No matter the job your client needs, you want to leave a lasting positive impression on them. Strong customer relationships are the foundation of success in the construction industry. If your customer has a good experience, they might leave a positive review for your construction business. Happy customers also often lead to repeat business, which is important for a growing company.

Good customer service may just seem like common sense. After all, it’s a given that treating your clients well will lead to better business. Still, prioritizing a customer’s satisfaction is easier said than done. In this article, we’ve outlined 10 ways construction companies can increase customer retention. To truly improve customer service for your clients, you’ll need to put each of these tips into practice.

Keep Your Worksite Tidy

Quality customer service starts with respecting your client’s property. Treat construction projects as if the client could walk on-site at any moment. The last thing you want is for them to stumble upon a site full of debris and trash the next time they check in on your progress. Many clients work or live on the work site, so it’s important to be mindful and respectful of their space. Remind your team to clean up as they work or at the end of the work day. Keeping the worksite tidy will reflect on the quality of your contracting service to customers.

Treat Clients How You Want to Be Treated

Being friendly and polite to customers goes a long way in improving customer satisfaction. Think about the last time you were on the other end of a transaction with a service or business. As a customer, what mattered to you and made the process better? Putting yourself into the client’s shoes will allow you to consider what they want and apply it to your customer service. You should consider each client and their preferences, providing a personalized experience. There are also some general ways you can make customers feel appreciated, such as:

• Knowing your client’s name. This is a simple way to show you are devoted to your client. Referring to them by name indicates they have your full attention.
• Fostering a positive attitude with your team. Workers who are happy and treated well will provide better service.
• Listening to the customer. Be an active listener and remember what your customer requests. Take notes if needed and answer all questions thoughtfully.

Give Detailed Initial Estimates

After getting a contract, give your client a comprehensive estimate. When providing an estimate or quote to a potential customer, it’s important to make it as detailed as possible. Break down every cost, including labor, materials, and any other costs. It might make more sense to give a broad overview to a client not familiar with construction, but the opposite is actually better. Because your client likely doesn’t understand all the nuances, they need to understand every aspect of the process. Explain the quote in layman’s terms to the client and schedule a meeting or call to discuss the estimate.

Stay in Touch

Most construction projects take a long time to complete. Throughout the span of the project, it’s a good idea to keep an open line of communication with your client. You should frequently update customers on the timeline of the project, progress, and any cost changes. If there are any kind of changes to the project, don’t leave your customer in the dark about them. It’s always better to stay in touch. Give your customer something like a business card or number they can call if they have any questions.

Go Above Customer Expectations

Any time a home improvement service delivers incredible results to a client, they’re sure to come back as a repeat customer. Consistently giving customers great results builds trust, and it also builds credibility for your brand. If someone is routinely satisfied with your team’s results, they’re much more likely to recommend you to others. One simple way to exceed expectations is to set a realistic goal, then give it 110%. By exceeding a moderate goal, you can be sure you’ll always impress the client.

Set Realistic Goals

Part of creating healthy relationships with clients involves setting realistic goals. Never make a promise to a customer you know your team can’t keep. Lofty claims about speedy completion time, project size, or other factors might get customers through the door, but it won’t help you keep them. Disappointed clients rarely come back. A much more sustainable way to approach goals with customers is by being honest about what your team can accomplish. After you establish a realistic goal, your team can then go above and beyond to wow the client.

Address Mistakes

No matter how qualified your construction team is, mistakes will happen. That’s the bad news. However, the good news is that everyone makes them. Mistakes are often opportunities for further learning and growth. They can even give a chance for you to give great customer service. If a mistake occurs, act promptly. Don’t make excuses — instead, just focus on fixing the issue and accommodating the customer the best you can.

Consider a Customer Loyalty Program

One popular way companies improve customer satisfaction is with customer loyalty programs. These often give customers an incentive to come back and use your service again by offering some sort of discount, bonus, or freebie. Customers love feeling like they’re saving money. By providing them with a loyalty program, the customer gets a deal they love and your company retains a client. Customer loyalty programs are a great way to build brand loyalty among your customers.

Ask For Feedback (the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly)

Collecting feedback about your work is an important way to help your business continue to grow and succeed. Encourage customers to provide feedback, good or bad. Have customers take an end survey or ask directly. Not only is asking for feedback helpful, it also signals that you care about the customer’s experience. It may not always be pleasant to hear, but bad feedback is important.

Angry feedback, while hard to take in, is also important to address. If your team made a mistake, it must be fixed promptly. Even if the client is simply having a bad day, knowing how to resolve the conflict will make or break that customer’s experience. By listening to their concerns and keeping cool, you can still give good customer service under pressure.

Use High-Quality Materials

A great customer experience is dependent on the materials you use. Having strong, durable adhesives should be a priority for your team to get the best results. Silicone adhesives are some of the best adhesives on the market. They’re flexible, weather-resistant, and easy to apply. To make a customer come back, you need lasting results, and silicone sealant is the material for the job.

At Silicone Depot, we know a thing or two about stellar customer service. That’s why we only provide the best adhesive products for contractors. Browse our catalog to find the best deals on silicone sealant products today!