As a home builder, you need to be confident and clear on your offering to buyers, especially when it comes to warranties. After all, it is your name on the home along with your reputation behind the build. Setting clear guidelines on your warranty will provide credibility and meet the expectations of the new home buyer.
8 Tips to Help Streamline Your Warranty Communication
It’s important to know exactly how to communicate through the warranty process. It will help to minimize the time and resources it takes to facilitate the process, especially when you can be using that time and resources for your profit-making activity. Hitting these key points with your home buyer will help you increase efficiency, identify problems and know how to avoid those problems in the future.
1. Have a software or a system that accommodates easy submissions.
You need a comprehensive, easy to understand software for managing your requests. Having all of your communication, tracking, and scheduling in one place will make your life, and the life of everyone else involved, so much easier.
2. Be upfront and straightforward
You want your buyer to absolutely love their new home, and you want to ensure that they feel supported and taken care of. You also do not want to hit them with any unexpected hiccups or information that they may not know existed. Being upfront and straightforward with your warranty process will save you a lot of headaches in the future.
3. Set clear expectations of the coverage details
Setting and maintaining clear expectations of your coverage details is one of the most crucial moves you can make as a home builder. Without these cornerstones set in place, a buyer can become frustrated and upset when a misunderstanding occurs. To avoid a potential negative or disappointing experience, set clear expectations of all the coverage details with a written document of your warranty timelines and standards.
4. Know your coverage inside and out
Nothing is more comforting to a home buyer than someone who knows exactly what they are talking about, and exactly what their warranties will cover. It’s also important to know what they don’t cover, so you can be transparent and confident in your work. Knowing your coverage front and back will help you to be able to navigate any future problems regarding the new home.
5. Have excellent documentation
Every bit of communication must be logged and tracked. This is important in the event of any disputes, uncertainties or miscommunications. You will always want to have a complete communication record to fall back on.
6. Establish that certain warranty work is a one- time fix
Make sure that certain projects and repairs are clearly stated as a one-time fix. Make sure the home buyer is completely aware of these expectations to prevent any future problems that might affect your relationship and reputation with the home buyer.
7. Send a reminder before the end of their one year mark
This goes hand-in-hand with keeping open and clear communication lines. When a buyer’s warranty is about to hit key milestones, it is important to send them a reminder. It leaves a paper trail and covers you if anything goes wrong after warranty ends. Plus, they will appreciate the open communication.
8. Be prepared to say “No”, but back it up with documentation
It’s okay to say no. There are always pleasant ways to turn down a buyer’s request. Be able to empathize with their situation, be honest, and have a valid reason backed up by a warranty standard when you decline a request.
QBW is Here to Help
Providing home builders with a quality warranty product you can trust is something QBW is proud of. We want to see you succeed. We want to provide you with the best home warranty service, to give you and your customers the peace of mind you deserve.