Shortages of trade contractors in today’s
building boom have builders competing for their attention. Many
builders have trouble getting craftsmen to show up at the jobsite.
Despite these conditions, some builders become the trades’
builder of choice, getting the best trades when they need them.
Builders of choice apply customer satisfaction
thinking to trade contractors. The more satisfied trade contractors
are, the more they want to work for you.
Trade contractor satisfaction surveys let
you know where you stand as a builder of choice and what to improve.
And gathering the information is so simple, it's a wonder why
every builder doesn't survey every trade contractor.
Only the trade contractors can tell you
what they think about their satisfaction. Put together a quick
survey that asks about things that are important to them. Finding
out the real story is a matter of changing your perspective to
look at the relationship from the trade contractor’s point
of view.
Wouldn't it be interesting to find out
what trade contractors think about other builders? Surveys also
need to capture their feelings, their willingness, or preference,
for you compared with select builders in your area. No matter
how good you are, if you're not the builder of choice, you are
playing second fiddle whether you know it or not.
1998 NHQ winners Neumann Homes and Estridge
Homes survey trade contractor satisfaction on at least a quarterly
basis. Each collaborated with their trades to define what they
need to be the builder of choice. Then they developed surveys
that ask their trades to rate how they were doing on those points
and how they compare with other builders.
When starting a survey program, be prepared
for some surprising findings. Even though it may seem that all
you hear are complaints, there are many things trade contractors
really like about working with you. Even when a trade contractor
rating is not as high as expected, they are telling you what
you need to know.
The survey feedback should be treated as
a report card on your performance, telling how well you are doing
and setting clear direction for improvement priorities. All surveys
should be shared with all people who work with the trade contractor
in some way. Graph the data to show trends over time. It will
give feedback on progress you've made and direct you toward new
opportunities for improvement.
Are these surveys actually worth the effort?
Let actions speak louder than words. A growing number of builders,
including every winner of the National Housing Quality Award,
surveys their trade contractors. And it is extremely rare for
a builder who surveys trade contractors to ever stop. The feedback
is too valuable.