“Looking after Number One,” your big customers

Keeping the big customers happy, in fact keeping all customers happy, is something that any contractor needs to address as part of their business plan. Canadian Contractor talked to some of Canada’s leading builders to learn more about their approaches to after-move-in service.

Rose Barroso, Barroso Homes

Rose Barroso, Project Manager, Barroso Homes, Toronto, ON
Over 12 years of building multi-million dollar homes for wealthy clients in the Kingsway area of West Toronto, Rose Barroso, President of Barroso Homes has learned her clients need someone to call during their first year of occupancy.  Her company’s continued success has been built on the combination of excellence in construction and high levels of customer satisfaction.

However, Barroso never expected a call like this. “A client called two months after they moved in to say the neighbours were complaining. ‘About what?’ I asked. ‘The neighbours say our grass is too tall’…. then a long pause.”  Barroso realized the client expected her to do something about it. In response, she sent one of her crew over to cut the grass, along with a list of landscape contractors the client might consider for on-going maintenance.

As a matter of course, Barroso sends out an email each spring and fall to her past clients, reminding them of various maintenance items that need to be done, along with the either recommended companies who will do the work, or reminding the client who did that same work for them before.

“At a certain point you have to hand it all over to them,” says Barroso.  “You can’t walk away. That’s why for a year, I will take care of them. If they say something is wrong with their furnace or their garage door, I simply say ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it and I’ll you know when the service people are coming.’”

Richard Lystang, Rococo Homes

Richard Lystang, President, Rococo Home Inc., Spruce Grove, AB
Lystang sees after move-in service a key to his on-going success through word of mouth. “When we first started, we had clients who used to talk to us almost weekly. After they moved in, we didn’t have that same amount of contact. Some thought we didn’t like them anymore! So we decided to do a general call-out to our other clients. We keep in touch every month or so. We don’t want them to think we just took the money and ran. It gives us a reason to keep in contact to make sure everything is being looked after. We reach out to them and they call us, all the time.”

Lystang also uses this personal reach-out as an opportunity to ask for referrals and a good rating on the web through social media. It works. “They all have my cell number. We’ve had clients come back to build second or third homes with us. I’ve kind of become their house guy, the one they call to ask questions or express concerns.”

Joe Geluch, President of Naikoon Contracting Ltd., North Vancouver B.C.
Geluch has learned that solid procedures, such as clear documentation and a thorough orientation at time of possession, is critical to establishing a well-understood client-contractor relationship. “We do a four to five hour hand-off with the client at the conclusion of a project,” says Geluch. “We present them with the home owner manual that we created that fully describes their new home. We go through all the systems in depth with the actual sub-contractors who installed them, basically showing them how the whole house operates as a system.”

Joe Geluch, Naikoon Contracting Inc.

Naikoon also brings along their maintenance manager to the client orientation. “We introduce some options should they want to hire us to do on-going maintenance for them at the six-month mark and other periodic times. Most say ‘No’ at first, but later when it’s time to do the work, they say ‘Yes.’”

For Geluch, it’s a belief that clarity will reduce misunderstandings. “It really comes down to clearly documented roles and responsibilities. If it’s not set down in writing, if we don’t sign off and say ‘We’re done’, people can get a different perspective. The other side of it is, if a client wants a level of service beyond the normal, a VIP-type client who wants someone to be their representative, that’s fine; we’ll do that. We’ll hire the contractors for them and make sure the work is done, but it has to be under a separate agreement.”

“Looking after Number One”, their customers, long after the last payment has been made, and in ways that suits their unique character, is making good business sense for these leading contractors across Canada.

Follow John on Instagram and on Twitter for notifications about our newest posts 

 Subscribe to our weekly on-line Newsletter for FREE!!!!