Be Safe, Be Smart, Be Aware

As any good business owner knows, it is important to do everything you can to ensure your customers are satisfied with your service. That is certainly true for us in the general contracting business. At JGL Consulting, we take considerable time reviewing our policies and procedures, making sure we are doing all that we can to make our clients happy.

However, as with all professions, sometimes mistakes can happen that may cause our customer to be less than satisfied with our service. When these situations do arise, take the opportunity to learn from it so as to avoid making the same error in the future. Here are some tips to make your customer’s experience a good one.

Our Five Favorite Customer Tips

1. Ensure that both of you know the scope of work – when first meeting with your customer, it’s up to both of you to agree on the scope of work and for you to determine if this is something you and your business can do. You don’t want to agree to a project and not deliver, so be sure not to take on more than you can handle.
2. Take before, during and after photos – this is always a smart idea. Let your customer know that taking photos of the project’s progress is a necessary part of your work. Customers are generally very receptive of this and understand the reasoning behind it.
3. It’s all in the contract – make sure that all the details, project expectations, budget and timeline are clearly stated in your contract. And that both parties agree to these details.  Don’t leave anything to guesswork; if there are questions for either of you, this is the time to get them answered.
4. Schedule your customer’s payments – make sure your customer agrees to a payment schedule and that you enforce that schedule. Your customer needs to understand that a deviation from the payment schedule may delay or stop the work.
5. Keep it professional – all communication with the customer should be handled directly by the owner of the company, the job supervisor or foreperson. As the leaders of the project, the people in these positions know everything there is to know. In order to ensure clarity and that your customer’s questions have been correctly answered, it’s in everyone’s best interests to make sure your customer knows to funnel their questions directly towards these people.

The best customer relationships are ones built on trust and managed expectations.  Be upfront and honest with your customer about what you are capable of doing. Similarly, you should expect honesty throughout the relationship from your customer.  Trust your instincts. This is our unofficial tip but important, nonetheless. Not all jobs are a good fit for your company so if that little voice is telling you to walk away from a project, listen to it. Having been in the business for as long as we have, this instinctual feeling comes into play more often than you think!

Be safe, be smart and be aware. Your business, your employees and your customers will thank you for it.

About JGL Consulting

A recent 2017 Best of HomeAdvisor award recipient, JGL Consulting is a full-service general contracting company that has been serving the greater Phoenix area since 2016, handling all types of construction and home improvement projects, including residential remodeling, detached garage and guest home builds, driveway extensions, patios and decks, stone work, trim and mouldings, outdoor flooring and interior and exterior painting. A local, family-owned business, JGL’s goal is to deliver an exceptional construction experience by adding lasting value to its clients’ homes. JGL Consulting is Dual KB-1 ROC licensed, A+ BBB accredited and maintains a five-star rating on HomeAdvisor. The company uses the most innovative and cutting-edge designs in today’s remodeling market, all while maintaining a professionalism that is second to none. For more information about JGL Consulting and the services that it provides, visit https://www.jglconsulting.org/about.html.