Qualified Remodeler helps independent remodeling firms to survive, become more professional and more profitable by providing must-have business information, namely best business practices, new product information and timely design ideas.
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implement process changes. It is a commitment over time to continual improvement until, eventually, your firm is performing at levels achieved by firms highlighted in this issue. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION HEAT MAP Back in 2005, we went out and surveyed re- modeling clients via a Web-based firm that linked remodelers to homeowners. e result was an aggregation of scores indicating the aforementioned pain points of remodeling. is has evolved into the second feature of our report in this issue — a heat map of satisfac- tion drivers across 40 common remodeling job types. Found on pag- es 52 and 53, the 2016 Heat Map is back and better than ever. It has been enhanced to be used more easily as a guide for planning your business. Based on your most common jobs, it points to the places in the remod- eling process you and your team can focus your efforts to stay on track with your clients. A remodeling business has many perfor- mance areas to track — work in progress, gross profit and ultimately net profit among them. Our contention is that customer satisfaction should be on an equal plain with these others. Satisfied customers are an annuity. ey keep giving to your business. If you aim to differ- entiate your business, do it with excellent and third-party measured customer satisfaction. ere is no clearer path toward a viable busi- ness than creating a community of fans, even raving fans. | n this issue, for the second straight year, Qualified Remodeler teams with GuildQuality, a leading customer- satisfaction measurement company, to identify 60 remodelers who set standards for client experience. You can read their stories beginning on page 40. Although this is only the second year presenting satisfaction leaders, we've been beating this drum for over a decade. Beginning in 2005 and for several years following, QR researched and quantified the pain points of the remodeling process as seen by clients who had recently completed proj- ects. e results were published in a series of annual customer satisfaction reports. Findings emphasized the criti- cal need for consistent and clear communica- tion to earn customer satisfaction. e re- search also identified two other critical driv - ers of client happiness: finishing a job on time and keeping a jobsite clean. Our numbers showed that remodel- ers who score high on communication, time- liness and jobsite cleanliness were extremely likely to be referred and recommended. Our goal is to highlight customer satisfac- tion as a key performance indicator (KPI) for all remodeling and home improvement compa- nies. Remodelers who satisfy customers spend less money acquiring new clients because they get more referrals and recommendations. It's that simple. Measuring customer satisfaction in a professional way — with a third party sur- veying your customers on their experience — is the first step. e next step is using information gathered to root out problems identified and to Elevate Your Customer Experience I Remodelers who satisfy customers spend less money acquiring new clients because they get more referrals and recommendations. 8 July 2016 QR QualifiedRemodeler.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR'S NOTE Published by SOLA Group, Inc. 1880 Oak Ave., Suite 350 Evanston, IL 60201 847.920.9513 Publisher and Patrick L. O'Toole Editorial Director Patrick@SOLAbrands.com Managing Editor Laurie Banyay Laurie@SOLAbrands.com Associate Editor Kacey Larsen Kacey@SOLAbrands.com Proofreader Nancy Mueller-Truax Audience Development Mike Serino MSerino@magservgroup.com Creative Director & Tracy Hegg Production Manager Tracy@SOLAbrands.com Editorial Advisory Board Stephen Gidley, GMB, CAPS, CGP, CGB, CGR, CPRC, CR Jeffrey Holloway, CKD, CBD, CGR Michael Nagel, CGR, CAPS Scott R. Sevon, CGR, CAPS, GMB, CGP, GMR Donna Shirey, CGR, CAPS, CGP Kenneth P. Skowronski, CR Midwest and West Paul DeGrandis Sales Manager Paul@SOLAbrands.com East Sales Manager Beth Emerich EmerichB@SOLAbrands.com National Automotive Tom Lutzke Sales TLutzke@ACBusinessMedia.com Literature Galleries/ Mike Serino Classifieds Mike@SOLAbrands.com Digital Programs Tim Steingraber Manager Tim@SOLAbrands.com Projects Manager Heidi Riedl Heidi@SOLAbrands.com A preferred publication of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the NAHB Remodelers Patrick L. O'Toole