Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.
How Much Is Too Much?
We all want to offer as many roofing services as possible, but there comes a point when you have just bitten off more then you can chew. It is tough to truly master one trade, let alone deal with all the unexpected day to day responsibilities of running a full time construction business. The problem that we often see is that these other companies try to offer as many services as they can so that they pick up more and more business. Roofing is seasonal and it would be wonderful to be able to pick up some slack in the winter by remodeling basements and kitchens. When you have a company redoing your roof though, you do not want the same crew that was laying tiles last week to be shingling for you.
It Is Tough Enough To Find Good Employees
Assuming that there enough installation techs out there that can reliably switch between different trades is just ignorant. Anyone with enough skill set to do so is most likely in business for themselves. Maintaining a top notch roofing crew takes focus and proper oversight. That means they are expected to perform their job in a uniform fashion day in and day out. When you start to deviate from that plan you end up getting poor installs. It is recommended that you have a written plan for every job and hold weekly meetings so that you can go over recent performance and customer satisfaction. If there is a problem that occurs, first of all fix it without any hesitations. The customers doesn’t want to hear about why something went wrong. In all likelihood it is most likely not their responsibility so it is all the more important to remedy the situation expediently. Immediately following this resolution, the problem needs to be addressed so that it never occurs again. If you left it unchecked out of laziness or oversight then it will just continue to happen and spiral out of control quickly. Next thing you know, there can be 10 roofs that needs major repairs because of something that seemed insignificant at first glance.
Never Assume That Everything Is Going To Plan
We all want to trust each other, and to some extent we have to in order to stay sane. But when it comes to your employees, especially int he roofing industry, it is important to always stay on your toes. That means your supervisor should be checking every single job, and they should also be documenting everything that occurs. A checklist is recommended and whenever possible pictures are great to have. Keep an eye out for any damages that occurred during the installation as it is much better to be proactive about it rather then have the customer call to tell you later. Ventilation is often overlooked and you will most definitely be required to go back and fix it later when the building inspector violates the property. Lastly, clean up is constantly going to be a struggle. These guys work hard all day and most of the time don’t have the time or energy to properly pick up all the debris in the yard. Again, this should be a responsibility of your project manager on a daily basis. Have them carry some contractors garbage bags and power magnets in their truck and make sure they are not scared to get on their hands and knees once in a while.
When You Have Something Good Going, Do Anything You Can To Keep It That Way
Once you have found a great crew that can install a roof up to your high standards, it is important to keep them happy! Yes, it is a very competitive industry and there are other companies that will go to great lengths to lure those employees away. Do not turn a blind eye to this fact or one day you will wake up to find yourself without a crew on site. We are all creatures of habit and enjoy repetition in life because it means that your brains can run on auto pilot. So try to make life simple for these guys by delivery materials everyday, setting clear expectations for them, and paying them every week. You do these small things alone and you will be miles ahead of many other roofing companies.
