Homebuilder #1 Referral Driver: Keeping Buyers Informed

Eliant, the home building industry's largest firm specializing in managing the consumer experience, notes in a recent Builder & Developer article that the single largest referral driver is how well the builder keeps buyers informed regarding the status of construction!

Keeping Your Buyers & Homeowners Informed 24/7

That statistic is part of a very interesting article by Bob Mirman, Eliant's founder/CEO, as he points out similarities between hospitals and home builders.

Hospitals & home builders, you might ask? Drill down a bit: patients and home buyers are anxious, worried, confused and scared as they're involved in an unfamiliar environment. Not for the same reason but.. still concerned. Mirman suggests empathy goes a long way towards making everyone feel comfortable.

Mirman's second point is the value of contact when delays are encountered -- or anticipated.  He suggests asking: do your employees proactively reach out -- and how?

The third and most critical point is the impact of status updates -- and isn't that the case with most consumer-facing businesses? Mirman noticed and appreciated the daily calls from the assigned staff internist.  He knew he'd get the latest information and didn't need to worry about voicemail, missed calls or miscommunication through a 3rd party.

Think about your operations: how do you keep buyers up-to-date? 

We'd like to suggest taking a look at CPS' FieldCollaborate with its Portal.  Your buyers have access, 24/7, in real-time, to stage-of-construction photos and schedules.  It's their "piece of the pie" automatically generated from use of FieldCollaborate's construction scheduling application.  Tie it to your website and other than taking photos, no extra work is needed on your part.  Status updates are automatic, always visible and right there, 24/7 -- on their desktop, laptop, phone or tablet! 

Referrals can be a key sales driver; we've just learned that status updates are the #1 key referral driver!

New Home Construction Web Portals: 24/7 Access for Vendors & Buyers

Are you familiar with the concept of a web portal, sometimes referred to as a neutral platform in the cloud?  Portals provide users the ability to view — and sometimes update — information developed by one or more systems from a single web-based location.

Give Your Vendors 24/7 Access to Schedules & Punch

What would a construction portal do for your construction process — inside and outside the company, including vendors and home buyers?  Effective portals improve communication and collaboration by providing real-time data access to enterprise information.

Let's take a look at a real-world example: CPS' FieldCollaborate Portal allows a builder's vendors to log-in — any time, 24/7 — and view their construction schedules, punch items and safety assessments.  And, they're able to pull up builder documents and drawings, too.

Home buyers, on the other hand, login to the FieldCollaborate Portal to view their home's schedule and stage-of-construction photos.  The Portal keeps home buyers actively engaged throughout the home buying/construction cycle, which in many areas can take nine months from the time of contract acceptance to closing. Great for out-of-town buyers!

Home builders use the Portal, as well, to share information within their enterprise. When we consider the entire set of participants — the builder, vendors and homebuyers. 

Think about the number of phone calls, faxes, emails and misunderstandings that can be eliminated!

What's more disruptive than having multiple sources of information?  Your portal provides the same information to everyone (governed by access credentials, of course) — and it's all available 24/7, in real-time, via the cloud!

Portals improve communication and that makes the builder's entire enterprise more efficient and productive — resulting in more profit for both the builder and their vendors. Ask us how FieldCollaborate and Portals can improve your scheduling, communication and efficiency!

Construction Data Portals: Immediate Collaboration

Are you familiar with the concept of a Portal -- sometimes referred to as a neutral platform in the cloud?

Portals provide users with the ability to view -- and sometimes update -- information developed by a variety of systems and managed by different organizations in a single location. Typically, they're accessible via the Internet.

What could a construction Portal do for you, your organization, vendors and/or buyers? An effective Portal provides data access, governed by credentials, to all appropriate stakeholders.

Construction Portals facilitate Collaboration

Let's take a look at a real-world example. Vendors can log into CPS' Field Collaborate Portal and view or print their construction schedules, punch items, and safety assessments.  In addition, they are able to view builder documents and drawings.

Home buyers, on the other hand, log into the Field Collaborate Portal and find their home's schedule as well as stage-of-construction photos.

If we considered just this set of participants, can you think of the reduced number of phone calls, faxes, emails and misunderstandings? Portals make the entire enterprise more productive!

Home builders use Portals to share information internally, as well.  What's more disruptive than having multiple sources for information?  A well-managed Portal provides the same information to everyone (governed by access credentials, of course) -- and it's all available anywhere, anytime via the cloud!

Builders: Are You on Track for Profit?

ProBuilder, in August 2015, had a great article entitled The 12 Processes for Sustainable Profit with the subtitle: How to establish sound business systems that ensure a healthy bottom line.

The processes range from land/lot selection to product design to sales & marketing processes.

ProBuilder suggests builders shouldn't focus on traditional questions or their answers.  For example, the article suggests virtually all sales training focuses on getting the deal.  That's great but..there needs to be a focus on determining the true total cost of the deal to determine it is a "good deal."

We're going to focus on Process #9: Building Schedules. The article says:

The best builders are the best schedulers -- and the best schedulers are the best builders. 

CPS FieldCollaborate; getting to a healthy bottom line!

What are you doing to be the best scheduler?

While it is true that it doesn't make sense to automate a bad process, we'll suggest that it doesn't make sense to schedule with a cell phone or pen & paper.  Take a look at CPS' FieldCollaborate -- an automated scheduling software application designed for homebuilders.  You're able to create your own standard templates and schedule from either a desired start or completion date. Your vendors  are assigned work dates and field managers track, record and monitor progress. 

Of course, there are all sorts of bells and whistles, too: a Vendor Portal to share schedules and drawings, Safety Assessments, Ratings, Punch Lists.

Key is the ability to create consistent schedules and measure results -- anywhere/anytime and accessible by all of your stakeholders (corporate staff, schedulers, field managers and your vendors).  

Yes; there are trade and material shortages, options/upgrades, all sorts of weather -- the list is endless. But, nothing beats an accurate and predictable schedule to enhance your operations and profits.