For the first time, RC included a set of questions geared toward homeowners to coincide with the annual survey data from roofing contractors used to create the State of the Industry Report. The questions were designed to gather information that can better equip roofing contractors in any market with tools to understand the contractor-selection decision; the purchasing process; and how homeowner expectations compare to their own.
A report on the full survey will appear in a future edition of RC. In the meantime, here are five questions roofing contractors will want to ask about the inaugural RC homeowner survey.
How important are initial quotes?
About 67% of homeowners indicated they’re most likely to gather three quotes before choosing a roofing contractor. Another 6% indicate they’d seek four or more. About 78% of roofers said they don’t charge a fee for initial quotes.
How important are online reviews?
Online reviews are very important to 34% of homeowners, important to 31%, and extremely important to 30%. Just a combined 5% found them not very important or important at all. About 68% of roofing contractors indicate they feature online reviews on their websites, and about 21% said they don’t.
How important is response time?
The majority of homeowners (54%) expect one or two days between initial contact and a contractor to arrive at their door, and another 42% said within a week. Only 2% indicate same-day service is an expectation.
How important are maintenance/service agreements?
Just 14% of homeowners indicated a roof maintenance or service agreement was extremely important to win their business. About 41% said it was not very important or important at all. Yet, 61% of contractors indicated they offer service agreements.
How important is online pricing?
Well over half of homeowners (66%) indicated they’d call a contractor that made pricing available on their company website. Conversely, nearly three-quarters (72%) of contractors said they don’t or won’t feature pricing online.
