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travisshepherd's avatar
travisshepherd
Contributor 5
16 hours ago

Why your 'Best' work still gets you 3-star reviews

After 30+ years in the industry—from project managing hotel builds and overseeing regional engineering to running my own construction and painting companies—I’ve realized a hard truth:

​A project can be technically perfect, but if the communication was poor, the client won't remember the quality—they'll remember the frustration.

​In my experience, managing expectations is at least 50% of the job. Whether it’s arrival times, scope creep, or project delays, the 'technical fix' is rarely the hardest part of the business. The hard part is the human element. You can deliver a flawless renovation, but if you didn't manage the expectations surrounding that job, you’ve left a door open for a headache.

​I’m curious—what’s the one 'service expectation' you’ve struggled with the most while trying to grow your business? Let's break down how to standardize that process so it doesn't break your workflow.

1 Reply

  • MrNutting's avatar
    MrNutting
    Contributor 2

    Over promising.   Not that I dont accomplish the job Ive set out to do but having been taught to always be willing to give the customer what they are willing to pay for is not a good belief that will make a company succeed but most likely fail. I struggle mostly with my timing.  Im not the soet of person that is late to anything except my own jobs.   I install and repair sprinkler systems.and frankly I can not predict what sort of problem or challenges I will face when digging into the surface of our planet.   So If I was to show up at say 11am but I send word Ill ne late by roughly an hour or two or what ever I tell them... sometimes Im late again and maybe even for a third time because I wasn't expecting to be delayed die to lets say tree roots. 

     

    Its rough sometimes.