Normandy Design Build Remodeling
Hinsdale, Ill.
President: Andy Wells
Normandy has been an industry leader for nearly four decades. President Andy Wells started out in the sales department and then in 2003 was named president and full partner along with founder Reg Marzec. “Referrals are the lifeblood of almost every remodeling company, and Normandy is no different,” Wells says.
An example can be seen in the way Normandy recently handled a customer complaint regarding a door installation from 25 years earlier. The company sent a technician to the home and replaced the door; no questions asked. Today, the remodeler has a customer for life.
Takeaways for Other Remodelers
According to Wells, one of the most effective ways to boost customer loyalty is to focus on your online reputation. To accomplish this, he recommends assigning at least one person to monitor online chatter about your company, including social media pages and crowd-sourced review boards.
He also suggests that when responding to complaints, always remember that diplomacy is the best approach. Stick to short answers that aren’t defensive or angry. Most customers are lenient about mistakes and will be even more likely to forget any problems if you attentively respond to their concerns.
Wells recommends that remodelers get involved with GuildQuality, a customer satisfaction survey for building professionals. “We can measure the outcome of any customer interaction with our designer or superintendent, also making our staff aware that we will be asking the customer about their experience,” Wells says.
Finally, he emphasizes that customer satisfaction is a team effort: “It starts with the person who answers the phone, all the way through final inspection. We try to help everyone we encounter, whether they become a customer or not, and our staff has seen how doing the right thing almost always pays dividends.”
