When Premier Pools and Spas of Dallas says that it will complete a pool by a certain date, it means it.
To finish projects by their stated deadlines, each week President Shan Johnson and Vice President Mike Ribnikar conduct a weekly team meeting to assess where each pool is in the construction process.
“With that update, we can find out if anyone is falling behind for any reason,” says Johnson, whose firm ranks on this list for the second year in a row. “Then we can apply additional resources to get that project caught up on time.”
Team meetings serve another valuable purpose. Each week, the team reads report cards submitted by past customers to discern where there are areas for improvement. These questionnaires are given to clients at the end of the firm’s pool school, an informational overview for new pool owners.
The surveys change from time to time. For example, if Premier received complaints the previous summer about jobsite cleanliness, a question will be included to address that. Then that becomes a focus to improve customer satisfaction.
“We read them all — good, bad and ugly,” Johnson says. “That give us an opportunity to pick up the phone up and see if there is anything we can do to right the ship … Sometimes we can kill them with kindness in the warranty and service department.”
During the construction process, the firm utilizes customer relationship management software that automatically emails clients with updates. These include information about what to expect in an upcoming phase.
“They don’t understand their backyard is going to look like Beirut,” Ribnikar says. “So anything we can do to give them a heads-up is helpful.”
To send the customer off on solid footing, Premier includes a free month of service with every new build. This serves two purposes: It ensures the integrity of the plaster, and it helps continue the relationship with the customer.
