The annual online mystery shopping study by Interconnection Consulting on the service performance of German prefabricated house manufacturers reveals a worrying trend: Manufacturers increasingly take more time to respond to email inquiries. The quality of responses is declining, despite an improved initiative in follow-up.

As part of the study, a total of 98 prefabricated house manufacturers in Germany were contacted via email with specific inquiries about a construction project. The results show a significant deterioration in the companies’ response times. While last year 64.6% of manufacturers responded within 24 hours, this year only 26.9% did so. The average response time increased from 1.9 to 2.9 working days.

The inquiry included questions on various aspects, such as energy-efficient and ecological construction. However, only 43.0% of the companies answered all four questions, compared to 50.0% last year. Particularly alarming is that one in four manufacturers (25.8%) did not answer any of the questions asked. However, companies like Danwood, Nordhaus, and Luxhaus stood out positively in answering the questions and in the quality of their responses.

Improvement in Follow-Up Falls Short of Expectations

Although the follow-up rate of prefabricated house manufacturers has improved, it remains alarmingly low. The follow-up rate improved to 25.8%, compared to 17.7% last year. This improvement, while encouraging, still does not meet expectations for effective customer care. Ideal follow-up behavior would mean that over 80% of companies actively pursue the interests of potential customers. However, reality shows that only a quarter of prefabricated house manufacturers meet this standard. Companies like Rensch-Haus, Huf Haus, and Favorit, however, set outstanding standards in their closure orientation.

„The improvement in follow-up is encouraging, but we must not forget that it is still a critical point for the prefabricated house industry,” commented Panorea Kaskani, author of the study. “It is essential that companies continue to work on optimizing their customer care and ensuring that potential customers are adequately supported. Only then can they ensure long-term success and gain the trust of customers.”

25/04/2024

Copyright: Interconnection, Publication free of charge for coverage regarding the study and InterConnection Consulting.