Plan for Quality
The best remodelers focus on the details
Most remodelers want to do good work for their clients. They strive to do quality work, responding fast if the client has a problem after the job is done. Unfortunately, many lack systems and processes for avoiding errors during your project and few learn from their mistakes, so they won’t happen again.
Small details are what brings quality to your remodeling experience and to the end product. Great remodelers obsess over all the small details. Attention to each of the small details are what sets us apart.
Unfortunately, small things generate the most complaints. These range from aesthetic issues (such as cracked drywall) to annoying things such as squeaky flooring. To a Client who just paid good money to have their project done by a professional, things like this aren’t thought of as minor. How a quick remodeler takes care of them, really lets you know where their heart is and how their business systems are set up.
Research in the remodeling industry shows that such problems can be avoided with a systematic approach to quality. While most of the research has been done with new home builders, the results apply to remodelers as well. An article in the August 2017 issue of Professional Builder magazine, based on interviews with companies across the United States, reported that while most businesses lack a formal QA (Quality Assurance) program, companies who have put a QA program in place noticed an almost immediate reduction in warranty claims. In fact, one contractor obtained 70 percent fewer claims after just two years of using Quality Assurance in their business.
Clients will fewer warranty call backs will certainly be quicker to refer their remodeler to friends, family and colleagues.
So what does a QA program include? It’s often assumed that it’s all about inspecting the work. Inspections play a role but they’re not the whole story. The data from every inspection needs to be reviewed in order to make sure the underlying issues get corrected. QA is a proactive forward looking way to help remodelers obtain ongoing quality gains.
QA is a mindset, along with a commitment that must be prevalent from the top down in order to properly work. Simple checklists that are followed consistently will do the job, although you can buy software specifically for QA.
QA mindset shows up in a lot of ways. Quality focused remodelers have written communication plans that workers and trade contractors are expected to carry out, and they are diligent to be sure the expectations are met. It shows up with clean clutter-free project sites with neatly stacked materials. Safety and quality conscious companies pay attention to the details. They use checklists to identify trends, so that best practices are taught to everyone in the business. Time is invested in training new team members before mistakes happen.
The article cited above reported that companies that reap the most rewards from their QA efforts pursue collaborative relationships with employees, trade contractors and vendors, seeing their advice for ways to improve. This helps build a QA company culture to encourage excellence— which creates a culture that attracts the best craftsmen to want to work with them.
The remodelers who have Quality Assurance programs stand out from the rest. Making it easy for you to decide who you want to work with.
