Client Communication
The Internet is playing an ever-growing role in our lives. Consumers can now send virtual birthday cards, pay bills, and book hotel rooms online. And in some places, they can manage their remodeling projects.
A small, but growing, number of remodelers have “Clients” sections on their Web sites. The details vary depending on the company, but features available on these password-protected pages include being able to view progress photos; post messages and questions to the contractor; view project schedules; and even make product selections.
Karl Dropping, president of Norsk Remodeling, in tech-savvy Redmond, Wash. (the home of Microsoft), says that his clients appreciate not having to worry about making decisions or getting in touch with the remodeler during business hours. Dropping says that it’s not unusual for clients to log in late (one client as late — or early — as 3 a.m.) to check in on the project. Client logins and passwords remain live even after the project is finished, so homeowners can go to the site to check things like paint colors or product numbers — saving time for everyone.
Another benefit for both client and contractor is that it provides an easily accessible record of the project’s history. “Logging all of the conversations related to a project is a really powerful tool,” Dropping says.
Having a client section of your site isn’t something to be taken lightly. It will cost several thousand dollars, and Dropping warns, if you aren’t committed to using it, that investment will be wasted. Employees must be diligent about updating the site with drawings, photos, and specifications. Norsk’s project managers have laptops that connect wirelessly to the Internet so they can make schedule adjustments in real time. However, aside from perhaps a bit more technical support on the back end, it amounts to little more than transferring your project management online. Getting into that habit is the most difficult part.
Dropping uses a program called BuildLinks ( www.buildlinks.com) to support this section of his site. It’s primarily intended for new-home builders, but rumor has it that something more specific for remodelers is in the works. REMODELING could find no other canned programs that provide this service for builders.