Service is Key to Happy Clients and Good Relationships

By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor.

It takes a network of partners to provide consistent service and maintenance for customers with assets spread across the U.S.

Our focus at the Coffee Shop for our influencers this month is service and maintenance. While our influencers have great insights from their individual companies, we wanted to talk to someone who manages a service program on the national level. I was able to visit with Kim Baxter, VP of Client Services for National Roofing Partners (NRP), to learn more about how they manage a consistent, quality service program that covers the entire country.

NRP’s model is to partner with tier 1 roofing contractors across the country. The contractor partners are required to meet minimum revenue requirements, must be certified with all major manufacturers and members of their local and or national roofing association. Safety is of critical importance as well and contractors must have an experience modification rate (EMR) of less than 1 and minimum insurance requirements.

By having this nationwide partner network NRP is able to deliver outstanding service to large companies that have properties throughout the United States. Kim explained that they do a lot of work with Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) and retail clients, many of which have a national footprint. “We work closely together with our customers to build programs that meet their needs,” explained Kim. “We look at what they have been spending on their roof – typically in a reactive manner when issues arrive – and help them put together a plan to allow them to lower their expenses and work toward a longer-term goal that works for their budget and their buildings.”

“If we can implement a regular maintenance program, we often can extend the life of their roof, instead of being reactive to leaks that continue to pop up continuously. Let’s do it right with a detailed inspection and evaluation to save that client from receiving three trip charges for three separate issues several weeks in a row,” Kim stated.

NRP’s partner contractors all follow the same process which means that a client who has a building in Florida is going to receive the same report format that they receive for the buildings they own in Texas. Kim says that the advantage NRP is able to offer is that the customer only has to make one call – to the service team. “If they have multiple locations, they don’t have to remember which contractor installed or serviced their roof. They call us and we’ve got the data for each property they own and can answer their questions right away,” Kim explained. 

NRP takes the time to educate the customers on the condition of their roof and how they can get the best performance out of their asset. Taking a proactive approach and building relationships rather than just responding to problems helped NRP grow their service program exponentially over the last year.

To read what our RCS Influencers are saying about service and maintenance visit this month’s posts.