"To whom it may concern, fuck you", Valtteri Bottas sent greetings to his doubters when he crossed the finish line. In the same way, home builders could have acknowledged when EPSI Rating announced the results of its independent quality index.
Contrary to the expectations of many, the constructors improved their performance tremendously and rose to the same magical lead as Bottas in Melbourne in the comparison between different industries.
While Bottas' victory was followed by a media frenzy, the housing developers were allowed to rest in peace. Or did anyone see the following headlines:
"Smiling changed to respect - housing developers silenced the mouths of the doubters"
"The apartment builders surprised everyone - they won with a shocking superiority"
Despite active advance information and comprehensive communication, the results of the customer satisfaction survey for new apartment construction were picked up by only a few media. In these too, someone was more interested in the last place finisher than the winner.
Good news is not news
Negative stories about the quality of construction, on or without a topic, are everyday reading. Why did this?
People – and therefore also the media – are interested in things that can have an impact on their own well-being. Negativity sells because recognizing danger has been necessary in evolution for survival.
In addition, people willingly accept information that corresponds to their preconceived expectations, but avoid information that conflicts with their beliefs. Based on this, it is not surprising if positive messages about quality do not pass the news threshold.
Knowledge versus belief
This time, in connection with EPSI Rating's research, the general population's trust in the construction industry was also asked, and the so-called general public's images and the views of customers who bought an apartment were compared. This showed an interesting contrast between belief and experiential knowledge.
The trust of consumer customers of construction companies in the construction industry is up to 8,5 index points higher than that of the general population, and in the construction company of their choice is even more than ten index points higher than trust in the construction industry in general.
The same difference can be seen in the spontaneous mental images generated by the house builders - the word cloud on the left is compiled from things that came to the mind of the customers and the one on the right from the general public.
An order for the intrepid media
Since interest is also aroused when something extraordinary or surprising happens, the media could have well torn up with the headlines I borrowed from the formula world. Considering what many consider the quality of construction to be, EPSI's results were quite unexpected.
I would challenge the media: who dares and dares to be the first to break the pattern of reporting and tell something completely different about construction than what they are used to. Try how it draws the audience and hopefully be pleasantly surprised.
And to those brave apartment builders who put themselves in danger and subject to public evaluation, I want to say: Don't be discouraged, but do as Bottas did. Continue to improve your performance, put things in order in your own head and show them. A satisfied customer is the most important factor in a builder's survival, and yes, the reputation also follows.
Press release on the results of the EPSI Rating survey (18.3.2018): New residential construction rose to the top of the industry comparison in customer satisfaction
Merja Vuoripuro
Director, Communications and Responsibility
merja.vuoripuro@rt.fi + 358 40 587 2642Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries (CFCI)
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