I came home from the office and the job was finished. Peering through our open front door across the still-drying, glistening hardwood floors was a sweet victory. The last coat of polyurethane was even sweeter because I had nothing to do with it. Night after night of make-it-up-as-we-go DIY’ing brought me to a new appreciation for the level of skill, preparedness and pure grit contractors must possess to do this everyday.
We powered through the new-homeowner-anxiety disorder (acquired from watching too many episodes of Holmes on Homes) and decided to hire out a number of our projects. Through the renovation of our starter home, we’ve worked with a handful of great contractors who have left us with a fantastic product.
But, lean in: The contractors that I recommend to my friends and neighbors — the ones whose company names I draw hearts around in my planner — are the ones like you who kept client-contractor communication in high priority.
I’m a reasonable person just like most (okay, half?) of your clients. I know sometimes projects will go awry. I can deal. No — the rug burn comes from the contractor that doesn’t keep me in the loop.
I’m in the Know
You don’t have time to write an email; I don’t want a two page email from you. Call me a millennial, but most of the time, I don’t even need to hear your voice. What I do need is quick correspondence that I can access whenever and it won’t matter that my kids are yelling in the background: timelines, notification of setbacks, progress pictures, questions. Keep me informed but, for both of our sakes, do it quickly. Don’t make me call you after one or both of us clocks out for the day to figure out if you’re crew is returning tomorrow.
Readily offering up access to information shines the best light on you and your crew.
You’re in the Know
“But naive-homeowner-lady, I’m not always at each jobsite everyday. How am I supposed to get the updates your little heart desires?”
Your crew + CompanyCam is the answer. Your crew has eyes on the ground. They did the work so they can best update on the weeks’ progress, check in on met or missed deadlines, and explain how they decided to troubleshoot that hiccup today. But they need the right tool to succeed.
With CompanyCam, every photo your team takes is automatically organized by project, creating a project timeline that’s shareable with yours truly. I can use the link you send me to check in on my bathroom remodel from quote to completion while standing in the checkout line at Target or while Netflix loads episode 17.
Meantime, you can communicate around the photo with text, tags, on-photo drawings, and the ability to notify a specific crew member(s) with comments. All this beautifully organized information pushes simultaneously to your entire team keeping everyone on the same page without shuffling paper or digging for the napkin with the measurements from the backseat of your truck. Finally, give me access to the photo you took with the Before & After cam so I can show off my new space on social media!
I know you put in way more hours this week than a non-robot should. I know you didn’t eat dinner with your family at least once this week because you were still at the jobsite or finishing that bid. I know sometimes clients — especially homeowners — can be the absolute worst. There’s a tool that can relieve some of the stress on these areas.
You utilize the correct tool for the job in every other aspect of your trade; don’t let communication with your client be the piece that falls through the cracks.
