Service, Quality & Availability- So You Have More Time for What Matters Most
Have you ever been in a place filled with opportunities for peace and quiet only to have your mind clouded with thoughts of materials not delivering, crews not completing projects, and frustrated because quotes weren’t received on time? Construction projects don’t stop just because you decide to take a few days off. We spend our careers trying to find the balance between work and home and even when we are home, our thoughts rarely escape work. So, how can we put aside our work worries in order to enjoy the things that matter most in life?
There are many ways to reshape our thoughts on this topic. We can read books about time management, take a Covey course to learn how to prioritize, or we can choose to do business with companies that best fulfill our needs. Choosing to do business with a particular company is not typically the first thing we think about when we are trying to manage time. All too often, we overlook the volume of time spent on remedial tasks because we feel it’s just part of the job. If we dissect the hours of our day, we would find a similar list of tasks brought on by conducting business with a particular company:
- Tracking orders
- Following up on quote requests
- Calling for product information
- Answering endless emails pertaining to project addendum
- Calling around for product availability
- Reviewing a punch list that is riddled with quality issues
- Traveling to a job site to bring a crew items that were missing from an order
What if this endless to-do list disappeared from your daily agenda and were accomplished as a byproduct of doing business with the right company? We conduct business with a particular company because of the value they bring to our organization, but we rarely reevaluate our relationships with these companies. If our relationships sculpt our success, shouldn’t we take time to layout expectations with these companies? Moreover, if those companies are not receptive to fulfilling a level of service necessary to our business, shouldn’t we find a company that can?
Service, quality and availability are three essential characteristics that determine a contractor’s quality of life. Having a relationship with a customer centric company that embodies these characteristics allows us to focus our attention on more important facets of our life, rather than spending invaluable time on remedial tasks that consume our day. By conducting business with a company that provides reliable service, outstanding quality, and consistent availability, we will have more time for What Matters Most.
Featured Image: Jimmy Martinez and family from JM Fences in North Richland Hills, TX