Midlothian, Va.
ParagonRVA.com
GQ All-time Recommend Rate: 98%
GQ 2021 Recommend Rate: 100%
Number of Jobs in 2021: 71
Type of Firm: Full-service Remodeler
CEO: Jeremy Shank
Business technology and business software are offering new ways for remodelers and home improvement professionals to improve client experience and customer satisfaction. In what ways are you using software or technology to improve client experience?:
We are continuously looking for ways to improve the renovation experience we provide each and every one of our customers. Today, we are using technology more than ever to improve the customer experience from the initial meeting, to design, to a well-executed project.
We have made well-organized virtual meetings, through Google Meet, the first step in our process with new clients. These meetings allow us to meet with clients sooner, to understand their needs, to share or process and more successfully engage them.
We have and continue to use Chief Architect, 2020 and Realtime Landscape Architect and their ever improving rendering capabilities to design for and walk clients through their new addition or transformed kitchen, bathroom or outdoor living spaces. We customize these 3-D walk-throughs with our client’s selections, make changes completely and efficiently, and ultimately move our clients’ into the construction phase sooner and with more certainty than ever before.
The game changer for us in late 2021/ early 2022, specific to measuring and layout, was Canvas. We are able to measure a project, capture the details, have a complete preliminary design/ selection meeting in a week or two where as it was a month or more.
Lastly, BuilderTrend is integral to the success for all of our design-remodel projects. While we have used BuilderTrend for almost 12 years now, we are now using it more completely in communications, project progress documentation, selections, scheduling, and managing and most effectively deploying our internal and external resources. The end result – we are better for our clients and are able to return their transformed homes them many times sooner than expected.
Rising costs for labor and building materials along with higher inflation on everything else is forcing remodelers and home pros to raise prices dramatically. Tell us about the most effective ways you are passing along these rising prices to your clients?:
During COVID, we incorporated pricing adjustments in our agreements – to the up or down side – the actual cost of products differed more than 5% from the contacted cost/allowance. While contractual adjustments have been the foundation for addressing increasing costs during this inflationary environment, we try to minimize having to pass on increasing costs by procuring product as soon our customer approves their selections – either holding them at our supplier or storing them in our storage bays at our offices.
Supply shortages have required you to ask clients to go back and pick another finish or building material. What are your tips for handing these product trade-off conversations?:
We have found the most effective ways of addressing product shortages, delays or freezes are 1) upfront communication with our customers about the continuing supply-side challenges, 2) obtaining and conveying product availability in conjunction with our selections process and providing similar product solutions where required, and 3) expanding our universe of partners and going above beyond to investigate and source our customers selection(s).