What do Customers Want from Scaffolding Contractors? 

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What do customers expect from good scaffolding contractors? Knowing and providing exactly what they want.

Unfortunately, scaffolding contractors are not always on the same page with their customers. They might offer extra services that customers don’t necessarily need or vice versa. They might even have opaque processes vis-a-vis design and billing that leave customers in doubt. Or they might not even be able to convince the customer that their scaffolds can meet a high standard of safety.

Addressing this issue is especially important for the scaffolding industry since getting this wrong can impact your company negatively, be it in the form of missed opportunities or a bad reputation.

In this article, we will highlight what customers want from scaffolding contractors (that you might have missed) and how you can give it to them.

Three Things That Customers Want from Scaffolding Contractors

Personalization

Are you annoyed by marketing emails that make no sense? Like when you get hit with a promo for car insurance when you don’t even own a car?

That’s how customers feel when scaffolding contractors aren’t catering the scaffold designs to their specific needs.

Contrary to popular belief, scaffolding isn’t a “one size fits all” operation. Different construction projects and environments require different types of scaffolding, which can vary over time.

That is why it is crucial that you can walk your clients through your designs clearly. One way to do that is with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). That’s what Chris Javni, Director of Greater City Scaffolding (GCS) does when he pitches his scaffolding contractor services to customers. He will include a quote, 2D/3D scaffolding design, as well as a link to a YouTube video that provides a walkaround of the finished scaffold as seen below

GCS scaffold walkaround with AR/VR

It sends a message to the customer that he is well aware of their needs and the specific type of scaffolding they require.

You can do all that and more with a scaffold design software like Avontus Designer®. With Designer, you will always be able to provide highly personalized scaffold designs along with clear AR/VR visualization that can help you provide a better customer experience.

Transparency

Customers hate nothing more than being stuck with a surprise bill.

Unfortunately, cost overruns seem to be inevitable. According to a report from Mckinsey, 98% of all major construction projects tend to incur cost overruns.

Scaffold contractors might not communicate clearly how their price relates to the value of the scaffold solution, which can lead to an unpleasant surprise when the customer picks up the bill.

The best way to address this issue is to provide full transparency. This can be done by clearly and specifically breaking down the initial quote, which clarifies exactly what services the customer is getting before the project begins. All this can be done quickly with rental invoicing details from Avontus Quantify®.

A rental invoice sample created by inventory management software 
Rental invoice sample with Quantify

Furthermore, you should provide the customer with real-time updates on overruns and delays – Avontus Quantify can do all this by tracking your scaffolds.  This way, you aren’t charging them unfairly for unnecessary materials. 

Safety

Customers also pay attention to safety when choosing a scaffolding contractor. Nobody wants an avoidable accident or a hefty lawsuit. As a contractor, flashing your safety credentials to your customers can go a long way in securing the job.

Organization and efficiency are the keys to scaffolding safety. Good safety follows naturally from an efficient design process.

Find out how one company effectively created safety-first scaffold designs here using Avontus Designer. Due to its powerful yet simple 3D visualization capability, draftsmen could create transparent 3D designs showing everyone instantly where safety issues might occur.

This design transparency also successfully helped the firm to improve their sales numbers, thanks to the detailed 3D drawings that proved the robust safety of their models.

Ready to Give Your Customers What They Need?

To recap, scaffolding contractors are sometimes guilty of not providing what their customers need. Customers require personalization, transparency, and safety from their contractors.

If you’re a scaffolding contractor, you need to be aware of this to remain competitive in the business landscape. Find out how you can provide the aforementioned to your customers using our award-winning solutions below!