3 reasons to anticipate customer needs in the digital era

You don’t want to be just another construction company.

You want to be a “customer construction company”. You know, the kind that manages clients and their many, many needs just as well as they transform empty lots into dream homes.

The digital age has shifted what it means to be a leading construction business, too. Buildertrend’s Digitally Savvy Homeowner Report takes a deep dive into today’s era of continuous digital disruption and how it’s impacting what homeowners now expect when working with builders, remodelers and specialty contractors.

It’s no longer good enough to listen to customers, then respond. That old way of getting things done is about as relevant as a typewriter in today’s workplace. Yeah, we’ll leave those wannabe laptops to the Mad Men era.

Today, homeowners want to work with businesses that are smarter than smart. And what’s smarter than anticipating customers’ wants and wishes? Expecting their expectations can make all the difference between a winning construction company and one that will get left behind in a future that is certainly digital.

Here are the top three reasons you should try and think like your next homeowner before they even walk in your door (or land in your inbox):

Control of communication

Struggling to reach and connect with digital savvy customers? Yeah, you’re not the only one.

From Millennials to Baby Boomers and beyond, consumers today crave digital experiences – including when it comes to building and renovating their homes. It’s through techy tools that you can not only meet customers’ desire for open communication, but you can also maintain control of it.

Whether it’s your client’s first home or you’re remodeling one they’ve lived in since typewriters were actually useful, knowing a customer’s needs (including how they like to communicate) builds trust, transparency and, ultimately, delivers results.

More jobs – lots more

A customer-focused contractor makes more money than one who’s only focused on projects and not people. Why?

They’re landing more jobs. Plain and simple. Think of all the referrals, think of the power of positive word-of-mouth, think of the glowing reviews.

“It’s like they read my mind.”

“They knew what I needed before I knew.”

“If you’re building a new house, you MUST work with them. 5 stars!”

Fanfare like this and positive word of mouth is within your reach. It’s all about knowing your customers and them knowing you have their interests, and not just their wallets, in mind with every business decision.

Rework is a thing of the past

For the best builders, complacency isn’t an option. Neither is wasting a bunch of time (and money) on easily avoidable problems, errors and – gulp – rework.

According to statistics from M-Files, intelligent information management solutions, nearly 30% of the work performed by construction companies is rework. That means nearly one-third of all the work your company does is a complete overhaul of something you already thought was done. Ouch.

The big cause for rework? Your clients. It’s important to keep them happy (they are the ones paying the bill after all), so rework is a necessary evil when a project’s progress is less than perfect.

Perfect is possible though when you listen to your clients and forecast what they want. Exceed their needs even before the start of any job, and rework is put to rest. RIP, you won’t be missed.

So, what do digital savvy customers want?

That’s the elephant in the blog post, huh? You know the benefits of meeting clients’ needs, now it’s time to figure out what those needs are. Don’t worry we’ve already done the work for you – no crystal ball necessary.

Our Digitally Savvy Homeowner Report uncovers the expectations of today’s tech-intelligent homeowners and how residential construction businesses must evolve to meet their needs.

Within this report, you’ll learn best practices for stepping up your operations to meet digitally savvy homeowners’ demands – and why doing so can benefit your business and your bottom line.

To win 2020 with these need-to-know insights, all you have to do is click here to access the full report.

For real, it’s that easy. Just click and win.