Customer service from housebuilders not gold standard, new report shows

July 14, 2023 / Rory Wilkinson
Customer service from housebuilders not gold standard, new report shows

UK housebuilders are not doing enough to be digitally relevant or offer the best customer service and experience, according to a new report.

Moneypenny, the leading outsourced communications provider, and research partner, insight6, mystery shopped 141 UK housing developments between October 2022 and January 2023 to review customer experience over the phone and online.

While the housebuilders dealt with 98% of enquiries by phone successfully, the findings show they need to be much quicker to respond. A quarter failed to answer the phone during office hours and 90% didn’t answer outside traditional office hours – even though the phone is still king for customers.

Of the mystery shoppers requiring a callback, only 30% received a call the same day and over half didn’t receive one at all.

The digital customer experience is lacking too. 86% of housing development websites don’t offer live chat, even though 42% of people use it to contact a business or solve a query and 57% abandon enquiries when their questions aren’t answered easily.

The research also found that more than 50% of development websites do not offer an email address for further enquiries and a quarter do not offer a web form to capture requests. Of the mystery shopper enquiries made via email, 40% did not receive a response.

Sharon Boyle, head of property at Moneypenny, said: “To deliver gold standard service, housebuilders must make customers feel like a priority and, right now, that’s not the case. Our mystery shopping data tells us they are not responsive enough or making use of the tools available to improve customer experience both on and offline. When enquiries aren’t handled efficiently, housebuilders are effectively telling buyers they don’t matter.”

“As the New Homes Quality Board highlights the importance of responsiveness, transparency, service and quality in particular, it’s timely for housebuilders to review their CX practices and make sure they match their product and values. If not, they’ll be standing out from the competition for all the wrong reasons.”

“Today’s buyers want real human-to-human interaction and to have their questions answered quickly, so housebuilders must be easy to contact over the phone, via their website and at all times. And of course, the more channels you have and the more accessible you are, the more leads you’re likely to convert. This is especially apparent through live chat, which is bringing real benefits to housebuilders already taking advantage, resolving 78% of queries there and then.”

Leah Thomas, digital projects lead at housebuilder, Castle Green Homes, said: “We recognised there was value to be added to the customer experience by introducing a chat option to our website. All visitors are now granted access to our live chat function provided by Moneypenny, which connects them with their friendly and knowledgeable team, dedicated to delivering outstanding customer service. These professionals engage with website visitors on our behalf, ensuring their queries are addressed promptly and effectively.”

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