5 Ways QR Codes Help Homebuilders Level-up New Home Sales

 

Builders and Property Managers Embrace Technology

Homebuilders, who have done remarkably well despite external forces like a world pandemic and material costs (kudos!), are relying more and more on technology to level-up their new home sales efforts. As pandemic restrictions ease, a noticeable addition has emerged in the form of a black and white matrix barcode: the QR Code.

When scanned with a digital device such as a phone or tablet, these codes come to life, leading viewers to landing pages populated by video tours, photo galleries, location information and pricing details.

According to Statista, an estimated 11 million American households would scan a QR code in 2020, which was a marked increase from a previously estimated 9.76 million scans in 2018. The adoption of QR codes by businesses is now being met with equal acceptance from consumers. Digital device makers such as Apple and Samsung are including native QR code readers in their operating systems—confirming that QR codes are poised to explode.

The seemingly innocuous black and white squares are intelligently designed to not only store digital details for quick scan and link access, they deliver a number of additional benefits to homebuilders and their home shoppers.  

1. Easy Integration and Use

The generally held belief is that the addition of new technology is a benefit to business. However, if it isn’t user-friendly or intuitive for staff and customers to use, it won’t quickly be adopted. Luckily, QR codes require no training – just scan and go! And, it’s easy and inexpensive for builders to integrate the codes on their digital signage, websites and other marketing collateral.

2. Provide Immediacy and Convenience

Do you know that “QR” stands for “Quick Response”? Many people today complete the bulk of their research online and these “Quick Response” codes put the details they seek immediately at their fingertips! Interactive QR codes can be designed to easily link to specific websites, maps, amenities, floor plans and even showcase the greater community and proximity to desired locations such as parks, schools and hospitals.

3. Eco-friendly and Easily Modified

QR codes can be digitally modified and updated an infinite number of times without requiring a change to QR code graphics. This leads to reduced waste and need to re-print materials (sales brochures, business cards, signage) on which codes are included. Home shoppers get details right on their smart device that they can easily view or share at any time without having to find a piece of paper! Builders can also design QR codes with unique and creative colors and designs to align with their overall brand and to maintain seamless appearance, helping to bridge the gap between print and digital strategies.

4. Track and Capture Valuable Analytics

QR codes not only deliver information, they track valuable data. They can be coded to track location, obtain contact information, show repeat engagements and record real-time reactions, all of which can be compiled into reports that include where, when and with what device a code was scanned. QR codes can also be designed to capture contact information, resulting in a bank of leads for prospect follow-up and future engagement. To drive sales office traffic, QR codes can direct home shoppers to an online form to arrange site visits. Voila! Instant appointment.

5. Enhance Interactive Experiences

Dynamic QR codes offer suggestions, options, previews and help guide prospective buyers along their home shopping journey.

The cornerstone of CPS’ suite of interactive solutions is SalesTouch, a powerful and dynamic sales and marketing presentation used both online and in sales and leasing offices across the country. To further enhance an already compelling experience, CPS has added the new QR Code Brochure which integrates directly onto the SalesTouch interactive kiosks. Home shoppers scan the unique QR code to get ‘whisked away’ to an interactive brochure—no touching required!

The brochures give visitors information at their fingertips including floor plan views & interactive options, as well as a community details page, a community site map with homesite availability and an included features list. They could also include links to other communities or properties to help with cross-selling efforts! To see how CPS’ QR Code Brochure has been integrated in a real-world scenario, click this link which will transport you to a Dan Ryan Builders’ DRB Coastal community.

For over 35 years, Computer Presentation Systems (CPS) has helped shape how homebuilders and property managers avail modern technology to simplify and improve everyday tasks and elevate overall experiences. QR codes are one of the latest contactless technology integrations adding another level of convenience to user experiences—while keeping germs at bay.

Home shopping continues to scale in intensity as the summer months near and as we emerge from our shared pandemic slumber. Prospective buyers are on the hunt for new places to set roots and any edge homebuilders can provide ultimately eases burdens associated with home shopping. QR codes offer visually engaging and information-filled experiences that leverage new technology enhancements that have become native to the most used digital devices!

How are you engaging home shoppers with technology? If you’re a homebuilder or property manager interested in leveling-up your new home sales or leasing efforts, contact CPS to learn how our suite of interactive solutions can help!

#newhomesales #interactive #engagement #technology

Personalize the Experience and Spark Your Home Shoppers’ Imaginations with CPS’ PlanViewer

Web Floor Plans: A New Addition to the Interactive Sales & Marketing Solutions Suite

We’re proud to announce PlanViewer, our latest offering in a suite of interactive technology solutions that helps builders and developers offer home shoppers a more personalized, tech-forward experience.

The timing couldn't be better. Even before the pandemic, the trend for virtual homebuying was on the rise. Our ability to pivot—an overused but very relevant word in these times—allowed us to design a solution for builders to engage more with shoppers now and moving forward. In other words, virtual home shopping and buying aren’t going away when the pandemic officially ends.

As part of our research—research that helped drive the design and capabilities of PlanViewer—we learned that a whopping 97% of homebuyers use the internet to search for new home options. Meanwhile, consumer purchasing behaviors are accelerating online due to the pandemic while the high-demand real estate market doubles down on the immediate need for technology solutions like PlanViewer, making home shopping and floor plan personalization simpler (and more important) than ever.

Features You and Your Home Shoppers Will Love 💙

• Offers interactive floor plans to help home shoppers visualize and customize structural options on their favorite plans.

• Allows home shoppers to create a desired home plan at their convenience, then arrive at the sales office as more prepared and qualified buyers.

• Updates structural options in real-time as they’re selected, creating a hands-on, immersive experience that helps inform and motivate purchase decisions.

• Provides drag and drop virtual furniture placement that sparks imagination and helps home shoppers visualize living in the space they’re creating online.

• Includes email capability so home shoppers can view & share their plan, selected options and elevation — and you collect prospect information.

Easy to Implement – Easy to Use 

PlanViewer Interactive Floor Plans
Spark Home Shopper Imagination

PlanViewer is designed to be easily implemented directly into the builder’s or developer’s website. It keeps the process consistent via templated designs, yet remains flexible enough to include all available plans or only the most popular structural options. 

Every floor plan receives a single URL, so web teams can seamlessly integrate PlanViewer onto company or community websites using iFrames. The responsive technology is viewable 24/7 from any desktop or mobile device with scalable views so shoppers can zoom in for a closer look at their home creation.

PlanViewer can be used as a stand-alone product, or it can be an excellent add-on to other CPS staples you might already have in your stable, such as your interactive sales presentations or web-integrated sitemaps.

For more information on PlanViewer visit here or contact us here. We’d love to tell you more about our newest product!

Let’s Be Clear: Home Shoppers Need Transparency

Is that what I ordered?

Picture this: You’re hungry and pop into a nearby restaurant to grab lunch. You’re browsing the menu on the wall behind the counter. It’s full of mouth-watering dishes that look so delicious it’s hard to choose your order. You settle on something, pay the cashier, and grab yourself a seat. Your stomach is growling as you wait anxiously for your meal to arrive. You’re ready to gobble up every bite.

Then your plate is plopped down in front of you. It’s an unseemly mishmash that loosely resembles the meal from the photo. Suddenly, your stomach growls turn into full-body frustration.

You wonder to yourself, “Why does the picture always look so much better than the real thing?!”

Your appetite has subsided. Since you already paid, you begrudgingly take a few bites, underwhelmed by the whole meal. Most of it stays on the plate untouched. You leave. And you probably won’t be back.

The sad reality is that this happens every day, for many customers, across virtually every industry.

Customers crave transparency.

They crave it like they crave a great meal at the end of a long day. In fact, 9 out of 10 customers will stop purchasing from a brand that lacks transparency. In home shopping, the same notion is true. Transparency matters now more than ever, especially with the limitations of physical distancing and the rise of virtual home tours.

Our product SiteViewer creates more transparency in the home shopping process. It’s an interactive web solution that allows home shoppers to view homes and community details, and it’s proven to work wonders for homebuilders and sales offices, even more so now that person-to-person contact is still limited.

Builders and leasing agents can stop worrying about losing out on valuable leads because SiteViewer offers real-time updates – so the customer is always aware of the latest availability, pricing, amenities, floor plans, elevations and more. It removes the guess work for customers, allowing them to successfully make a choice on their new home and rest assured that what they’re investing in is reliable.

What you see is what you get.

That’s what you can expect when SiteViewer is in the mix, and it’s a motto every company should believe in when it comes to transparency. Having the best software that effortlessly allows you to show off your product is important, but it’s not the only component of a transparent shopping experience. Every facet of your brand should amplify your commitment to transparency.

Another way to promote transparency is through social media. According to recent research, 86% of people think transparency is more important than ever before, while 81% of people think social media has increased transparency accountability for businesses. Just as important, 73% of customers are willing to pay more for products that guarantee total transparency. 

Combining a transparent social media strategy with a web-based software solution like SiteViewer, businesses can build long-standing trust with customers. That’s the ultimate goal: conveying a level of transparency that fosters trust. Once a customer trusts a business, they’ll feel more comfortable making a purchase.

Give the customer what they want.

Whether it’s a new home or a quick lunch, customers want to know that the investments they make turn out exactly as they expected. Businesses can spare themselves negative reviews, lost leads, customer confusion, and other factors that affect ongoing sales when transparency is prioritized and valued.

Transparency, truth and trust: These are the ingredients that make up any customer’s balanced daily diet. How is your business satisfying that hunger?

Technology That Gives Home Builders More Time

 

Humans get stuck in cycles.

Wake up. Brush your teeth. Change your clothes. Work. Eat. Go to sleep. Rinse and repeat.

Any time we fall into a habit or pattern, we start conditioning ourselves to think, “Well, that’s just how it is.” When we get complacent with “the way things are,” we stop optimizing for success.

Construction is an industry that’s notoriously slow to change. In fact, productivity in construction has been on a steady decline since the 1970s simply because more time is being spent on non-value-adding work. The construction industry also tends to underinvest in technology.

One of the simplest and most effective ways of improving construction management is by finding more time. After all, it’s long been said that time is the most valuable resource. What would you do if you had more of it?

Take back your time with technology.

We developed FieldCollaborate not to create more time – but to give time back to you. FieldCollaborate, a software solution for residential homebuilders, includes construction management tools like scheduling, vendor and buyer portals, punch item management, safety assessments and more. It’s 24/7 cloud-based access allows anyone on your Team to collaborate whenever and wherever, from field managers and corporate staff to vendors and even homebuyers.

We know what you’re thinking: "Now I have to learn another new program?"

Valid point! When time is already in low supply, who wants to spend more of it adopting new software? But it’s extraordinary how a small time investment with FieldCollaborate can save weeks of time in the long run.

Our client Homes by Taber took the leap of faith. This Oklahoma City single-family production builder implemented FieldCollaborate for their entire Team and reported astounding results. Homes by Taber reduced their cycle time by 28%, which amounted to a savings of 45 days.

45 days! That’s a month and a half of time they get to spend being more productive and picking up more work. Year over year, they’ve been able to grow another $10 - $12 million because FieldCollaborate helps them build houses faster.

This isn’t a one-time success story. We see the benefits of FieldCollaborate with every client. No matter the size of your company, FieldCollaborate scales with you. It can be implemented today, start saving you time tomorrow, and help grow your business more efficiently for years to come.

More time, more productivity, more money.

When we get our time back, we realize how valuable it truly is. When we realize the value of time, we spend it in more productive ways. When we spend time more productively, we have more opportunities for increasing revenue.

Now that’s a cycle we can get stuck in.

Why Builders Should Maximize Post-Sale Customer Service

 

A homebuyer’s journey continues long after the sale closes.

In a year like 2020 where everyone is thrust into uncertainty and ever-changing events, people crave sustainability. Longevity. Something that will endure. For larger investments like a new home, builders often believe the product alone will provide long-standing satisfaction. But it’s important to understand that the best service provided to customers doesn’t end when the sale is final.

We believe in the power of every customer’s journey. In many cases, that journey concludes at the close of a sale. Home ownership is a different story. The signing of a new home is the start of a new phase in the buyer-seller relationship. Warranties are one of the only ways builders maintain a relationship with homeowners post-sale, but the process of navigating warranties can leave homeowners feeling helpless and builders feeling stressed. This is one of the many reasons why we created WarrantyWatcher – a cloud-based software with 24/7 access for builders and homeowners that streamlines new home warranties and customer service requests.

Homebuyers could be your best brand ambassadors for future sales!

Maintaining post-sale communication with homebuyers is critical for builders. Responsive customer service not only increases repeat business by 60 to 70 percent, it helps expand the probability for referrals as well. When customers have a positive experience, they are likely to spread that experience via word of mouth to an average of six people. It’s long been known that the cost of retaining customers is far less than the cost of acquiring new ones, so when customer service makes a positive impact, your existing customers become your best brand ambassadors for future sales!

WarrantyWatcher is our way of making post-sale customer service simpler for homebuilders. Once in the portal, homeowners can easily submit and view the status of their work requests, and all work orders are tracked from end to end with full transparency. Vendors are also able to access the portal at any time, helping them get to work quickly and efficiently. WarrantyWatcher allows documents, photos and files of any type to be submitted as needed. Simply put, it’s an easy-to-use system that makes homeowners more confident in their purchase, keeping them happy for the long haul.   

Builders benefit from a modern, reliable and durable new home warranty solution.

We introduce WarrantyWatcher to builders that want to give homeowners a modern, reliable and durable solution for managing their new home warranty. No more drafting e-mails and leaving voicemails, no more playing phone tag – everything is managed through the WarrantyWatcher portal and accessible via computer, tablet and smartphone. The user-friendly software keeps homeowners satisfied, which continues to amplify the selling power of the builder. Even emergencies that are traditionally taxing to manage can be tracked and handled in real-time through WarrantyWatcher.

Learn more in our video:

Homeowners are smart. They know when customer service quality is outstanding or poor. Offering a warranty is important, but helping customers understand how to benefit from their warranty is pivotal. WarrantyWatcher will eliminate concerns or tensions you’ve dealt with in the past related to the warranty process. Customers will feel like their warranty means something, versus just being an add-on that they struggle to understand in the overall picture.

When you enhance post-sale customer service with WarrantyWatcher, you’ll notice how much of a difference it makes with existing and future homeowners – and your bottom line. The warranty experience you provide to one homeowner could result in your next sale with a new customer!

Finding Your Midas Touch in the Era of Physical Distancing

What’s your Midas Touch with home shoppers?

In Greek mythology, King Midas was known for turning anything into gold with a simple touch. In modern times, businesses try to find their own Midas Touch by offering a service, product or experience so valuable that customers turn into gold. This gold can come in many forms: monetary transactions, referrals, brand loyalty, glowing reviews and more.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced nearly every industry to find new ways of interacting with customers. Physical distancing is the new normal and online sales are skyrocketing. With such a drastic decrease in customer contact, how can you find your Midas Touch?

Finding your Midas Touch is simpler than you may think.

Many of our customers know us because of SalesTouch. Traditionally, we provide these touchscreen kiosks to homebuilders, developers and property managers in sales and leasing offices. Once installed, SalesTouch is a powerful sales & marketing solution with dynamic content. It helps home shoppers visually see and interact with details of their future home and community. They can look at floor plans, drag-and-drop furniture, “write” notes, print and e-mail their customized home information and beyond.

Home shoppers aren’t engaging in person as often now, especially in the beginning stages of the home search. They’re working from home and want to do as much groundwork as possible before entering an office to meet with a salesperson. You might think this would limit how often SalesTouch is used, but we’re here to tell you it doesn’t. We created SalesTouch to work online, as well!

We believe sales presentation solutions like SalesTouch will continue to gain momentum, particularly if they are available for online and remote use. Even when physical distancing measures are behind us, this technology is likely to maintain popularity.

Customers are tech-savvy, autonomous and attached to their digital devices. When in-person sales presentation tools can adapt for websites, tablets and smartphones, it becomes another avenue for sales leads.

Your Midas Touch could be going virtual. Your gold is a digital currency!

SalesTouch engages a home shopper online

We’re not just talking about online shopping. That trend has been booming for years and many industries have already adjusted. We’re beyond the phase of simply making products and services available for purchase online. What’s important in 2020 and beyond is considering how to further innovate your online sales presentations. How can you help customers experience your brand online, rather than simply browse your website? What are you offering to immerse them in your business, from the safety of their own home and at their own convenience?

By making SalesTouch work in person and online, we’re helping our homebuilders, developers and property managers remain sustainable while opening them up to more potential sales and leases. Home shoppers are able to explore home options online with ease. They gain the same information and home exploration abilities without the burden of a physical visit. They can customize, learn and make decisions in a brand-new way!

When you embrace this Midas Touch and transform your in-person sales presentation into an online experience, you’ll find your gold!

The Home Shopping Shift: 4 Tips to Increase Online Sales Leads NOW

*lightning strikes and thunder roars* We’re in a shopocalypse!

In 2020, we’re watching many businesses close their doors indefinitely. Some remain open but with slashed operating hours. It’s not just a struggle to retain the same foot traffic we saw before the coronavirus pandemic – it’s literally impossible. With physical distancing measures, businesses simply can’t allow the same capacity.

Customers are more wary about in-person interactions. With unemployment rates alarmingly high, they’re cautious with money and expenses. According to a recent survey from McKinsey & Company, shopping behaviors are shifting, and spending is allocated for essentials and expenses that display clear value. For many, if purchases are being made, they’re happening online – and this trend is expected to stay in place even after COVID-19.

At the Jeff Shore Sales Leadership Summit last month we talked with many new home sales professionals from around the country. Many said that sales office traffic was down considerably, but they are still relatively meeting sales goals. The common theme: they all have a focus on online solutions that help drive sales!

While engaging customers online may seem like a challenge for retailers and businesses, it’s actually the key to continued success. It’s also why we love SiteViewer, our online solution that makes home shopping simpler for customers and their changing habits.

SiteViewer helps homebuilders, apartment developers and property managers deliver critical, on-demand pricing and availability information straight to the fingertips of prospective buyers and renters – in lieu of physical trips to a sales or leasing center. 

Using SiteViewer as our guide, we compiled four quick tips your business can implement right now to pick up online engagement and increase sales.

1. Enhance Your Visuals – When it comes to millennials, the most technologically advanced generation, your online presence is a necessity. If consumers can’t be in the physical presence of your product, it’s important to keep your online representation as visually appealing as possible. Millennials are the latest generation to have become highly involved with home shopping. When builders and developers incorporate SiteViewer into their community websites, they provide customers with a clear picture of their future home and community. It’s the perfect way to make the buying and renting process aesthetically pleasing online!

2. Keep It Updated – While the shopocalypse is a horror story for businesses, the words “sold out” are a horror story for home shoppers. If you’re promoting a product that’s no longer available, convey that information. If prices change, make sure they’re listed correctly. SiteViewer helps professionals update the information on their home and apartment listings in real-time, thus avoiding any confusion for the customer. Current, transparent information will help form a trusting relationship in an uncertain age of shopping.

3. Make It Interactive – Just like kids prefer books with buttons and noises, adults like a little something to engage with as well. How can your online product listings go beyond the traditional format of an image and description? This doesn’t have to require an overhaul of your IT systems. SiteViewer is easily embed directly into a homebuilder or apartment community’s website! It works with touchscreen technology or traditional computer displays.

4. Track the Clicks – Your online metrics are a treasure trove of information, helping you better understand your customers and their digital behaviors. It’s important to constantly assess what’s happening – are they clicking on a product, but not purchasing? Are they navigating away from your website? Then, you can augment your approach to increasing online sales by making smarter decisions backed by your own data. We developed two versions of SiteViewer: the consumer facing namesake and SiteViewer Pro. The Pro version allows businesses to see valuable information on the backend about how consumers are interacting in the virtual shopping environment.

Brick and mortar operations can find savvy and simple online solutions that meet the needs of today’s consumers. SiteViewer is one such solution, aiding builders, developers and property managers nationwide to better reach, serve and sell to home shoppers.

 The world is evolving for businesses and consumers alike, but it doesn’t have to be such a scary reality. Instead, let it be your next big opportunity!

Contact us at info@cpsusa.com to learn more!

CPS and COVID-19

All of us here at CPS want to assure you that we take the health and well-being of our community, customers and colleagues very seriously. Like you, we're closely monitoring the quickly developing effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and follow the "shelter in place" directives mandated here in California, we are now manning and providing service from our office remotely. 

That means that, should you need it, we are still here for you in terms of customer support, design and SalesTouch assistance. We will continue to provide support and service, as usual, 7-days/week.  If you need assistance, please reach out to us via email at techsupport@cpsusa.com or design@salestouch.net.

We are all in this together. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and will follow guidance from public health officials and government agencies, so we can contue to support our customers and communities, as needed.

Stay safe!

Builders: Adding Some Apple to Sales/Leasing Office Marketing!

Have You Heard About the Value of Laptop Tilt?

Did you see one of our earlier blogs talking about How the Apple Store Seduces You with the Tilt of Its Laptops? You can read it here!

Engage your home shoppers with new channels!

Carmine Gallo had written an article for Forbes suggesting that Apple had the tilt designed to encourage customers to adjust the screen to their ideal viewing angle.

In other words, Apple was encouraging consumers to touch!

Apple's Actions as a Differentiator Are Worth Investigating

There's a recent Builder article by John Rampton highlighting Apple's marketing tactics and ways Apple has been able to differentiate itself to become the strong competitor it is through their marketing efforts.

Are there takeaways for sales/leasing offices? Let's take a look at several of the ideas presented:

• Create unique buying channels: Rampton suggests that companies can enhance their marketing efforts by finding new, unique channels that competitors aren't using. Consumers like to explore products, engage and find out information. Rampton suggests marketers should explore ways to make shopping more enjoyable and exciting.
• Think about the user experience: Here, too, Apple goes beyond competitors as they've created unique, exploration-based shopping experiences. Rampton suggests an enhanced user experience creates more loyal customers.

Engage Your Homeshoppers as Soon as They Enter Your Office

Interactive touchscreens engage consumers and provide the unique shopping experience Apple and Rampton suggest meet today's consumer's objectives. You're able to differentiate your business by not only adding technology but using it to enhance the buyer experience.  Interactive floorplans, drag 'n drop furniture, dynamic/real-time sitemaps -- they're all focused on creating a value-unique experience for your home shoppers.

Use technology to enhance the buyer experience

Your home shoppers not only gain the information they're searching for but recognize your brand as forward thinking and offering a unique home shopping experience.  That's the "hyper-focus" that Apple applies to their consumers!

Let's Talk About Adding Some Apple!

CPS' interactive touchscreen product, SalesTouch, is designed to engage home shoppers the minute they walk into the sales office with interesting, useful, emotional images and content. Whether exploring the neighborhood or trying out virtual options (where is the local elementary school? is there an optional den available?) they're finding solutions -- and creating an ownership experience!

Isn't building an ownership experience what home shopping is about? CPS is celebrating 35 years providing engaging, dynamic software solutions for the homebuilding industry. We'll be at IBS2020 in Las Vegas; you can visit us at Booth SU631 or ask us for a one-on-one demo here!

Builders: Turn Warranty Data into Actionable Insights

Thinking About Turning Data into a Critical Asset

Data is in abundance and needs to be made sense of in order to realize its full benefits.

Aaron Tan | Executive Editor, APAC

Today, the value of data is well known as effective use can help businesses speed-up decision making and improve the customer experience.

Data...it's out there! Then, what?

But.. some might ask: How do I get useful data? and others might say, There's so much data! How can you maximize both data collection and use so there's a positive business value proposition? 

Taking a Discrete Look at Builder Warranty/Customer Service Data

Many builders provide their homeowners with warranty service after the home closes. Typically, this is a one-year period -- although two-years isn't unknown. During that time, builders manage homeowner requests for repair or replacement. There may also have been a builder/buyer walkthrough collecting issues for resolution prior to closing.

As a result, even the smallest builder has data! There are homeowner requests ranging from leaky faucets to squeaky floors to improperly installed appliances.

Yet, do you know how many faucet leaks your homes had over the last 6 months in the Happy Acres community? How about over the last 3 years? And, how many were due to poor workmanship vs. bad materials vs. design issues? 

Do you know how many leaky faucets happened this month?

If you knew these answers, what would you  do to address them going forward?

And, wouldn't your operations be more efficient and profitable, as a result?

Warranty Management Software Provides Analysis Tools

Warranty management software provides a very effective tool for a builder's operations because there's a large amount of data that evolves as a result of homeowner requests and repairs -- and software provides the tools to take large amounts of data and slice & dice & display for effective use.  There really isn't any additional work required to obtain the information; it's a question of how to make use of it! 

Take the leaky faucet issue above. That issue will be recorded as a homeowner request. Software provides the ability to easily review how many leaks occurred -- over a period of time, community-by-community.

The value proposition is significantly enhanced by adding a second step: why did this leak happen? Poor installation, bad faucets, bumped while doors were installed?

Over time, you'll have the data to know the most common issues as submitted by your homeowners. You'll know facts -- not squeaky wheel problems or the "big" ones! You'll also know why the problems happened.

If you're using an integrated software suite, you'll also know the vendor providing the work so you can address these workmanship or material quality issues. 

Take a look at the tablet above; your team could see what problem categories were most prevalent over the last 30 days (turns out drywall was highest, here); you' be able to drill down for the "why" and vendor, as well.

Warranty Software Breaks Down Data Silos

Effective use of warranty software provides a great resource for a builder to be able to examine their operations as well as providing a good opportunity for enhanced customer service. Interested in finding out how you can turn all those requests & repairs into actionable insights? CPS will be exhibiting at IBS2020 -- or you can request a personal WarrantyWatcher software demo here!

Keeping Sales Process Momentum Positive Over the Holidays

2019 Market is Strong Heading into the Holidays

We're just about to arrive in a double whammy environment for new home sales: less than optimal weather and many competing activities.

The weather might be frightful but ...

Yet, the overall market is positive: website visits are up, sales traffic is up, 2019 sales results are good.

How to keep the momentum going through the next several months?

Home Shoppers are in Your Office Because They're Interested!

A good first step is embracing the idea that home shoppers are visiting your community because they're interested in buying one of your homes... in many cases, today!

It's true: the weather might very well be frightful (while that is probably true in Minnesota, there are other locations where the weather is much better than July!).

And, recognize the power of inviting; take advantage of the holidays and your locale for inspiration. Hot apple cider makes any location seem like home! Add some fresh smelling citrus to up the scent if you're in a warmer climate! A fresh, new look and feel is contagious... and inviting!

Work Your CRM to Drive Traffic

Did you have a chance to read our Top Performer Blog? Our most effective CPS CRM sales manager's tip for success was persistence with follow-up. 

This Top Performer kept in touch with "his team" using his CPS CRM database -- and there's no better time to reach out than today. Invite "your team" over for holiday treats, coordinate a wine tasting, support a fundraiser for a local food bank. You're working to be "top of mind" for your team and any of their friends and family considering a new home.

After All, You're Prospecting for the Long Haul!

That's a Jeff Shore theme: top performers work the small things over and over. Ryan Taft is one of Jeff's sales trainers; he produced a great Blog reinforcing the small and consistent message:

1. Do it! (that is: start now!)
2. Personalize the Heck Out of It! (and the holidays make this pretty easy!)
3. Be Consistent! (get started, now; keep at it after January 1!)

Consider New Tools in 2020!

Take a look at the IBS2020 Buyer Guide: CPS is listed as a member of the 25 Year Exhibitors Club! 

We're persistent: we're actually celebrating 35 Years as a software vendor to the homebuilding industry! Join us in Booth SU631 and see how our persistence can help you sell more homes, build more profitably and provide more responsive customer care!

Builders: Automated Construction Software Helps Gain Efficiencies

Good News: Homebuilder Order Growth Continues to Accelerate

Have the details at your fingertips!

One of our most recent blogs Homebuilder Construction Rates Accelerating; Let's Talk Efficiency  was developed as a result of two recent Zelman & Associates comments,

"Builder order growth has continued to accelerate; excess speculative inventory has been absorbed and housing starts are picking up to satisfy demand."

"Increasing construction activity always presents the risk of cost inflation and labor tightness."  

Are Your Operations Optimized to Meet the Challenges?

There's nothing quite like throwing ice water on good news, is there?  How are builders addressing cost inflation and labor tightness? Possible to make adjustments and see results relatively quickly?

We'd like to suggest the answer is: YES!

Let's take a look at one of CPS' builder clients currently using our automated construction scheduling software,  FieldCollaborate. When asked how they previously managed their construction process, the CEO replied:

"Email and phone. We were really disjointed. There were disputes among FieldManagers about trades because they didn't know who was working on what, when."

Costs and Labor Can Be Better Managed! 

Sound familiar?  What has changed with the implementation of a scheduling system?

"Because you can plan out jobs far in advance (we schedule out 6 months), builders and vendors can forecast materials, allocate labor toward our jobs, etc. The purchasing team can negotiate better prices with vendors as they're able to pinpoint quantities and timing."

Using a Portal to Helps Get Everyone on the Same Page!

We've also talked about the value of SST (self-service technology; take a look at uses throughout a builder's organization in this Blog). FieldCollaborate offers SST with its Vendor Portal. Vendors, using authorized credentials, are able to view their schedules (as well as drawings, photos, notes and the like) up to 6 months in advance.  Builder staff access the same Portal. Everyone's looking at the same schedule, same calendar, same workload.

Critical is the short-term view regarding efficiency:

"The Portal eliminated a lot of phone calls, texts, etc. That extra time allows us to continue to move homes."

Want to find out more about the efficiency and profitability advantages provided by automated scheduling software? Contact us; we can provide a full-featured FieldCollaborate demo!

Homebuilder Construction Rates Accelerating; Let's Talk Efficiency

Builder Order Growth Continues to Accelerate

Alan Ratner, Managing Director of Homebuilding Research at Zelman & Associates, recently delivered great news for homebuilders saying,

 "Builder order growth has continued to accelerate; excess speculative inventory has been absorbed and housing starts are picking up to satisfy demand."

Isn't this great news for everyone associated with the homebuilding industry?

Yet, Increased Construction Activity Presents Risks

Ratner continues,

"Increasing construction activity always presents the risk of cost inflation and labor tightness." 

 If you've been reading our Blog, you might recall a March 2019 article noting Ashok Chaluvadi's comments in Builder,

A key issue cited by 82% of builders is the cost/availability of labor. What's particularly noteworthy is labor replaced building material prices -- which had been the hot topic in 2018.

Increasing Costs and Labor Shortages Turn Focus to Efficiency -- Particularly SST

This environment (increasing costs, labor shortages) provides an opportunity for builders to laser focus on areas specifically under their control --  operations -- in order to increase internal efficiencies (and, in turn, profitability). One opportunity is automated construction scheduling -- particularly SST elements (that is, self-service technology). 

SST had somewhat of a bad reputation in years past.  It may have tried to do too many things in too disparate ways. However, attitudes change; today, demographics and technology make SST an important tool for home builders as they consider that increasing workplace productivity is the option most under their control, today.

SST implies technology and construction management software leverages SST

An effective construction software implementation gets everyone within the building process (and that includes both in-house and vendors) on "the same page" as to which tasks need to be accomplished, in what order and on what date.

Cloud-based software makes the information available to everyone, 24/7, anywhere anytime. That means you can expect a reduction in delays, dry runs, phone calls, texts, misunderstandings. 

In a sense, getting everyone on the same page is a good first step in exerting organization control.  Interested? CPS' FieldCollaborate is award-winning automated construction software; contact us and we'll give you all the information needed so you gain productivity while experiencing this order growth!

Builders: Let's Explore Selling and Senses

What Motivates Purchase Decisions?

Have you had a chance to read Martin Lindstrom's Buyology - Truth and Lies About Why We Buy?

It's an eye-opening book describing what influences purchase decisions in today's message-cluttered world.

Our "Other" Senses Are Critical

Lindstrom conducted a 3-year neuromarketing study and one element he discusses is how our "other" senses -- smell, touch and sound -- capture our interest and influence purchasing decisions.

Bring the Power of Touch to your Sales Office!

Two key takeaways for us, today:

• Smell is closely tied to how we experience both brands and products. On one hand, there are the complex options such as sensory branding (the little things like perfume ads in magazines or flyers featuring shampoo and including scent microencapsules) which are becoming more and more common. Yet, just as important is maintaining the "clean and fresh" scent consumers want to associate with a new home purchase when they enter your sales office and tour your models. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this: you might try several (bowls of lemons/limes, scented (but not lit) candles, cookies in the oven). Lindstrom mentions even the subtlest of aromas can have a potent effect on shoppers.
• Touch is another key sense. Retail guru Paco Underhill wrote in his bestselling book Why We Buy about the critical importance of touching clothing before we purchase. Yet, are you familiar with how a touch screen experience differs from one using a mouse? Your brain actually processes interest differently when touching a selection as compared to clicking a mouse or hovering over the exact same selection.

CPS' Bob Musa's Book Discusses the Power of Touch in New Home Marketing

Bob Musa, CPS' President, authored an innovative book, Creating Customers with Interactive Digital Signage - we'd love to discuss how the power of touch can be harnessed in your sales offices! 

Take a look at our interactive touchscreen SalesTouch Case Studies highlighting how single and multifamily builders leverage both the power of touch and interactive technology to more effectively engage home shoppers in their sales/leasing offices. Reach out to schedule a conversation!

Celebrating Veterans Day 2019!

Veterans Day gives us all an excellent opportunity to lift up and honor those who served our country -- as well as recognize and thank those currently serving.

Here at CPS, we also take time to recognize and thank members of the CPS family who have served our country in the armed forces.

Enjoy a Veterans Day Parade!!

First, currently serving: Bob Musa's son, Mike. He graduated US Marine Corps Camp Pendleton Boot Camp in 2016 and he's now at his permanent duty station. Thank you, Mike, for your service!

Remembering the service of:

Bob Strickland, US Air Force

Bob's father, Robert Musa (US Marines, retired & yes; that's 2 generations!)

Chris' father, Michael Lott (US Navy, retired)

Michelle's father, Robert DuBois (US Air Force)

Michelle's husband, Jerry Stone (US Navy)

Sean's father, Chris Miyazaki (US Air Force, retired)

Troy's brother, John (US Air Force)

Zoe's father, Charles Miller and brother, Wilson Miller (both: US Army)

Builders: Electronic Signature Key to Improving Efficiency & Satisfaction

Builder Hot Topics: Efficiency, Productivity, Buyer Experience

The Solutions Blog has devoted quite a bit of virtual space focused on improving efficiency and productivity -- particularly on the operations side of homebuilding. Take a look at recent Blog articles:

• Builders: Increasing Productivity Helps Offset Labor Costs & Availability
• What Can Builders Do to Up Their Productivity?

Efficiency, Productivity to Buyer Experience

We've also been talking about the Home Buyer Experience -- before, during and after the new home purchase:

• Customer Service: A New Paradigm for Builders
• Have You Asked: What is Our Buyer Experience Gap?
• Builders: Consider Value-Unique Experiences

CRM Offers Experience and Efficiency Opportunity, too!

One key concept emerges from all the articles highlighted above: the builder's universe is expanding! There aren't any islands left, in other words! Thinking about buyer experience is no longer limited to the sales office or marketing. It encompasses operations -- from construction to warranty, too. 

Efficiency can be thought of similarly: how long does it take your sales agents to process a sale? Do you have 25-40 documents ranging from Purchase Agreement to Options Orders to Avigation (yes; that's a real word!!) Disclosures?

Document Processing is More than Creation; Consider These Stats

How long does it take for your agent to generate these documents -- and how many signatures are required? Do you realize that 37% of documents are missing a necessary signature, initials or dates?

And, many people don't always consider the post-signature activities required to support documents: that's the proper collection, filing and retention. 51% of businesses report that some or all of the documents needed are mis-filed or lost!

Efficiency, Productivity Moves Beyond Operations!

In other words, are you certain that Lot 55's purchase agreement package is completely processed, stored properly and accessible?

Electronic Signature Can Go Beyond Purchase Agreements!

You're probably familiar with electronic document signature processing as it relates to purchase agreements (CPS CRM, for example, provides seamless integration with DocuSign to obtain signatures for all documents, distribute the documents amongst all necessary entities in a specified order and save a completely executed set). And, the value is not only for the builder: buyers appreciate the ease and ability to obtain and store a full set of accessible, executed documents. That doesn't even take into consideration processing a sale with buyers in multiple locations!

And, have you considered the value of electronic signature for your warranty/customer service operations? Why not provide your customer service rep or vendors with the ability to accept electronic signature on work orders via phone or tablet? CPS WarrantyWatcher does exactly that -- and keeps a copy in the lot's permanent history file, as well!

There's now another touchpoint (or two!!) for improving efficiency, productivity and the buyer experience!

Homebuilder Customer Service: A Critical Link

Homebuilder Customer Service is a Hot Topic

We've been talking about homebuilder customer service frequently this year; you can see earlier Solution Blogs here (Putting Metrics on Your Dashboard) and here (Add Focus to Actionable Customer Service).

Is Customer Service a Priority?

Value-Unique Motivates Referrals

Today's homebuyer and homeowner expect to receive a quality customer service experience. What will set your team apart is a value-unique experience. That's service that will generate posts, Tweets, and, most importantly, referrals. How to get value-unique?

Are You Prioritizing the "Most Important Department"?

There's a new Hanley Wood Construction Wire article asking, "What's the Most Important Department in Home Building?" and customer service emerges as a top contender! Author Jim Haffner points out that the "last person who interacts with customers leaves a lasting impression."

That doesn't mean that sales or construction (or estimating or accounting, for that matter!) aren't important. What it does seem to highlight is that customer service needs to be considered a critical component of the entire building process -- and that, sometimes, it is regarded as an afterthought.

Metrics: Effective Measurement Tools!

The last contact point can offer the most memorable experience -- frequently because your homeowner expected everything to already be in tip/top shape. No one likes to have to reach out for repair but... it does happen.

Go Quick, Consistent and Memorable

Why not make it as easy and straightforward as shopping on Amazon? CPS WarrantyWatcher provides a 24/7 Homeowner Portal so owners can quickly and easily submit a request directly to the customer service department -- complete with photos! And, they're able to use the same Portal for status updates and request history.

Go the extra step and ask your customer service rep or vendor to include a photo so they're able to check things out on their phone on the way home... isn't that value unique?

Key customer service terms: quick, consistent and measurable. You're able to take care of quick with the 24/7 portal! WarrantyWatcher also provides the metrics that allow for measurable! Do you know your longest outstanding Work Order? How about the most frequent warranty issue? How easily could you locate homes with a recalled microwave? Usable data is your friend in these cases!

Finally, there's the value in consistency as it will pay off in referrals. Your homeowners need communication -- not necessarily conversation! Keep them informed and they will be comfortable with your process -- even if that replacement part is taking time to arrive.

Technology Provides Desired SST

Technology facilitates your ability to deliver on your homeowner's expectations and there's really no other way to meet their need for SST (self-service technology). A recent Radial article summarizes:

Self-service channels consistently outperform other channels in terms of consumer satisfaction. Your homeowners love self-service because it reduces friction and provides immediate and consistent answers.