Business Articles - Trade Tips - From David Lupberger

Communications Need To Be Clear

If you listen to typical complaints about the home improvement industry, you'll notice that they are not usually about the actual construction itself. Complaints are usually about something that didn't happen. They are about expectations that weren't met. In other words, communications regarding the project weren't clear.

Most professionals in construction know their trade. What we're not so good at is clear and effective communication. This relates to communicating, scheduling, and documenting the things we've said and done. I've found that one of the greatest fear quenchers is providing a detailed paper trail that I can put in the homeowner's hands.

Simple Documentation

Here are five things you can do to provide a simple paper trail that will keep you and your customers on the same page, eliminating most of the misunderstanding that comes up in a typical home improvement project:

The Carbonless Memo Form

Let me give you a $1,000 tip. At the end of each meeting with the homeowners, write a simple summary of what was said. You can buy a carbonless memo pad from most stationery or office supply stores. Go one step further, and get your name and company logo printed at the top of each form. During the course of each meeting with your customers, make notes on that carbonless memo pad.

On that form, review what was discussed during that meeting, and include a simple summary of what is supposed to happen by the next meeting. This simple memo form holds you accountable, and it also holds your customer accountable. Homeowners will thank you for these notes. These notes will keep them in the loop, and that's really what homeowners are looking for. These notes will also document progress on an ongoing basis and document what was said. If conflicts arise in the future, you can always refer back to your written meeting notes.

The Homeowner Notebook

Create a notebook where you can put this and other types of project documentation. Take this notebook and create several sections where all project-related communication can go. One section can be for your meeting notes. Another section can be for all contract documentation. A third section might be for change orders, and another for all warranty materials. By giving your customers a notebook like this, you give them a way to keep their project documentation organized, and you also give them a great example of project management professionalism.

Weekly Progress Meetings

Even with a good contract and clear specifications, unresolved details will pop up on larger jobs. For longer duration projects, set up weekly or bimonthly "progress meetings" where you and the homeowners meet to review any questions, make decisions, and consider changes to the plans. If these meetings are regularly scheduled, homeowners will never have to worry about contacting you with an important question because they know when they'll see you next. Their confidence is higher, and both you and your homeowner can use your time more efficiently. Done correctly, regularly scheduled progress meeting will eliminate most evening and weekend calls.

Onsite Job Book

To facilitate customer communication, place a logbook onsite in a staging area away from all the construction. Secure it by rope or wire so that it can't be removed from its designated spot. Let your homeowner's know that the book is there for them to record any questions or comments about their job. It also provides an efficient way for the project supervisor to get homeowner's comments when he or she arrives at the site in the morning. I like to tell homeowners that we will respond to any questions within 24 hours so they know that there is a built-in feedback loop with any comments that are left in that notebook.

The book provides a written record of homeowner concerns, reduces loose notes and unanswered phone calls, and communicates their concerns to you, so you can prepare a response for the next progress meeting. If their concern is relatively simple, the job supervisor can respond in the same logbook and not waste time chasing the homeowners by phone. Plus, at the end of the job, you get to give them the book as a project diary and memento they can review long after their project is over.

A Documented Schedule

One of the homeowner's biggest fears is: "When will we get our house back?" All homeowners have horror stories of a kitchen, bath or basement remodel that went on far too long. How do you best respond to this fear? Show them a construction schedule that becomes part of your contract. Create a schedule that lets the homeowners see and understand the flow of their project.

In many cases, a schedule like this is something they've never seen before. A construction schedule helps illustrate a process that most homeowners do not understand, and lets you address their real fear about how long you are going to be in their house. Because most projects do experience changes in the schedule, use the weekly or bi-weekly progress meetings to make amendments to their project schedule. Keeping them informed on a regular basis will eliminate many of the complaints that come up during the construction process. Follow these five steps, and you will eliminate 90 percent of the complaints you receive.