The Lean and Green Builder: Lesson 10 – Knowledgeable sources

In my travels, I have seen a lot of different places, both in the USA and outside.  When I travel, one of my favorite activities is finding great little spots to see and taste the local culture.  When traveling in New Orleans, I asked the concierge where to go to get great food.  He politely told me of several well-known spots near the hotel.  I then asked where he would eat and the answer was vastly different and exactly what I was looking for.

If we know the right questions to ask, we can always find the answer.  Unfortunately, most homeowners that run into an issue at home do not know the right questions.  If they are not given the answers to their questions, they look everywhere but the right place for answers.  Just search Google for Foundation Cracks and you will get 159 Million results, most of which I would not want a customer to review to answer a question about a home I built.

Providing both training and a reference manual to customers accomplishes a number of goals for a homebuilder.  The first, of course, is a manual provides green points to help a builder achieve certification. Second, education can reduce the number of warranty calls, as customers will have more training and information available for review. Third, customers will be more satisfied with their homes because they know what to expect and how to maintain the property.

Knowing the right questions or the right place to find answers will improve quality and customer satisfaction.