How builders can get ahead on customer service

Providing a good service gives home buyers a better experience, improves your reputation and supports the reputation of the industry as a whole.

As well as being a condition of your home warranty cover, adhering to an approved code of practice like the Consumer Code for Home Builders is essential for builders that want to demonstrate strong commitment to customer service. The Code helps you provide home buyers with a positive experience which is fair and transparent, and that sufficient information and support is provided throughout the process. 

This isn’t just a nice to do – there are commercial benefits. Meeting Code requirements reduces the risk of complaints, which take time and often cost money to resolve. Prioritising Code compliance also means you’re less likely to be subject to a dispute for potential breach of the Code, which can again be a further drain on resources.

Our Code provides a wealth of free tools to help you comply and plug gaps that could lead to a breach. Our latest learnings from site compliance audits over the past 12 months, give all builders the opportunity to proactively spot and address similar inconsistencies in your own compliance before they become an issue. 

The Code’s Right First Time factsheets provide hints and tips based on previous disputes, covering specific areas such as supporting vulnerable consumers, providing sufficient pre-purchase information and handling customer complaints. These are all designed to help the industry drive up standards and can be particularly useful for smaller builders who don’t have access to wider learnings from across group companies, for example. 

Meeting requirements set out in the Code may feel like an extra task to add to your growing list, but if you make the most of the tools and templates available, they can enhance your customer service, strengthen your marketing and lead to better customer satisfaction. For a full list of resources available from the Consumer Code for Home Builders, visit https://consumercode.co.uk/resources/#home-builders