By: Guillermo Salazar • 11 August 2022

Relationships are tricky. New home warranty issues can make them trickier.

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Relationship status: It’s complicated. That’s not a social media update any customer wants to make when it comes to their home builder. Home builders and buyers kindle their relationship from the moment they enter the design center and nurture it until the warranty period ends. On average, it’s an emotional union for 1.5 - 2 years. That’s a long time, and could result in a lot of therapy.You’ve held your customer’s hand through the home building journey and you’ve been there every step of the way. From choosing the right lot, to picking finishings, from supply chain issues to delays with trades, you’ve been through it all together. Now your buyer has moved in and is in love with their new home. But, they’ve noticed some things…The air conditioning system doesn’t quite get cold enough. The garage door opener is blinking and no one knows why. There’s a visible crack in the paint from the house settling. Your homeowner needs you just as much today as they did when they first set eyes on their floor plan.

Some Relationship Advice

You don’t want your customers to break up with you during the warranty period. You’ve come too far together to let it all fall apart now. On average, buyers place two warranty claims per year and warranty accruals hover around $3,500 per unit sold for many home builders. A poor customer experience during the warranty process, regardless of how good the experience has been to date, can negatively impact your NPS scores and chance for a positive referral.While this might not quite be the relationship advice you’re used to getting from your BFF, here are three steps you can take to minimize warranty claims and provide an exceptional customer experience with your homeowners.

Educate your customers about the features of their new home.

Often, homeowners need training on how to use the new things in their home. Technology in products like digital thermostats, bluetooth enabled refrigerators and sound systems change rapidly and not everyone is an expert on their operation. Basic education on home maintenance such as operating the HVAC system, where to turn off the water supply and how the breaker box is labeled is important for all homeowners and is often overlooked on possession day.

Train your warranty contact center team to remotely assess the issue.

It takes three service calls on average to solve a new home warranty issue. Sometimes, the problem is lack of customer education on how to use a product in their home. Training contact center teams to remotely assess common problems can reduce truck rolls and ultimately save you money.

Empower customers to self-serve on their schedule.

No one likes having to stay at home and wait for a technician to arrive sometime between 8:00 - 5:00. It makes an already frustrating situation worse. Providing tools for new homeowners to self-assess their issues using checklists and information in a knowledge base allows them to solve their problem on their schedule. Online scheduling tools eliminate the need for customers to wait on hold to book an appointment.Find out how ICwhatUC can help you strengthen the relationship with your customers using our data-rich virtual experience platform that can assist with education of customers, training of employees and empowering customers to self-serve.
#awareness #customerexperience #homebuilding #newhomewarranty

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