Dealing with Difficult Customers in Construction

Construction can be complex, time-consuming, and expensive—it’s not hard to see why many project owners expect to stay closely involved throughout the process. As a contractor, it’s part of your job to keep clients engaged and informed.

But what do you do when it seems like you’re dealing with a particularly difficult customer? We’ll take a look at a few common issues and provide tips for improving client communications and building trust. 

How to manage client issues in construction

The customer is a micromanger 

It’s typically a good sign when a customer is invested in a project’s success. But, if a client takes up too much time with constant check-ins or frequent changes, you may struggle to make sufficient progress.

Ignoring micromangers will negatively impact your working relationship, so instead of dodging calls and avoiding texts, work to set clearer boundaries:

• Plan an update schedule - Let your client know exactly when and how you’ll be keeping them informed of project progress. Choose a frequency for updates that’s fair for both parties and stay consistent. Focus on quality over quantity and make sure that the information you provide is clear and comprehensive.

• Specify the proper channels for communication - Let a client know your preferred method for communications. Set reasonable business hours and explain that you will only be available to respond to questions during that time frame. 

• Establish a formal process for change orders - Make sure the customer understands that any change to a project's terms, no matter how small, needs to be properly documented.

Once you’ve set these boundaries, stick to them. Be responsive and respectful of your client’s needs without hurting your own productivity.

The customer has poor communication skills

Communication is a learned skill, and not everyone can be an expert. Some clients have difficulty clearly communicating.

If you’re getting mixed messages or finding yourself spending more time interpreting a client’s concerns than addressing them, try the following:

• Be specific - Take a direct approach with these customers and, when you need their approval or opinions, ask specific questions that leave little room for error. For example, if you’re sending paint samples, you may ask “Do you approve of this color?” rather than asking what they think about it or if they like it. 

• Repeat yourself - Don’t take it for granted that you’ve understood the intentions behind a client’s request or feedback. Repeat your interpretation back to the customer to proactively give them the opportunity to clarify.

• Organize information - Try not to overwhelm clients with blocks of text or poorly organized data. Use a clear, consistent format for progress updates and other communications to make it easier for the customer to understand the key points you’re trying to get across.

• Include visuals- If you’re providing progress updates or you need to ask a question about the project, including photos or videos can help improve clarity better than verbal or written communication. 

Often improving client communications means becoming a better communicator yourself. The more clear and comprehensive your communications are, the better the chance that you and your customers will be on the same page.

The customer is not engaged or responsive

Sometimes the customer isn’t a poor communicator, they just don’t communicate at all. 

When a client isn't engaged or responsive:

• Continue providing progress updates - Keep providing consistent progress updates to unresponsive clients and make sure to save and date all communications. You’ll have clear documentation that you were meeting your obligations and the client had ample opportunities to address any issues.

• Offer multiple solutions or suggestions - Most customers aren’t ignoring you on purpose, they're most likely busy or overwhelmed with other responsibilities. When you’re reaching out to a client with a question or request for approval, make it easy for them to consider their options and provide a response. Keep messages brief and clearly list their options for them if you’re asking them to make a decision.

• Give clear deadlines - Are you waiting for a response or payment before you can continue working? Politely provide a reasonable deadline and let the customer know that if you don’t hear from them by then, it will affect the project schedule.

• Try alternative communication methods - If you’ve been trying to get a hold of your client by email, try a text or phone call instead. You can even escalate your communications to a different contact if possible.

Don’t assume the worst if a project owner is less responsive than expected. Continue completing (and documenting) your work according to your contract.

The customer has unrealistic expectations

It can be challenging to achieve positive outcomes with clients who have unrealistic expectations of what can be accomplished in a given time. You want to win their business, but you can only compromise so much before you’re in danger of overpromising.

These tips can increase your chances of success when managing client expectations:

• Review historical data - When you know exactly what your business is capable of, you’ll feel less pressure to adjust terms to meet unrealistic demands. When drafting a bid or proposal, review past projects to get a good idea of how much time and labor you’ll need to invest. Use historical data to better plan schedules and budgets and show clients you’ve completed similar work in the past. These real-world examples may help reassure them you know how to best allocate your resources.

• Get granular - Clients with high expectations may appreciate more thorough data that shows exactly what work is going into their projects. You may wish to keep them updated with daily reports that focus on detailed work logs, time data, weather, safety and quality issues, photos, and videos. 

• Provide real-time updates - Even with careful planning, construction projects may go off schedule. Give clients with high expectations extra attention when it comes to providing progress updates. Was there bad weather or a late delivery that led to a crucial task being delayed? Tell them right away. And, if budgets or schedules will need to be adjusted, engage them in the decision making process.

Keeping customers up-to-date on project progress and providing real-time communications can help them develop a deeper understanding of the construction process.

Improve your customer experience using Raken

Raken has everything you need to document project progress in detail and share customized, professional daily reports with your clients.

Our app offers:

• Easy mobile data capture  - Field crews quickly complete reports from the jobsite on phone or tablet and share with the office in real time.

• Photo and video capture - Snap photos and videos in app, add markup or custom watermarks, and automatically attach visual media to reports.

• Branded PDF reports - Click to publish a professional report with your logo and company colors, then share with clients and internal stakeholders automatically.

• Automated production insights - See how projects are performing at a glance with easy-to-read visual data. 

• Secure documentation - Easily access historical data for more informed decision making.

Keep customers more informed with clear visibility and timely insights.