True Homes is a custom home builder that specializes in helping families personalize the selection and construction of their dream home. Traditionally, the process of selecting those custom features was a laborious, paper-based process but with the launch of our new Showroom Application customers, the sales team and the construction staff now have an intelligent, integrated solution that streamlines the decision-making and construction process.
Challenge
The custom home selection process is steeped in numerous decisions that are all dependent on each other. Unfortunately, True Homes had a manual process where floor plans, appliances, fixtures and materials were all stored in separate unconnected systems. As an example, the cabinets a client chooses while in the showroom might not be compatible with their floor-plan. Given this dilemma, the sales team would either request the construction team to custom fit the cabinet within the existing floor plan leading to costly last-minute changes and delays or ask the customer to choose a different cabinet leading to a suboptimal customer experience. Changes in orders lead to delivery of incorrect or incompatible materials, resulting in time delays and extra costs. True Homes realized that they needed an integrated showroom system that would only provide compatible products during customer selection as well as real-time updates when selections are changed throughout the home selection and building process.
Solution
Guilford Group developed an innovative solution (using = “point-in-time” database concepts) creating a sophisticated program that stores each of True Homes’ floor models with all their possible customizations. The new Showroom Application provided a one-stop shop for all 1,300+ models and rooms to be viewed as well as a list of the 30,000+ compatible options a customer could select from. As decisions are made in the showroom, only the relevant compatible appliances, fixtures and materials are shown as available to the customer. By narrowing choices to ones that are compatible with the floor plan, construction and implementation costs and delays are minimized.
Result
Now, when a Showroom True Advisor meets with a homeowner, they work together to make the initial structural selections for the home which are input into the system through a customer friendly user interface. Once the CAD team uploads the list of the options selected, the Showroom Consultant discusses additional options with the homeowners before finalizing the plans. Any adjustments to the plan are made in real time, cutting down on delayed communication and avoiding cost overruns and errors associated with selecting and ordering the wrong materials. When the new Showroom Application was demonstrated for the national sales team, the implementation and delivery team (Guilford Group and True Homes) was given a standing ovation.
True Homes Showroom Application
