Real Issues Customer Relations Evaluations
Real Issues customer relations evaluations uncover your buyers’ perceptions to help you improve customer satisfaction before they’re surveyed by J. D. Power or other survey companies.
Your buyers are contacted before and after close of escrow to discuss their buying experiences in a conversational interview.
The information we gather from your buyers provides insights regarding the impact your policies and staff are having on your buyers’ opinions, giving you an opportunity to take actions to improve their perceptions.
Our Internet-based real-time reports provide immediate feedback so your team can take action before the buyers are surveyed.
What Are the Benefits of Real Issues?
Our Real Issues evaluations can provide your company with the following results:
- Your J. D. Power (or other customer satisfaction) scores will significantly increase.
- Your company can expect a consistent “would recommend” percentage of 95% or more, because homebuyers and owners will feel that management is hearing all of their concerns.
- Your company will be recommended to the family and friends of satisfied homebuyers.
- Your staff will experience a higher level of job satisfaction by reducing their time spent putting out customer complaint fires and dealing with irate buyers.
- Your warranty costs will be reduced. It has been proven that satisfied homeowners are less likely to submit needless warranty requests.
- Your chances for construction litigation will be reduced.
In one example, a builder analyzed the results from written surveys and concluded the buyers weren’t recommending his company because of frustrations with the design center. When we interviewed the buyers, we were able to uncover that the real dissatisfaction was a result of the sales and mortgage representatives not promptly returning the buyers’ calls.
Instead of making a substantial investment in design center improvements, the builder was able to create policies regarding timely responses and procedures for keeping the buyers better informed. These changes required an almost zero dollar investment and the builder experienced an immediate increase in his satisfaction scores.
Conversations with Homebuyers
We contact your homebuyers at the most critical points in the buying-owning experience—before and after the close of escrow. The interviews are completed by phone in a skillful, courteous, thoughtful and intelligent manner.We guide the buyers through a comprehensive “talking points” interview that’s tailored to your concerns, policies, and processes. We then document all of their open-ended comments in our Internet-based software which captures departmental categories, sources and tone. This allows easy translation of the information into an understanding your management can put into immediate action.
Candid Perceptions
Our interviews uncover your buyers’ real thoughts and feelings regarding their interactions with your company. We ask them to describe any experiences they had that were unexpected—positive or negative. We provide an opportunity for them to discuss their impressions frankly and spontaneously with receptive, caring and sympathetic interviewers. Quite simply, they tell us what they’re telling their family and friends about your company.How do Real Issues Differ from Written Surveys?
Mailed or e-mailed surveys can be valuable measures of overall customer satisfaction, and allow comparisons between divisions and companies. J. D. Power and other customer satisfaction surveys are frequently used in determining bonus awards.
Real Issues help you improve your scores because we find out how your buyers really feel about your company through comments that explain their positive and negative answers. Unlike questionnaires that can just be one-dimensional data generators, we take the time to hear buyers out and confirm we’ve completely documented their comments and concerns.
These buyer interactions are conducted by our staff who are highly trained, experienced in housing, and expert in the art of interviewing. They take special care to create a positive experience for every buyer they contact. They are also very careful to communicate that they are not in a position to resolve the buyer’s concerns or commit the builder to any type of response.
Buyers welcome the follow-up contact, and have said in many cases that they appreciate a builder who cares enough to ask for their opinions. As a result, our interviews become sound public relations for the builder.
The Bottom Line
Real Issues are affordable and provide a high return on your investment. They allow you to coach your team to improve their interactions with their buyers. The reports also identify policies or procedures that are causing misunderstandings or frustrations. Real Issues are designed to help your company and staff make the buying process more enjoyable for your customers.
