Builders: Put Metrics on Your Dashboard!

SST Emerging as a Preference 

Concise, actionable information - 24/7

We've been talking about SST -- that's Self Service Technology -- recently; you can review Solutions Blogs about migrating your homebuyers towards SST customer service options here.

There are a couple of key elements associated with the trend towards SST; demographics and technology. Cloud-based software applications are making information available 24/7, anywhere/anytime.

Preferences and expectations are changing, too; what was once viewed rather negatively is now seen as not only a solution but a preference!

Builders Have 2 Audiences Looking for Information: Buyers and Their Own Team

The benefits of SST apply across the builder audience:  homebuyers and your own team of field managers, operations staff, accounting, corporate management. 

Homebuyers Obtain Concise, Personalized Information via Portals

How can that be? Your homebuyers have access to information through web-based portals with data published through web-based software applications.  It's concise, time pertinent, personalized and available 24/7. 

Portals recognize their participants through credentials. So, it's straightforward for your buyer to locate stage of construction photos or warranty issue status.  They're able to use their phone or tablet and there's no digital clutter: their specific and unique information is presented clearly and concisely.

Metrics Deliver for Corporate Team Members

A business metric is defined as a quantifiable measure used to track and assess the status of a specific business process. Every business area has unique processes that need to be monitored.  Sales, for example, track marketing and social media metrics; senior management tracks key financial results and trends.

Metrics encourage your organization to become more data-driven -- and that's particularly true when SST features are built-in to your software applications.  Think: visual and interactive! 

Portals: Personalized status 24/7 for your buyers

What might your warranty team need as metrics?  Submitted requests, requests turned into work orders, open work orders?  The team doesn't necessarily want all the details at first glance; they're interested in scope and outliers.

Customer Service Rep "A" has 150 open work orders with 20% over 30 days; "B" has 260 open orders with only 5% over 30 days. That's easily viewable in a pie chart, for example, Then, drill down for details; you might find "A" has a community's worth of "manufacturer microsoft recalls" and is waiting for replacements.  

You're able to locate that type of information using a software-generated visual dashboard such as those provided by CPS' WarrantyWatcher. 

Visual Metrics Focus Attention and Investigation

SST means personalized, concise information 24/7, anywhere/anytime. Setup your dashboard to measure the data that's critical to your business -- adjust the timeframe, drill down for details, focus on what's important, offer Portals to your buyers -- that's CPS WarrantyWatcher!

Closing Starts a New Relationship: Keeping in Positive Touch

The all important Close of Escrow date means many different things for those involved: home possession, funds transferred, commissions, sales report updates...the list goes on detailing closing-related events.

COE is the beginning of a new buyer/builder relationship!

Yet, COE is just the beginning of a new relationship between the buyer and seller.  Many builders establish a  CRM process for homeowners (as differentiated from homebuyers) based on COE. Typically, this includes a welcome-to-your-new home gift, a "how did we do" buyer satisfaction survey and the ever-critical start of the referral process.

A critical component of the post-closing relationship is the home warranty process.  Part of the home builder's CRM system can include a post-closing Warranty Introduction email as well as notifications for critical time periods (such as 90-day and 11-month reminders).  Keeping in "positive touch" with homebuyers is a key part of a good CRM process -- and makes the warranty process understandable for the homebuyer.

There's no doubt homeowners will report post-closing construction issues -- large and small.  Jennifer Goodman, in a recent BuilderOnline article, Top Five Most Troublesome Callbacks, notes reducing call backs can save money and boost a builder's reputation. Managing those post-closing repairs, then, should be an important part of every home builder's construction management process.

Warranty software not only records homeowner issues and generates work orders to subcontractors, it contains the information to allow home builders to find out their own Top Five -- and more.  Do you know your most frequently reported problems?  Do you know what caused the problem?  Defective materials, poor construction, Act of God, wrong product?  There are many possibilities behind the homeowner reported "Bad front door lock!" -- and being able to drill down to the details is critical to improving your processes.  Which subcontractor has the most problems, is the quickest to repair?

Effective software, data mining, CRM, warranty management -- CPS can help you keep it positive! Give us a call or take a look at www.cpsusa.com.

ps: The Top 5? According to Goodman: leaky decks, crumbling stucco, water-logged windows, rotting roofs, peeling paint on doors.