The little old lady who owned my house until the mid-1970's loved wall paper. She loved it so much that she papered virtually every surface in the house, including the ceilings! After many years, it started to pull away, and the ceilings in the second floor bedrooms started to look like a wrinkled shirt.
Last month, a talented carpenter and painter repaired them, painted the rooms beautifully, and put in crown moulding. And I was really happy with everything except - yes, there is sometimes and except!
They took down the three electronic smoke detectors and have only reinstalled one of them. And now that it's been a month, I'm making myself crazy!
This got me to thinking about other projects. I fondly remember my kitchen renovation contractor, not by the great job he did with the cabinetry, countertops and floors! Not by the money he saved me! It was the microwave installation that got screwed up took him weeks to come back and fix it - the repair itself took ten minutes. And my new bathrooms? I still have $2000 in an escrow account waiting for the contractor to do something about the marble vanity top that they chipped accidentally and have little interest in fixing (although I'm sure they'd like their money).
So where is this going?
Well, it's about those calls we from a buyer or seller after settlement. Often, they involve pretty minor stuff, and rather than jump in and continue with the great service we provided throughout the transaction, have we already moved onto the next deal?
Often these types of calls involved petty, pain in the foot stuff. Where's my money from the water escrow? When is the plumber coming to snake the drain in the bathroom shower?
I think one of the ways we can make ourselves referable is by continuing to show our clients that we value them and their good will, not just during the transaction, but after settlement.
Look at the way you choose who you send business to. The guy who installed my central air was just wonderful. So was the electrician who did the electrical upgrade that made it possible. I recommend these people every chance I get.
But the guy who did such a lovely job on my ceilings may have blown it! And I'm hoping it will be easier for me to learn from his mistake than making a similar one myself!
THis is such good timing! We are working on Saturday - trying to find a borrower that we allowed to close last week - who PROMISED to send us something - and didn't. It's all about giving someone your word and MEANING it!
Pat - I love the way you put this post together. Yes it is important to pay attention to the little items after the closing. Failure to do so could ruin a relationship you spent time building.
Pat--I agree that those little details should be taken care of immediately and do just that. Wish contractors felt that same way...similar stories from several projects. Funny thing is that some of the contractors we never called back just because things were never made completely right even though they initially did a good job.
Kind of reminds me of my x husband...never quite finished anything. He had good intentions but all I remember is all the stuff that never got finished.
Pat, they say that a person who is happy with a service person will tell five friends. A person who is unhappy with their service will tell twenty. That's what sticks in their minds.
Hi Patricia... it is all about being DETAIL oriented and following through. Why should anyone settle for 98% when they are paying for 100%. It may seem like an insignificant issue to many, but I think it's the difference between a job well done and an constant annoying reminder.
Patricia,
I often wonder why there are so many 90%ers out there...they just never 'finish' the job 100%...this is bad business and will negate a referral from me!!! Thanks, Fran
Happy Saturday! You are so right, often time it takes months or years to build a relationship, but only one broken promise to ruin it. I agree, if you say you are going to do something...do it! My philosophy is: It's better to under promise and over deliver than over promise and fail miserably. Great post!
Valid observations. We always remember shoddy work and people who don't do what they say they'll do. Doesn't have to be big stuff....but we remember.
Pat, wow, wallpaper on ceilings. You live in an interesting neighborhood. You keep telling me the older homes there are really older. For our area old is like 1995. But I am with you on recommending people who get the job done and are not a pain in the rear to us. Hopefully on the real estate side of things that is us.
Hi Pat...You summed it up beautifully. We do knock ourselves out up to settlement and then it is on to the next.
I believe folks appreciate our responsiveness even more after because many of them realize that they are "former" clients.
Good analogy and good reminder.
Thanks,
Kathleen
Truly good customer service with follow through all the way to the end is so rare it's really remarkable when you find it. The loose ends at the end are as bad or worse that the late starts at the begining or the slow completion once a project has begun. It's almost like you have to be late and be able to cut corners to get your "contractor's" licence.
What gets to me are the ones that start out great for CLient #1 and then get shoddier and shoddier and more and more expensive as you refer them to Clients #2. # and #4. Bt the time #4 rolls around, they're so expensive and so undependable that they get crossed off the list.
NO matter the size of the project it seems surprises pop up. Hope you project goes smoothly.
Patricia- Not taking care of those pesky loose ends or 'punch list' as I call it, are the death of many a fine service provider. So many just don't get it when it comes to what a finished job truly means. I have run into it so many times that now I always ask them up front before the job has been given, what their philosphy is on a punch list and if they are agreeable to putting what they say in writing. It has helped tremendously, so far.
Pat, many contractors who get their final draw or last payment, move onto other projects. It can be really frustrating. We need to stay on top of them, after the transaction. We have a little more punch and they know they will get future referrals (or not) from us.
Pat - As always, you bring up a great point with a situation we face often. I had my favorite attorney piss off a pesty client over $45 in escrow money that got lost in the shuffle and then he blew it off to the fact that she had the majority of thousands owed from escrow and that it really wasn't worth chasing the other attorney over such a small remaining sum. "I work hard for my money" my client told me and she made it clear I should never refer this attorney again. She also made it seem like it was my fault and my job to see that this get refunded. In the end I made a call to the attorney and he said if the $45 was not sent to him in a few days he would cut his own check. After more follow up with my client to see if she finally got the check, my calls went unreturned - I assume she got it, but I'll never know because she remained mad at me over it when all I did was refer the attorney. Seems, I got caught in the middle!
Pat - So true. Showing clients you care after the deal is done is key. It leads to some nice referrals, too.
Pat - You are right on the money with this one!!! It is so important to tie up those loose ends after a closing. It can be the difference between getting a referral or not.