Survey time: some lesson come straight from the client.(Customer Service)

J.D. Power and Associates' recent survey of home builders' customer service quality has shaken the industry to its foundations--no pun intended.

Participating builders in 30 of the largest U.S. home building markets who had previously taken customers for granted have been frantically trying to find out where they went wrong. Those who had been paying attention to customers received high satisfaction ratings. Meanwhile, small-volume companies stood by and watched. Some were amused, some were intrigued, and most are glad to have avoided this frenzy.

However, small companies can also apply the customer service lessons that the big builders had to learn the hard way. Following are some of the top qualities respondents said they look for in a builder. They show up again and again in the stories of companies with high satisfaction scores.

Keep customers informed. Your salesperson should provide a realistic overview of the home building process, including clear information about the warranty. Your company also should keep clients updated about progress, issues, delays, and so on. Clients appreciate a response to communications within one business day at the most.

Provide a good quality product. Customers will know you care about quality if they see tags on problem items or if someone calls to say that one of the cabinet doors in the butler's pantry will be replaced because it was damaged. Your site tours should include candid answers to questions, realistic time frames for actions needed, and a responsive attitude on the part of the on-site staff. Keep jobsites clean and materials protected and well-managed.

Keep customers happy. You should recognize that building a good home while making your clients miserable is a sorry combination. This combination, in fact, shows up on surveys in phrases such as "love the house, hate the builder." So instead, build a good home and work to make the experience pleasant. Meetings should be relevant, efficient, interesting--and you should serve terrific refreshments.

Provide a comprehensive orientation. The information you present should be practical, interesting, and helpful. The presentation should include clear, well-organized demonstrations of the home's features, useful tips and short cuts for maintenance, and a reassuring overview of the ...