How to ensure superior construction customer service

Does your construction company deliver an amazing client experience every time? 

Did you hesitate to answer? If so, maybe it’s time to make some adjustments.

You have to form and maintain meaningful relationships to land jobs and keep your clients happy throughout their build or renovation process. Understanding your clients’ needs and goals is one of the most important things to consider in your construction business. It not only builds trust, but it also helps ensure they send their referrals to you.

This article will feature eight tips to maximize client relationships with superior construction customer service. Read along and make a lasting impression with your clients.

What is construction customer service?

When it comes to construction, customer service is about how businesses communicate with and assist their clients. This means building positive relationships by responding quickly to service requests, listening to feedback and making it easy for clients to get in touch with support. 

Studies have shown that companies with solid customer service can increase their sales and revenue, as customers are more likely to choose businesses that provide great service.

For example, one study found that customers who received personal and prompt responses from airlines on Twitter were willing to pay more for tickets months later.

At Buildertrend, we’re proud of the exceptional customer service we’ve built over the years. We’ve been named a Customer Service Department of the Year for four years and have a 97.56% customer satisfaction score. We’ve invested in our support staff, launched automated chat and provided great training and support to our customers. This has helped improve their experience and knowledge, leading to greater confidence and successful project completion.

8 tips for improving customer service in construction

In the construction industry, excellent customer service is essential for a positive reputation and referrals. Improve your game with these eight tips:

1. Provide clear, effective communication

Whether it’s an estimate, an invoice or an email, it’s crucial to communicate effectively with your clients.

Never assume anything, and always encourage your clients to ask questions. They aren’t construction experts. That’s why they came to you, so take your time explaining procedures, timelines and budgets in a way that will help them fully understand. Discuss everything upfront so there’s no confusion later.

Constant communication should be a standard you hold throughout the job. This builds trust, which can lead to returning clients and referrals.

2. Be available even when you’re not

When a returning or prospective client reaches out to you, be as prompt as possible with your reply.

Most people won’t wait too long before moving on to someone else. Potential clients often request details via direct message, so try to provide multiple forms of contact information on your website or when advertising — include phone numbers and email addresses, and don’t forget about your social media accounts.

Once a client has chosen you for their job, making them feel like they’re a priority is even more important.

Using tech like Buildertrend’s Customer Portal can help provide great customer service without the added phone calls, emails and in-person meetings.

Instead, your clients can log into the portal from anywhere and at any time to view project information, such as progress photos, daily updates, and important documents. This means that you can save time and effort, and your clients can enjoy greater transparency and clarity throughout the process.

3. Always be early – or be transparent

Whether you’ve scheduled an in-person meeting, a Zoom call or a phone call, make it a point to always be punctual. Arriving early and making time for your clients shows them you value their time and that they’re a priority.

Easier said than done, right?

Nothing would ever go wrong in a perfect world, and you’d always be on time. But in the real world, if you’re running behind or have to make a change in your schedule, do your best to communicate ahead of time. If a delivery is delayed or a deadline can’t be met, be upfront about it. Your clients are more likely to understand if you give advance notice.

4. Harness the power of your team

Make sure your team members are well-versed when it comes to your customer service expectations. Take the time to train them on best practices for delivering an optimal client experience that meets your company’s standards.

Buildertrend customer service software for construction can make a real difference in enhancing customer service, as it serves as a central hub for organizing documents, streamlining communication and fostering teamwork.

It comes packed with helpful features, including project management tools, financial tracking, scheduling and live updates for clients.

Companies like Sneller Custom Homes & Remodeling, a fully custom new home and remodeling company in Spring, Texas, have found great success with Buildertrend. It’s helped them keep their teams in sync, make well-informed decisions and stay connected with clients in real time, boosting the companies’ professionalism, dependability and overall client satisfaction.

By harnessing the power of Buildertrend, Sneller Custom Homes & Remodeling has trained its team effectively in delivering top-notch client experiences, paving the way for even greater business achievements.

5. Take advantage of tech

Streamline and enhance your construction customer experience with technology. Using a feature like Buildertrend’s Customer Portal for real-time communication is essential for staying connected with your clients. It keeps them updated on their project and is a great way for you to keep all of your projects moving. 

Your clients can log in to make decisions regarding their product selections, change orders and other finishes. They can check in anytime to see updates, schedule changes and make payments.

Tri-Pups, Inc. is a small construction company that specializes in remodeling services. It recently implemented Buildertrend’s project management software to improve clients’ experiences.

With features like Daily Logs and the Customer Portal, clients were able to make informed decisions regarding their projects. They could easily access real-time updates on their projects, track changes and stay on top of payments.

Not only did this technology make Tri-Pups’ clients happier, but it also gave the company an edge over its competitors and helped it secure new jobs.

6. Meet your clients where they are

Before starting a project, make sure you have a firm understanding of your clients’ needs, wants and budget. Do your best to work within their budget but be upfront about anything that may not fit.

Being transparent plays a big role in providing superior customer service. It’s best to be clear about financial figures from the start and to avoid any hidden costs that could result from inaccurate estimates.

Set reasonable expectations about what you can and can’t do within their budget, create accurate estimates using construction software and be realistic when setting a project timeline.

7. Own up to mistakes and quickly make them right

Acknowledging mistakes and owning up to them is one way to gain the trust and loyalty of your clients. Addressing your clients’ concerns and accepting the responsibility for errors made on your end will showcase the pride you take in your work. Your commitment to making things right will showcase your dedication to providing the best client experience.

8. Focus on creating relationships

On top of everything else, you must work on fostering relationships with your clients. It’s important to remember that homeowners want to feel some connection with the person or people who will be building their new homes.

Be pleasant and friendly, and take the time to get to know them. Understand the wants and needs they have for their project and give them comfort in knowing they’ll have the best experience if they choose you. Pairing professionalism with personal connection is the way to build trust in construction.

After your clients happily live in their new homes or use their upgraded spaces, think about sending them a thank you card or email to show that you value your business together. This is also an excellent opportunity to ask them for referrals or include some kind of incentive, encouraging clients to send back any current referrals they may have.

Oliver Builders, a residential construction company based in Berkeley, California, believes in building strong relationships with its clients by prioritizing communication and transparency. It uses Buildertrend project management software to keep the lines of communication open and maintain progress on projects while also providing a comprehensive overview of the company’s operations to establish trust with new clients.

In addition, it relies on Buildertrend’s Daily Logs, Selections, and Schedule features to communicate more efficiently with clients and team members. The real-time updates provided by Buildertrend have allowed Oliver Builders to keep up with its tech-savvy clients who prefer to access information online at their convenience.

By forging connections and improving communication with its clients, Oliver Builders has been able to prioritize exceptional customer service and establish long-lasting relationships.

4 ways to build a culture of innovation to deliver a superior customer experience

Building a culture of innovation is essential for construction companies that want to deliver superior customer service. Take it from us — we’re the world’s leading construction management software because we value the team, the customer experience and the technology that brings everyone together. 

Here are four ways to build a culture of innovation and deliver a superior customer experience, inspired by our approach.

1. Build a team that goes above and beyond

When you combine the best people with the best technology, you get customer service that goes above and beyond. If you want to create a culture of innovation, you have to start by hiring people who are committed to excellence.

For example, here at Buildertrend, we hire the best people who exceed customers’ expectations. We do that intentionally because there’s no way we’d be able to promote an innovative culture or be named the #1 Best Place to Work in Omaha (and one of the best nationwide, according to Inc. magazine) if not for our team.

2. Give your team professional development opportunities

It’s important to invest in the professional growth of your team to keep an innovative work culture. Offering opportunities for learning and development can help employees gain knowledge and confidence in their roles, making them better equipped to represent and serve your company.

That’s why we promote shadowing fellow team members and attending webinars. We also provide tuition reimbursement to those with a drive toward continued education. 

There are plenty of ways to help your team grow, so the key is finding more options. Listening to your team’s requests is a good place to start.

3. Encourage your team to think outside the box

Being creative is the heart of innovation. To foster innovation in the construction industry, you have to build an environment that encourages creativity and the sharing of ideas.

When you’re working to resolve customer complaints, you should be able to offer a few different solutions after listening to your clients. The key is to think outside the box and find the right options to keep clients happy. 

For instance, here at Buildertrend, we have a dedicated Customer Success team that ensures our customers are happy and successful with the software. We also offer support resources such as phone, live chat, email support and a knowledge base.

However, in construction, it might be better to focus on things like fixing or redoing an aspect of a project, offering allowance or money, or discounting services.

4. Create opportunity by cultivating external relationships

Partnering with other companies and integrating software into your business can greatly improve the experience your clients have with your company. It can lead to ongoing growth and advancement in your industry by creating a network of businesses that support each other.

That’s why we offer a number of software integrations and external partnerships that take our customer experience to a whole new level.

Is your company delivering great customer service?

By now, you’re probably wondering if your business is tackling customer service in the best way possible or if you’re falling a little behind.

Here’s the thing: Whether you’re currently doing a great job or not, it’s most important that you always focus on ways to improve customer service. The minute you stop innovating is the minute you actually fall behind.

At the end of the day, a quality customer service experience comes down to exceeding the client’s expectations, not just meeting them. So ask yourself how you deliver. Pay close attention to all of your clients’ requests, no matter how big or small (the little things end up being big things for clients). 

More importantly, prioritize communication between you and your clients. If you can do that and listen to their needs, you can use your knowledge and expertise as a contractor to help clients obtain the best value for their money.

This really kicks off when you train your team members to value customer service. Teaching them to put the client first will ensure their interactions go well, even when you aren’t there.

Adding free services during a project never hurts, either. As we said before, the little things can end up being big things when a project is complete, so including a few “freebies” for your clients will go a long way. Whether it’s a little gift when the project is complete or a small upgrade that you do for free, your client will appreciate the kind gesture.

It may seem like a lot, but all of these steps benefit your business. By providing exceptional customer service, you’ll not only surpass your competition, but you’ll also gain more referrals from your satisfied clients.

Provide better customer service with Buildertrend

In this fast-paced industry, people have a lot of choices. Keeping your current clients happy and impressing your new clients should be your top priority. Give your team and clients what they deserve with Buildertrend’s top-notch construction project management software. 

With features such as Daily Logs, Change Orders, Schedules, Selections, Time Clock, To-Do’s, and Warranty, businesses can streamline communication, track projects and stay organized. Ready to take the next step? Schedule a demo today!

Construction customer service FAQs

Still have questions about construction customer service? You can find some answers here.