It was operations manager Rob Dagley’s idea to use annual inspections to revisit ALH Home Renovations projects. This would enable the Prairie Village, Kan., company to take care of small post-project issues at one time and to touch base with clients about future projects. The system has worked so well that Dagley now also contacts clients on their project’s second anniversary.
The day that ALH completes a final walk-through of a project, Dagley notes in his Microsoft Outlook calendar to call the client on the first anniversary of their project’s completion. The goal: to set up a client meeting with Dagley and ALH owner Allen Harris for an inspection. “You can always find something you need to do,” Dagley says, such as touching up paint, repairing drywall cracks, and doing grouting and caulking.
2 out of 5 of the firm’s annual inspections lead to another project
Dagley says clients like knowing that ALH will return in a year, and he encourages them to keep an ongoing list of small issues to be tended to.
ALH recently began using GuildQuality’s customer survey service and includes a question in the post-project survey asking clients about plans for upcoming projects. If clients indicate a possible future project, Dagley adds a reminder to his calendar to call in a few months to see if they’re interested in an appointment.
ALH’s company culture encourages treating clients like family, so they feel comfortable dropping by the office or checking in about new developments at the company. With that contact and the handyman jobs throughout the year, Dagley and Harris are usually already aware of possible future projects. The anniversary call and survey question serve to help set a client contact schedule and to keep ALH on their client’s radar.
—Nina Patel, senior editor, REMODELING.
