Contractors: How To Manage Customer Expectations

The customer wants a luxury bathroom to remodel made on the cheap. Additionally, as they want to put their property on the market by next week, you only have a few days to gather the material, get your team ready and complete the job.

Needless to say, every contractor would think twice about taking the contract. But when you need to get money in, you sometimes don’t have the choice. You need to make the impossible happen for your client. However, if you want to avoid any damaging issue, you need to be able to manage your customers’ expectations from the start. Sure, you can get them a bathroom on the cheap, but it’s unlikely to have marble-like floor unless they give you an extra week to get your hands on the material you need. In other words, managing expectations is all about communicating the situation clearly and honestly to make sure that everyone is on the same page. 

Construction project

You need to work without supervision

You have to make it your priority to gain your customers’ trust. Being able to work on a project without being interrupted continuously by a worried homeowner can save you a lot of time and headaches. However, you need to establish a trust pattern, such as keeping your customer in the loop every day. Letting them know where you’ve got and what still needs to be done can give you some slack to work without disruption. Additionally, it also makes you a reliable partner for long-distance projects, such as working on their second home. You can, for instance, organize a weekly or daily call to discuss progress. 

Any construction site can be dangerous

If you work on a partially open site, such as an extension or a roofing project, you need to be clear about the risks. Health and safety regulations are vital. Indeed, you should make sure to add signage to inform bystanders – you don’t want someone to walk inadvertently under your scaffolder, for instance. Specialist brokers such as Rhino Trade Insurance understand that your profession should include public liability cover. Ultimately, you can’t afford to let your project be delayed by accidents that could have been avoided. 

Clear risks ahead

Sharing bad news without affecting your reputation

Delays can happen for a variety of reasons. As a contractor, you need to be able to let your customers know in real-time about bad news. Indeed, delays are the most common complaint about your profession. But mastering the art of communicating mishaps and sharing your recovery plan is the best strategy to protect your reputation. Ideally, keeping your customers in the loop means that they are already aware of issues, such as a supplier not delivering on time, for instance. 

Don’t promise what you can’t deliver

We get it. You want the job so badly that you’re ready to agree to anything. But you should make it a golden rule not to promise things you can’t deliver. Ensuring you have the resources available for the task and the experience to go through with it is just as crucial as completing on time. 

Communication is at the heart of a contractor business. From creating a regular channel of information that keeps the customers satisfied and off your back to informing the local community about the building site, you’d be surprised to find out that communication can be your best ally to meet your customers’ expectations.