Like most industries, the Housing Industry has a series of annual awards to celebrate home builders that go above and beyond. The two primary award events are the Housing Industry Association Awards (HIA) and the Master Builders Association Awards (MBA).
The big question for customers is, ‘why do awards matter?’.
When there’s strong competition within an industry, as is with home builders, the home buyer wins out. Every year, the level of service improves as we see more creative home designs, higher quality finishes and more bonus inclusions. The result is a home that’s more complete and a homeowner that’s more than happy.
So, how do the HIA and MBA separate the best from the rest? Let’s take a look at the qualities that make an award-winning home builder.
What customers look for in a Home Builder
Customer Focused
Before the first brick is laid, the customer and home builder will have numerous conversations. A quality home builder will listen to the customer’s ideas and concerns and provide solutions. This is one of the reasons why Blueprint Homes has won so many consecutive service excellence awards. Giving people the option to custom design their home or finding a block that best suits their dream home, shows that they are fully committed to the customer.
Set a high personal standard
If a building company is winning awards year after year, they could become a little complacent. However, to continue winning awards a company must establish their own standard. Whether that’s in service, design, quality or build time, an awarding winning builder must set the benchmark and beat it each year.
Build a solid experienced team
In the Building Industry, experience is something you can’t buy and it’s one of the most valuable assets for any building company. Building a team with a range of skills is vital for success. When awards are handed out, the margin between first and second can be minimal. It may come down to one key difference and more often than not, it’s an experienced hand that creates that difference.
Act with honesty and integrity
If you’re a builder that doesn’t deliver on your promise, you won’t survive for long. For most customers, this is likely the biggest financial decision they’ll make and the final decision will come down to the company they trust. As the HIA and MBA awards are voted for by customers, if you’re not honest to your customers you won’t get a mention, let alone an award.
Design and build homes above industry standard
There’s the industry standard and then there’s award-winning standard. A company like Blueprint Homes decided a long time ago that the industry standard wasn’t good enough and that they would write their own rule book. Building a home should be a magical experience from start to finish and if it means that the home builder needs to work a little harder to make that happen, then it’s well worth it.
How Home Builders are judged
The HIA Customer Service awards are voted by customers, not by industry officials. The MBA Customer Service awards are voted by customers and leading industry experts.
So, if you’re building a home with an award-winning service builder, here is a snapshot of what to expect.
HIA Service Award Criteria
- Assistance with the design process
- Easy to deal with and helpful before building commences
- Professional supervision
- Communication during construction
- Quality workmanship
- Responsiveness to changes
- Construction times met expectations
- After sales service
- Value for money
- Overall expectations met
MBA Service Award Criteria
- Provide a high standard of product and service information
- Provide a high standard of face-to-face service
- Provide an efficient telephone service
- Use approved contract and other documentation
- Have a high standard of quality control and supervision
- High level of attention to maintenance and repairs
- Adhere to a building works programme
- Effective complaints handling procedures
- Effective management of customer service culture
Being acknowledged by the WA Housing Industry leaders is a humbling experience but receiving recognition from your clients is even more rewarding. To know that you’ve delivered the dream home you promised is our greatest achievement.
If you want to find out more about Western Australia’s award-winning builder, Blueprint Homes, contact us today.
