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Will Your Firm be Ready?
Posted on May 7th, 2009 View CommentsWe all know that good news regarding the business economy has been scarce in the past couple years. Architecture firms have certainly not been spared the downward spiral. In January of this year, the AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped to the lowest level in history. The good news is that a few rays of sunshine may finally be breaking through the gloom. Regardless whether you are trying to survive the storm of a recession or be the front-runner in an economic rebound, to be successful you must know to what degree your clients value your services.
AIArchitect Architectural Billings Index
According to the April 24, 2009 AIArchitect, although generally weak conditions still prevail at many architecture firms (particularly in the West); fewer firms are reporting declining billings in the last several months. In March, the AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) rose to its highest level since August 2008. Growth in inquiries is reportedly the highest in a year.
When the economy in general and the construction industry in particular rebounds and growth returns, will your clients come to you for the services they need? Just as your firm’s survival depends on client loyalty in the worst of economic times, your firm’s growth depends on it during economic recovery. In both cases, your staff must strive to meet client needs to ensure client satisfaction and loyalty. First, they must be aware of the clients’ needs. Then, they must respond to those needs. Lastly and most importantly, the architect or designer must know to what degree the client felt his needs were satisfied. They must ask, act and react.
Now, if there was just a tool that could help do all this… DesignFacilitator’s Feedback Tool was specifically designed to help architects and designers become aware of not only their clients’ needs, but their satisfaction with the designers’ actions in fulfilling those needs. The tool helps you to continuously collect feedback, analyzes it and presents the results in simple understandable reports. See how this simple yet powerful web tool works here.
Source: http://info.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek09/0424/0424b_otb.cfm
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Mike Phillips to present webinar with Axium on April 9th
Posted on April 6th, 2009 View CommentsApril 9, 2009
10:00 am Pacific TimeAxium’s Best Practices Webinar Series, presents Mike Phillips
Client Feedback: Learn Simple Ways to Enhance your Firm
This program illustrates how a design firm can create a simple system to collect and incorporate client feedback. Utilizing six key principles, this system builds real value for your firm by fine-tuning your process to better meet your client’s needs. Learn to use client feedback to reduce problems, increase performance and improve profitability.
Improvements for designers include:
- increased value to their client
- reduced wasted time & effort
- enhanced professional satisfaction
- reduced mistakes & project liability
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DesignFacilitator Sponsors
PSMJ Circle of Excellence 2009Posted on March 11th, 2009 View Comments
DesignFacilitator is sponsoring PSMJ’s Circle of Excellence Conference in Orlando March 19 & 20, 2009. Visit our table to learn more about our Client Feedback Tool and what it can do to increase the prosperity of your A/E firm.
“PSMJ’s Circle of Excellence represents the top 20% of firms participating in PSMJ’s Financial Performance Survey that achieve the best overall business performance in the A/E industry.
This distinction is awarded based upon a combination of 11 performance benchmarks that measure business operations in terms of profitability, growth, cash flow, overhead control, business development, project performance, and employee satisfaction. As a group, PSMJ’s 2008 Circle of Excellence firms averaged 21% revenue growth, 27% profits (as a percentage of net revenues) and less than 10% employee turnover.
PSMJ’s 2009 Circle of Excellence Conference is going to be held on March 19-20, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.” – PSMJ Resources, Inc.
