n experien perience * Sal feeding it, but if you don't have x io * Training and closeout experience e t eout struc * Con g and clos enough food when it gets hungry kely O * On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely w li nin 10, ho again, you'll be next on its menu. * Trai f 1 to end XYZ are you to recommend XYZ le o mm o a sca Contractors need jobs just as tigers Construction to others? * On you to rec o others? t need food. You need to keep your job are ruction The sweet spot for the survey is Const backlog full 365 days a year to hold the 30 to 45 days after the job's completion, tiger at bay. One way to accumulate jobs which gives the owner sufficient time to evaluate (or "food") in your pipeline is to keep your performance. The cover letter should be addressed customers extremely satisfied. to the highest-level person that can provide accurate Successful contractors are usually cost-conscious feedback. Ideally, you should request a meeting to go contractors. However, those that allocate resources to over the survey. By meeting directly, you are signaling to the pursuit of customer satisfaction often score repeat them that "your opinion matters and I care." business. As such, you should be willing to spend-albeit The survey also serves as an assessment for your senior prudently-in order to retain customers in the long term. management team and can direct them toward becoming Do you hear these remarks from clients? more customer focused. Additionally, it can initiate a "tool * "You don't have enough men on this job." box" talk with the field personnel to highlight needed * "You didn't answer my email (or call) yesterday." improvements or praise them for a job well done. Here are some suggestions to improve customer satisfaction: * "You need to keep a cleaner job site." * "You never show up when you say you will." * "You didn't protect the adjacent areas from damage." * "Did you complete your own punch list first?" If you're hearing these often, rest assured you will not be high on their list for the next job. Consider one way that great restaurants provide you with extraordinary experiences: the constant monitoring of service and food quality. If there's something wrong with your experience, they'll gladly replace the food or discount the meal. Is this how you are approaching your customers? If not, start conducting Post-Job Surveys to improve your chances of getting a callback for the next job. Occasionally, contractors will mail out Post-Job Surveys or use a service such as Survey Monkey. However, these rarely provide meaningful feedback and are never as effective as making direct contact with the owner or his or her representative. Here are some questions you might want to include in your Post-Job Survey: * Did we meet your expectations? * Tie your compensation policy to the Post-Job Survey ratings. * Provide customer satisfaction training for your office and field staff on a regular basis. * Speak consistently about the importance of providing a positive customer experience and acknowledge when you see it. * Eliminate policies that diminish customer satisfaction-for instance, a rule allowing only management to talk to owners on the job site. * Ensure everyone has the authority to do whatever it takes (within reason) to satisfy the client. Studies show that gaining new customers will cost you five to seven times as much as retaining existing ones. Increase your profit by paying close attention to clients' needs and wants. Let them be your biggest advocate in the community. When you make customers your primary focus, they will return to you again and again. Besides keeping you profitable, it also means not worrying constantly about feeding the tiger at your door. BI Garrett Sullivan is president of Sullivan & Associates, Inc., a management consultancy focused on the construction industry. Connect with him at GSullivan@SullivanHi.com, www.SullivanHi.com or 808.478.2564. www.buildingindustryhawaii.com | 25 http://www.SullivanHi.com http://www.buildingindustryhawaii.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Building Industry Magazine - February 2014

FEATURES COMMERCIAL/RETAIL
ROOFING CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION OF HI
ROOFING MATERIALS
INSIDE THE NAWIC
HAWAII’S WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION
NEWS BEAT Outstanding Union Builder of the Year
Luxury Residences Planned at Ala Moana
CAK Installs Board, Honors Members
BIA Installs President Brian K. Adachi
Admor HVAC Cools Cancer
Kapiolani Medical Center Begins Expansion
ASLA Elects New Board
Nan Inc. Gives $1M to St. Francis
DEPARTMENTS Concept to Completion: 1 43 Hekili Street 6
Contracts Awarded
Low Bids
Best Practices: A Post-Job Survey Equals More Work!

Building Industry Magazine - February 2014