Bob and Karen Schroeder, owners of Mayberry Homes in Lansing, Mich., have only been
in business since 2002, but they have garnered more awards for customer satisfaction
than most veteran builders. Bob attributes the company’s success to a “great
spirit” among employees, who are trained to treat people with kindness and
generosity and focus less on making a buck.
Mayberry Homes caters to first-time homebuyers and those moving up from starter
homes, as well as the higher-end empty nesters. “The middle core is over built,
so we like to work on the outer rim of the markets,” Bob explains.
In addition to exuding neighborly charm, the Schroeders exhibit a passion for building
homes. Not just driven by production schedules, they have a reputation for being
responsible builders with a sense of ecology. “We want to build homes like
we’d want to live in,” Bob says. “It’s an attitude that
spreads throughout the team.”
With 12 employees, the Schroeders say they try to make everyone feel like he or
she is an important part of the group. They also foster a shared vision about customer
service that focuses on genuine caring. According to Bob, it’s much easier
to honestly care about your customers than it is to create a lot of rules to make
it look like you do.
Karen believes that when the owners of a company exude a sense of happiness about
the business, it spreads amongst the staff. She’s always wanted to build a
company where the people enjoy working, they respect and believe in each other,
and everyone is treated like he or she belongs. “I’ve always said, when
it stops being fun, I don’t want to do it anymore,” she says.
When it comes to resolving customer complaints, the Schroeders like to apply a “reasonable
standard.” Bob defines it this way: “If I was in that customer’s
position, what would I like to see happen?” One example of this philosophy
in action is when one of Mayberry’s neighborhoods started to have problems
with the earth settling around basement windows several years after construction.
Some homeowners were experiencing storm water damage. Rather than be confrontational
or contentious with the homeowners, Mayberry simply went in and fixed the problem,
re-grading yards and redirecting downspouts — even though it was well after
the warranty period.
Mayberry also has a knack for ad-libbing pleasant surprises that far exceed their
customers’ expectations. With one development, for example, Bob noticed that
some extra stone on the facade of homes would make them more attractive, so he simply
added it without charging the homebuyers extra. Homebuyers were delighted with the
free upgrade and is careful to make ad-libs that he is very confident will delight
the buyer. If they don’t like the freebee, “I simply fix it the
way they want,” says Bob. In another case he added details to a gable simply
because it made the home more pleasing architecturally. Though these surprises might
cost Mayberry hundreds of dollars per house, they are worth it. “It changes
the whole level of respect they have for us,” Bob declares.
Also, when it comes to personal requests from homebuyers, Mayberry does more than
accommodate them — the company embraces them. When a Hindu family asked if
they could perform a blessing ceremony for the house before moving in, Mayberry
didn’t just say O.K. The builder did everything it could to ensure that the
house was as clean as possible and no workers would be at the house to interfere
with the event. “We asked the customer what we could do to make sure the ceremony
was the way they wanted it, and we made sure to deliver,” Bob states. “The
buyer was absolutely delighted that we cared about their cultural traditions.”
The desire to go the extra mile to satisfy a customer is inherent throughout the
organization. Karen recalls a time when she ran into a new homebuyer at the grocery
store. During their chat, she learned that the homebuyer was disappointed that she
wasn’t able to grill out this summer because she didn’t have access
to a truck to retrieve her grill from a storage unit. The next day, Karen arranged
for one of her employees to meet the homebuyer at the storage unit with a company
truck and help deliver the grill. “Sure, I pulled someone out of the field
for a half hour, but it was worth it. I wanted her to enjoy her house this summer,”
Karen says.
Life events don’t go unnoticed either. Karen often sends cards, flowers and
gifts to homebuyers to help celebrate the arrival of a new baby or other special
occasion. Given such genuine gestures of goodwill, it is no wonder that 96.2 percent
of Mayberry’s customers would recommend the builder to a friend. Though the
company is only a few years old, it has already built multiple homes for some of
its customers.
To simplify the purchasing, options and selection process, Mayberry has a complex
of three or four model homes that feature most every option available. All of the
upgrades are pre-priced, so there are no surprises. Homebuyers choose their options
when they sign the contract, then they meet with a selections rep to make their
specific choices within the option categories. No wonder the survey question “reasonable
cost of upgrades” was rated as the highest benchmark question for Mayberry
compared to the average builder. This truly is a rare distinction for a builder.
Close relationships with contractors and vendors helps ensure that deadlines are
met and deliveries are on time — all of which contributes to overall customer
satisfaction. Mayberry Homes even has a computer link with its preferred lumberyard
to streamline the ordering process. This fact is quite impressive for a builder
of any size, and even more so for a builder doing under 100 homes.
Mayberry Homes exceeds expectations in many other ways, small and large. For example,
every homebuyer receives a master key the day construction begins, and they are
encouraged to visit the house whenever they want. At closing, Karen hands the homebuyer
a soft cooler filled with food and refreshments for moving day. When they get to
the house, homebuyers also find a gift basket filled with hand soap, paper towels,
and toilet paper — various household items that might be needed right away.
Then there are the neighborhood Christmas parties, riverboat dinner cruises, and
homeowner association’s softball leagues that Mayberry sponsors. Karen even
arranged to take a group of women to Detroit to see a musical performance, just
to show the company’s gratitude for their business.
To spread its goodwill further into the community, Mayberry – with the volunteer
efforts of its contractors – has donated three houses to St. Jude’s
Children’s Research Hospital for the Dream Home Giveaway raffle.
“It makes a statement that this is a values-driven company that cares, “Bob
says. “And that can’t be faked.”
