BUILD QUALITY ISSUES

When purchasing a new home, the consumer has in the past possessed a degree of understanding when it comes to the finish of their new property. They understand that there will always be a few things that need further attention and as long as these are attended to promptly, they are reasonably relaxed. But the customer’s willingness to work with the developer is being stretched to unreasonable limits. This is because the developer often allows the number of unfinished tasks to get too big, which is an abuse of the consumer’s otherwise relaxed approach to such problems.

What is the purchaser's approach?

We currently live in a world where consumer goods have become more sophisticated and refined. Across the globe, individuals are constantly being influenced by celebrity behaviour, social media and the importance of the brands they wear, the phones they own and the cars they drive. Customers are no longer satisfied unless their specific requirements are met and exceeded as soon as they desire. These customer experiences and expectations do not work well with an industry where the quality and reliability of the product cannot be guaranteed on day one.

Today’s consumer is accustomed to buying goods that are well made and beautifully packaged; they have busy lives that can’t accommodate a lot of interference. They have become accustomed to proactive service, personalised interactions, and connected experiences across channels. Consumers expect no less from the new home developer and their after care teams, but the experience is testing their faith in their ability to deliver the results they want.

How do developers meet these expectations?

For businesses, there’s more focus than ever on going beyond the expected customer support service to deliver a consumer experience that truly differentiates. Customers have always wanted a friendly, efficient and reliable service, but with the development of new technology, their expectations have been raised.

New home developers have to deal with the consequences of an industry shortage of high-quality, skilled tradesmen, along with the added pressure to achieve output in challenging conditions. Many developers believe what their contractors tell them, i.e. that build quality will be very good whereas this is often not the case and so unrealistic expectations are set.

Tight build programmes can mean an insufficient window of opportunity to correct poor work prior to the purchaser setting foot over the threshold.

In summary, buyers and developers are moving in opposite directions in regard to the after care management of new builds. The consumer is increasingly living in a ‘right first-time’ world that the developer can struggle to deliver. Therefore, in order to help both consumers and developers alike, After Build has developed a range of services to help the developer get their product right-first-time and provide an appropriate level of after care throughout the first 2 years of the warranty.

If you are interested in working with After Build for cost-effective after care for new homes, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01444 460129 or complete the contact form on our website, and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.