Focus

A few weeks ago, my sister, who lives in St. Louis, called me and said some shingles had blown off her house. She wanted names of roofing contractors in her area so she could request quotes for repair. I told her to visit NRCA's Web site to find members in her area.

She called three contractors, and the differences in their responses illustrate the differences in their philosophies.

Company A never returned her calls—she called the company twice. Company B arranged for an estimator to go to her house and survey the damage. My sister left the shingles that had blown off on the front porch so the estimator could get a better idea of the damage. The estimator from Company B promptly faxed his estimate to her office. The following day, Company C sent an estimator to her house to provide an estimate. My sister again left the shingles on the porch.

The estimator from Company C never faxed her an estimate. When she returned home from work that day, the shingles were gone. Confused, she called the estimator from Company C and asked what the estimate would be, as well as what happened to the shingles.

The estimator's response? He said he replaced the shingles and repaired what he considered minor damage to her roof. My sister explained she hadn't intended for him to fix the problem—she just wanted an estimate. She then asked what his fee for the repair was.

He replied: "You don't owe us anything. The repair was minor, and I was happy to do it. I just hope you choose us next time you have roofing work."

My sister was surprised and called me right away. She said not only would she call Company C again but she would refer Company C to friends, co-workers and family members who need roofing work completed.

After hearing her story, I thought about all I have read about empowering employees to make decisions and how doing so not only builds morale but ultimately can affect a company's bottom line. Although Company B did what was expected, Company C's estimator exceeded his customer's expectations by providing a simple, relatively inexpensive service for free, and he most likely gained a committed customer, as well as untold referrals.

Ambika Puniani Bailey is editor of Professional Roofing magazine and NRCA's director of communications.