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CCI Renovations Snapshot

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Company: CCI Renovations

Headquarters: North Vancouver, British Columbia

Principal: John Friswell

Employees: 19

Operations: North and West Vancouver, Vancouver and Burnaby

Market segments: Established professionals

Product: Single-family residential only

2010 Closings: 10

2010 Revenues: $2.8 million

 

 

Take an HD Video Tour of a CCI Renovations Project

 

 

 

When homeowners look for a renovator to help with a remodeling project, they not only want someone who’s skilled and trustworthy, they also want someone who is able to work to budget, CCI Renovations in North Vancouver, B.C., does all of that and so much more. In particular, the company does a spectacular job educating clients about the renovation process, setting clear expectations, and communicating how things are going along the way. This has lead to high levels of customer satisfaction and referrals. In fact, CCI Renovations not only has the highest customer satisfaction score among renovators in British Columbia, it’s stellar performance has earned it the first-ever Customer Choice Georgie Award powered by AVID Residential Renovator Executives:

According to survey respondents, the CCI Renovations excelled in these five areas:

1. In-home warranty/service experience (5.70 points above British Columbia renovator industry average)

2. Responsive to needs and budget (+4.70)

3. Value for price paid (+4.30)

4. Number of recommendations made (+3.40)

5. Explained renovation procedures (+2.80)

“I think service starts from the very beginning of the project — getting the design down properly and the materials selected correctly — and then getting the process done properly,” says Doug Wilkins, project manager. “That includes our guys and all of the trades we use — from plumbers and electricians to painters and tile setters. When you get all of those ducks in the right row and all done properly, it makes the actual service quite simple, because then it’s really just callbacks to do minor repairs and adjustments to get the client to the point where they’re extremely happy.”

By emphasizing good communication throughout the entire project, CCI gets a good understanding of the clients’ expectations are and can work to adjust those if they’re unrealistic.

“We have high expectations with our trades and all our guys — that they communicate with the client and they respect their private property. They must act is if they’re guests in someone’s house, which they are,” Wilkins says. Whereas a lot of trades are focused on getting in and out as quickly as possible, CCI takes the time necessary to make sure clients have all of their issues addressed to ensure complete satisfaction after every service call.

“The ultimate goal is to get the client a great finished product,” Wilkins says. And the sooner they get that great finished product and are living in it, the happier they’re going to be.”

“But we don’t walk away from a project,” adds owner John Friswell. “We’ve got clients calling us a few years later who’ve got problems with their cabinets, the door’s not working, and we’re right in there to make sure they’re still happy. That’s the little extra push. It’s not about the contract and we’re only going to fix that for a year and if we’ve gotta come back we’re going to charge you. We’re quite lenient with that, and it really gives us a head over the other guys. That’s cheap PR in a lot of ways.”

In the Beginning

Friswell started CCI in 1992 out of the back of his pickup truck. Through some renovation work the Japanese market, he ventured into the Japanese 2x4 construction market. But when that market went sideways in 1997, he retreated back in the renovation business full time. He continued with a couple of helpers until around 2000, but his business really started to take off in 2003, after he joined the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association and the Better Business Bureau and pushed harder to market his business.

CCI limits itself to residential additions and whole-home renovations. “Our overhead is too substantial to do just windows,” Friswell says. In 2010, the company did 10 projects worth about $2.8 million. In better years, the company might do up to 15 projects, ranging from $50,000 to $1.5 million. “We limit ourselves in order to ensure a good relationship with the clients,” Friswell explains.

“Referrals and repeat business aren’t a huge percentage of sales yet, but they’re definitely starting to show now that we’ve been in business for so long,” Friswell says. “Between 10 and 20 percent are probably old clients coming back to us. And we’re seeing repeat houses, not just repeat clients, where we’ve actually done a renovation and now we’re doing another renovation for a new owner.”

Good communication is the cornerstone of every client interaction, beginning with the initial sale.

“We’re detailed with our clients from the get-go,” Friswell says. “We’re a design build firm, so the first thing we’re doing with our clients is walking them through a design process, getting the numbers figured out, the budget, bylaws, etc. We’re very detailed as to the steps involved, and we make sure we have covered every base.”

As part of its proposals, CCI gives prospective clients a manual that explains what to expect during this phase. Then, once a contract is signed, clients receive a document titled ‘The Renovation Process” that walks them through the entire length of the project and into the service period. “This is backed up with examples of documents and procedures that will be used during the course of construction and beyond,” Friswell says. “We are constantly updating our procedures and policies to assist in making sure there is clarity throughout the process.”

During the proposal process, CCI works hard to understand the clients’ needs, their personalities, their family, their neighborhood, how they use their current home and what else they want from it. “That goes a long way to making the renovation what is should be,” Friswell says.

Each renovation is different and presents unique challenges. That requires a degree of flexibility in order to ensure that clients remain satisfied throughout the process. “We’re not super strict about ‘This is the design, now let’s go at it.’ You have to be willing to go with the flow in some stages. You may run into something that results in a change, or the client may come up with a good idea, and it’s up to us to be able to adapt,” Friswell says, attributing much of the company’s success in this area to CCI’s designer Robyn York. “That may require a material change or even a change in a room. Something may be backordered and the project is delayed. But you have to be willing and able to adapt.”

Price Is Right

Another area where CCI Renovations delivers customer delight is the value for price paid. This has a lot to do with the way CCI tracks expenses and invoices clients, Friswell says.

“My background is engineering, so we’re quite detail-oriented as far as how we do our budgets and how we make clients understand what they’re getting for their money,” Friswell explains. “Our goal throughout the process is to make sure they’re well aware of where we’re at with the budget.”

While many contractors set firm prices for renovation work, CCI uses a “cost plus” system. So clients have a budget, but billing is transparent, with every invoice and time sheet provided to the client on a biweekly basis. “We still have to work to a budget,” Friswell says, “but this system gives clients confidence that nothing is getting padded and that they’re part of the process.”

As more homeowners turn to renovations as the most environmentally friendly way to get the home of their dreams, the competition among renovators is bound to heat up. And CCI isn’t about to rest on its laurels.

“Frankly, service is an area that we still need to improve,” Friswell says. “It all boils down to keeping in constant communication with the client and defining what they can expect from us at every stage. The AVID surveys are great for showing not only how you compare from renovator to renovator, but also project to project. It gives you something to go from.”