Quality means better business, so construction industry isn’t more immune to charms of quality management than any other industry. To start with, quality management is split into two: quality assurance and quality control. Quality assurance covers all activities from design to documentation. Quality control is more focused on the process. Now we have to admit that quality management is more difficult to implement in the construction industry. This is because of the industry-specific characteristics. Limitation of communication, lack of coordination among departments, and much stricter deadlines are just a few of the questions that industry has to deal with.
There are amazing people dealing with these questions. Kaoru Ishikawa, one of the leaders who contributed to total quality management in Japan, defines quality management as follows: “To design, produce, and provide after sales services for the most economical, most convenient, customer satisfactory building.” There are more than one project in construction sector. For this reason, providing satisfaction and quality are more difficult than other sectors. So, the key to successful total quality management in the construction sector is using the accurate information technology.
Another solution to the industry’s quality management questions is from Professor David Garvin of Harvard Business School. He focuses on performance, features, reliability, compatibility, durability, serviceability, aesthetics and perceived quality in his work on the eight dimensions of quality. We summarized these eight dimensions using four key customer touchpoints you need to pay attention to.
1.Advertisement Phase
Advertisement is not a luxury, but a necessity. Because the number of projects and level of competition is just too high in the construction sector. In order to improve your quality management system, you need the answers to questions such as whether the advertising ads reached the target audience during the advertising phase, how target audience responded to the advertisement campaign and how the campaign affected the brand image.
2. Sales Phase
After successfully managing your advertising strategy, your customers have come to the point of sale. This is a very critical point that carries the burden of persuading a customer. Sales advisors and reps face customers who already have their own expectations. If you want to improve the quality management, the service provided by the sales consultant must be strictly measured.
3. Delivery Phase
It is the point where these points matter: whether the building is well-built, whether the building is delivered on time, whether the promises fulfill customers’ expectations or do not. Knowing the answers of these questions and improving your shortcomings will make your next project even more successful.
4. Management Phase
Once the customer starts using in the building, communication with the building management actively begins. When the customer needs something in the building, this problem needs to be solved quickly and practically. The most logical actor in this situation to provide the solution is the construction company. You must incorporate a real-time communication tool that is easy to use in the building you’re delivering; this will ensure that residents are in contact with the building management.
The key point to ace these four phases is using the right information technology. Pisano has been collecting and analyzing customer feedback for more than 100 businesses in every industry since 2014. What makes us so successfully adaptable in different sectors is the flexibility of our feedback surveys. Every business can redesign Pisano questionnaires according to their needs.
In the construction sector, you can integrate the Pisano questionnaires into the internet environment during the advertisement phase as a kiosk tablet to measure the sales quality. The feedback you receive from your real customers with the questions prepared in accordance with your customer profile will show you whether you are on the right track.
After the building is delivered, a small QR code card can be placed in each apartment to communicate with the building staff. Residents will be able to access the building management through the Pisano platform instantly through their own phones. At the same time, the level of satisfaction of the residents will be regularly measured here. Just imagine the effect of such a focus on quality management and its contribution to your sales.
When you are dealing in the construction industry, ensuring quality means happy customers. And aren’t happy customers building blocks of a successful business? Build your business with happy customers, build it together with Pisano.
