We ran across another great article (this time from a magazine we subscribe to called Qualified Remodeler). This article discusses the fact that there are fewer jobs out there right now, but those customers who are doing remodeling work are feeling a greater sense of satisfaction with the work being done!
Here is a snippet from the article by Patrick O’Toole
“About 18 months ago, when the financial crisis sidelined the American consumer, phones stopped ringing for many, if not most, remodeling firms. This was true across the board, even those well-established firms with sterling reputations. So it is hard to imagine that the impact on newer companies and those with questionable reputations was anything but harsh.
When the dust settles and we begin to assess the impact of this recession on remodeling firms, a good analogy is likely to be that of a fire in an old-growth forest — only the strongest will have survived while much of the underbrush (less established firms and those with poor reputations) were swept away. Ironically, the numerical loss of firms will ultimately make the surviving firms stronger. Now, with the results of Qualified Remodeler magazine’s sixth annual Remodeling Customer Satisfaction Survey, we are beginning to see those effects.
By asking remodeling customers about their experiences, post-remodel, over the past six years, we’ve been able to develop a time series of data that demonstrates three conclusions. 1.) Remodelers in the aggregate tend to get low to mediocre grades from their customers. 2.) Remodelers who are seen as exhibiting a certain set of positive behaviors (timeliness, etc.) tend to get much higher customer satisfaction scores. 3.) Remodeling firms tend to satisfy their customers at higher rates when market activity is lower as it was in 2009.
The first two points have been well established over each of the past six years, but the lessons learned are no less critical now as they were then. The third conclusion, that remodelers do a better job at satisfying customers during recessionary times, stands to reason. With fewer jobs to go around, established firms, with better systems and processes, are getting the jobs. It also suggests that each customer is getting more time and attention focused on their needs. Our goal with this analysis is to examine the underlying reasons and to see if reproducible patterns emerge and with those patterns offer constructive ideas on how to incorporate them in your remodeling and/or home improvement business…….”
Please click on the link below to read the entire article, and please let us know what you think!
Fewer Jobs, Greater Satisfaction
