Chris Ledet Homes has thrived in southeast Louisiana despite the ups and downs of the building economy and routine setbacks from hurricanes. A secret to their longevity? Customer service that connects with the homeowner and extends well behind move-in.

On today’s episode of “The Building Code,” Zach and Charley talk to owner Paul Ledet about what it takes to create customer relationships that withstand the stresses of construction.

Ledet also shares his thoughts on taking over his father’s business, navigating new tech and the personal touch of customer relations, and the hardest part about building in a hurricane hotspot.

WHAT ASPECT OF THE BUILDER-HOMEOWNER RELATIONSHIP DO YOU FEEL BUILDERS STRUGGLE WITH?

“I find that the more transparent you are with having your selections or allowances open and available, and my vendors are uploading quotes that they can view, I mean, that goes a long way for an owner to be able to see a flooring selection, to be able to click through there, and they can see, basically, exactly the labor amount, the flooring amount, the square footage, the labor rate, the flooring rate. And they just give them a better sense of trust, I suppose. I know not everybody does that and that may be a weird concept for some builders, but when you open that door to have that trust and communication, I find that the jobs, generally, go a lot smoother.”

HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC COMPLICATED CUSTOMER RELATIONS?

“The last two years have been pretty weird with COVID. Lots of loose ends that are way more loose ends than normal, things taking lead times, are taking forever and you try to move them in without appliances and stuff. Managing their expectations is the key, but even then, we're trying to manage them and we're wrong several times because we rely on information, too, but really just trying to manage their expectations and trying to set deadlines, but not, ‘Hey, look, we're trying to commit to this two weeks, but we want it to be finished before you move in.’ That was a real tough one for us.”

LINKS AND MORE

Related content:

Download Buildertrend’s guide to maintaining strong relationships during a custom build.

Enjoy hearing Paul’s take on building? Listen to his podcast “The Wasted Hour” on any major streaming platform.

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