Improving Customer Touchpoints

By Jan Mitchell, Contributing Editor
January 1, 2005
Professional Builder

At Standard-Pacific Homes, managers from each department in the Dallas division are busy improving their overall customer service process. Since September, a newly created Customer Service Management Council meets monthly.

At the initial meeting, about 15 department heads, representing purchasing, accounting, options, closing, warranty, upper management and in-house title and mortgage companies met to define 20 significant "touchpoints" of their operation, defined as every contact a customer has with a Standard-Pacific employee. "We defined the homebuying process through the eyes of our consumer," says Joanne Swaner, director of sales and council member. The council then broke into four groups and each was assigned five customer touchpoints to perfect and master.

The eventual goal is the writing of sales training, homeowner's and construction manuals in order to improve the division's overall operation.

"The transformation from separate departments to a true team dedicated to our customers' overall satisfaction is amazing," says Kayle Rener, warranty manager and co-founder of the council. Ultimately, it is our customer who will benefit."