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Can You Truly Have Quality, Speed and Price?
When I was about 16 I worked in a printshop. The owner had a sign on his front counter that had a picture of a triangle with each of the points labeled. The first said Quality, the second said Speed and the last said Price. Then at the bottom it said “Pick any two.” That little sign has stayed with me in the back of my mind through the years. I’ve heard people ridicule it and say that a company providing great customer service should be able to do all three and while I agree with the premise, I think reality tends to side with the sign. If you want a great price and you don’t want to have to sacrifice quality, then it is going to take a while to accomplish. If speed and price are most important, then quality has to give. And if price and speed are king, then quality tends to come in a distant third.
At Ridgeline, we have noticed this same tendency on our remodeling and new construction projects here in the Northwest. Customers are always concerned about the price of remodel or a new house, and with good reason. Most of us don’t have the luxury of unlimited budgets very often the budget is synonymous with “everything I have to spend” and, as such, going over budget is never an option. As a company dedicated to quality craftsmanship we don’t feel that we can sacrifice on quality as our work continues to speak volumes about us long after we drove the last nail or applied the last coat of paint. Also, most of our customers have never been through a major remodel or the construction of a new home, so they don’t know what to expect or what it will be like when it’s all over. We know that sacrificing on quality may seem acceptable during the bidding stages, but a remodel or a new house is a very emotional project for most people and the level of quality becomes all-important as they see the walls going up and the project coming together. So sacrificing quality is out for a number of good reasons.
That only leaves us speed. And I can attest to the fact that, even though we are kind and friendly and very good at what we do, nobody wants us around any longer than is strictly necessary. And we don’t blame customers. Even the very best remodel is still a very invasive project and no matter how much you like your contractor, nobody really wants to live with him. At least not any longer than necessary. We’ve found over the years building new houses and doing remodels that we see our greatest efficiencies and happiest customers when we get in, get the job done, and get out. Get in, get out, get on with your life, as the saying goes.
So now we see that despite the little sign assuring us we only get two, we find we cannot sacrifice pricing, quality or speed. So what to do? Well the answer has taken us many years and lots of experience to come to. But the short answer is, you don’t sacrifice any of them. But this means working very closely with the customer and communication is everything. Communication, followed closely by well-honed procedures that we vary from at our own peril, are the hallmarks of a great company.
Our procedures are learned from years of trying different ways to see what works and what doesn’t and sometimes they’re a little counter-intuitive. Like our scheduling, for example. We intentionally schedule “down” days on our projects, days when no construction workers will be at a customer’s site. At first, customer’s balk at this idea. But then we explain it to them. There are always surprises in construction. The wrong material is shipped or a key fixture shows up broken or the wrong style or color. When that happens, lots of times the project cannot continue until the error is corrected. Now, if we have every phase of construction scheduled back to back to back, then one delay causes every phase of construction down the line to get shoved out of the schedule, like bumper cars. And then again, and perhaps again, until the last few phases are so off from their original schedule that it takes a delay of weeks to get them back in line. Because of this, we schedule the intentional down days between phases so that if there is a minor delay, the next phase can still start on time. In the long run, this means the project actually progresses faster and smoother than it would with what initial appeared to be a shorter schedule. And a side bonus we’ve discovered is that customers find they actually enjoy a down day where they can get a breath and reflect a little on what’s been done before their whisked into the next phase. We have lots of procedures like that and they are the difference between a construction project that simply gets the job done and one that is actually a fun and enjoyable experience for our customers.
The bottom line is that you can have price, quality and speed. But providing all three takes a huge amount of communication, unparalleled attention to detail and a rigid adherence to the policies and procedures that make for happy customers and smooth projects. If you are contemplating a remodel, addition or even a new house, give us a call at 208-651-4444. We will be happy to come out and meet you, discuss your project, and give you a guaranteed proposal that will ensure you get exactly the construction project you’ve been dreaming of. Ridgeline Construction and Remodeling. Let us build your dream.
New Construction Coeur d’Alene.