Customer Service

Constructing a new facility can be a difficult, adversarial, annoying experience. In the best of circumstances, the enormous multitude of details that have to be organized, coordinated and controlled tend to place quite a burden on the new building’s owner. When construction takes place in less than optimal conditions, whether it is subject to a fast track schedule, or to a lack of complete definition for the project, or corporate approval is delayed but start time for production remains unchanged, the pressures on the owner’s team escalate very rapidly. It is in this type of situation—which nowadays seems to be par for the course in construction projects—that the kind of costumer service provided by a builder makes a world of difference.

We at Lintel firmly believe that providing excellent customer service is an essential ingredient in keeping clients happy and we are fully, truly committed to do so.

Often, customer service starts before construction. We welcome the opportunity to start doing things for a prospective customer long before a contract is entered into, as a way to introduce ourselves and prove our worth to the project. Some of the pre-construction services that we are sometimes requested to provide for customers are:

Land search:  Whether working with brokers or independently, we have assisted quite a few customers in finding the piece of land adequate to their needs.

Site evaluation:  Aspects such as zoning, utility availability and cost, environmental liabilities, title validity and land price, can be really confusing when you are in a foreign country and if misunderstood, can have very serious consequences for the project. The expert opinion of a local, honest, independent party is a most valuable resource.

Pre-design information: Preparation of preliminary drawings and specifications to assist the client in defining and/or polishing the project concept. Preliminary cost estimating for appropriation request purposes.

Value engineering: Work with the client in identifying and evaluating alternative methods, procedures, materials or equipment to arrive at an optimum construction solution.

At the construction phase of the project, customer service means making things easy for the client by having bilingual communication and by providing graphic-rich online progress reports.

It means making things right for the client by assuring that the Lintel team is prepared to meet complex, state of the art requirements on things such as clean room construction, super flat floors and specialized fire protection designs, such as Pre Action or Early Suppression Fast Response systems.

Customer service is assistance in finding and screening contractors to install machinery and equipment, to assist in things such as environmental studies and permits or to provide specific services such as cafeteria, security, etc.

Once construction is completed, customer service means going back to change, adjust or fix things. In an ideal world, a finished building should meet the owner’s requirements exactly as planned and all systems should work to perfection, and every now and then, a building turns out that way. But in most cases, owners find that their process needs are not quite what they anticipated, or new products are launched, or equipment items do not function quite as expected. In every case, things have to be fixed. Some times, little bitty, insignificant, highly irritating small things, but if they are not corrected they become big annoyances. We do go back and fix things. Somehow, clients seem to appreciate it.