8 Tips for Remodelers to Get Repeat Customers

As a remodeler, you love making people’s visions come to life; Helping them turn houses into homes and spaces into oases. You want every client’s experience to be so wonderful they think of you when they have another project in mind – minor or massive. And you likely also want to keep your customers around for a long time.

Customer retention is a foundational business practice that increases your number of repeat customers, directly impacting your profitability. By nurturing customer relationships you can extract quite a bit of value from existing clients and even those you worked with in the past.

So how do you maximize your efforts to improve your customer retention rates?

Why customer retention is so powerful

Getting new remodeling clients is exciting and great for business, but nurturing the relationships you have with your past and current clientele can really impact your ROI. Check out these statistics:

• Just a 5% increase in customer retention leads to a minimum profit increase of 25%.

• 93% of customers are likely to purchase again when they receive excellent customer service.

• Overtime, loyal customers will spend 67% more than new customers.

• It costs 16 times less to nurture an existing relationship than it does to build a new one.

• Customers that feel emotionally connected have a 306% higher lifetime value.

Repeat customers can really make a difference for your bottom line, so how do you go about cultivating strong relationships with your homeowners to build their loyalty?

Customer retention tips to build better customer relationships

Here are some helpful tips to improve your customer retention rates:

1. Use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform

If you aren’t already, you should definitely utilize the functionality of a CRM to properly store your customer’s information for future marketing purposes. You can comprehensively map your customer journey to uncover certain touch points of customer interactions, helping you assess areas of your marketing strategy you should improve. You can also re-target customers more efficiently with tailored offers based on their data, create more personalized interactions, and build quality loyalty programs.

2. Deliver impeccable customer service

Getting repeat remodeling customers starts with great service the first time around. Each job you take on should be a memorable experience for your customers from the initial interaction and establishing trust is one of the most critical components for capturing repeat business. Delivering great customer service requires a number of elements, but a few things may stand out to homeowners undergoing the stress of remodeling, like communication.

Make sure you communicate effectively with your homeowners throughout the entire process. You want them to feel calm and comfortable with their home in your hands. Let them know about things ahead of time they may not expect, like excessive debris that will be lying around. Other simple things like engaging in friendly conversation to learn a little bit more about them can help you build a lasting relationship.

You may also want to seriously consider using a Customer Experience Management (CXM) software to help you dig deeper into your customer data and enhance your overall CX strategy.

Read More: Why Homebuilders Should Invest in a Third-Party CX Solution

3. Keep in touch with your existing contacts

Staying in front of your customers can increase your opportunities to work with them again. When they want a new project done they’re more likely to think of you if they’re reminded of your business. Here are a few examples of how to do this:

• Send a few custom direct mailings each year. These could be themed for holidays sending them well wishes, providing company updates, and other personalized ideas.

• Create an email newsletter that goes out once a month. You could include recent completed projects, company awards, and DIY tips among other things.

• Stay active on social media. Part of being relevant to current and past customers is showing up in the spaces they hang out and interacting with them. Post engaging content like fun projects or great client testimonials, include them in conversations, and encourage them to share user-generated content like before and after photos.

• Invite former and current customers to events. Connecting with your customer base at a company event shows you appreciate the business they’ve given you and you want to celebrate them. The special treatment can help build your reputation as the go-to [ifso id=”11143″] for their next job.

4. Always follow up after a completed project

After a job is done, even if the customer seemed 100% satisfied and happy with the remodel, you should follow-up to make sure everything is still looking great and operating well. Small issues may come up like a drawer that started sticking or a baseboard that needs another nail. Reaching out to check-in is an opportunity to fix any problems right away, further supporting your exceptional customer service reputation. Your follow-ups should be personalized based on the information you have about the customer and the job. Another reason why having a CRM is essential.

5. Don’t forget your promises

Keep track of appointments and tasks you promised to complete for your homeowners. If you have a number of [ifso id=”11154″] projects going on at one time, details could get foggy. When you deliver on all promises you’ll increase your likelihood of customers wanting to work with you again.

6. Improve customer loyalty by rewarding your VIPs

If you already have repeat customers, reward them for their loyalty. Loyalty programs are great for customer retention. Many homeowners have a number of projects in mind when they seek out a [ifso id=”11143″], so offering a discount on a second project could really encourage them to go for it and invite you along for the ride. Other incentives could be gift cards to a home decor store at the end of a project, or even a kickback if they refer a new customer to you. Whatever you decide, the goal is to deliver unprecedented value to your clients.

7. Ask for customer feedback and actually use it

In order to retain remodeling clients you need to know what they truly think about your business. In fact, simply asking for feedback can improve retention rates because people like businesses that are invested in improving their operations and customer service.

Use customer surveys to collect data and identify areas that are lacking and need improvement, and areas that are excelling and need maintaining. Also, make sure you always respond back to feedback regardless of its position about you. Leaving negative reviews hanging can hurt future business and thanking customers for positive reviews shows you value who you work with.

8. Understand why your customers left

One of the best ways to improve your client reputation is to understand why they leave. This is why customer satisfaction surveys and monitoring your customer experience is paramount to the success of your remodeling business. Not only can you gain an understanding of your shortcomings, you can learn what signs to look for that indicate a customer is considering leaving.

Setback patterns during projects, ineffective communication trends, or even bad interactions with a specific team member may be variables in customers turning away. Once you know the variables specific to your business you can make adjustments to avoid them. You’ll also know what to look for in the future, so you can mediate before a customer decides to move on. 

Ready to create a customer-focused remodeling business?

Adding new clients is a clear sign of business growth, but losing existing customers can really cost you. Put in the work to connect more with your clients and make necessary changes to your nurturing strategies now, and you’ll surely thank yourself later.
Avid Ratings offers a comprehensive Customer Experience Management solution for remodelers. backed by advanced technology and decades of experience in the building industry. Measure and analyze homeowner feedback, leverage customer reviews, and ratings, and compare yourself to competitors; All the insights and tools you need to strengthen the value you bring to your customers.