Systems and Forms Improve Communication

While my previous column looked at design retainers and how to use them, this month we will discuss ways to use systems and forms to show your professionalism and build client trust.

In fact, the first thing you should do after you’ve received a signed design agreement is to acknowledge the customer with a letter showing them you appreciate their business and are reciprocating the trust they have given to you by hiring you to design their project.

Whether this letter comes from the designer or the company, I think it’s important the customer has someone to talk to if things don’t go the way they were hoping.

The letter sent from our company has my name and home phone number and has served us well over the years. It reads:

Mr. and Mrs. Any Customer
11111 Jumbo Lane
Any City and State 11111

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Customer:

I personally would like to take this opportunity to say “Thank You” for selecting our firm for your design and product needs.

I want you to know everyone at Thompson Price Kitchens, Baths & Home understands the importance of keeping our clients happy.

To that end, our company policy is simple: We will provide the utmost in customer service, whether we earn your business through the sale of the entire project, or only through the supplying of materials.

We want you to know that, if at any time you are not satisfied, you may call me personally. The only way I can address a concern is when I am aware of it.

We pride ourselves in customer service and will do all we can to correct any situation or concern you may have. You can reach me after hours at my home at 555-555-5555 or on my cell at 555-555-5554.

Sincerely,
Thompson Price
President

While I realize many of you would never think of giving out your home phone number, you should consider the impact this would have with many customers. Many of our clients say the reason they chose to do business with our firm was because they had the home phone number of the owner or the salesperson.

What might surprise you is if I receive two or three calls a year, that’s a lot. I can honestly say if they did call, it was for what they thought was a good reason – and I was glad I could talk to them that evening rather than wait until the next day when they’d had time to get really fired up, usually about nothing.

Keeping the door open for two-way communication not only prevents costly errors, but it also shows you care and appreciate your customers’ business.

Once you’re on your way to producing a design for your customers, certainly you meet with them to present the options and choose the best overall design.

However, once they have made their product selections, you need to think about how you put these selections in writing and what sort of an agreement you have with them. I learned many years ago that it’s every bit as important to have your agreement state what you’re not going to do as it is to list what you are going to do.

Many a project has lost money or has gone south because of a lack of communication. You then end up with a customer who thinks you tried to cheat them out of something they assumed was part of the agreement. At that point it will be nearly impossible to turn them into a loyal customer who will spread good words about their experience with you.

To prevent this type of scenario, I developed an eight-page agreement covering nearly every aspect of what we will be doing on any kitchen or bath project we do. It was created to be a fill-in-the-blanks type of form, with headings for each segment of the job.

The chart above is an example of what the cabinet section of the agreement looks like. It includes references to door styles, finishes, hardware and other details that are a part of the cabinet order and installation.

This reference is just an example of the type of detail that should go into the agreements with the customer. This type of form is not just reserved for the high end, either, but for all projects that are sold.