Following a poll of thousands of Ontarians that moved into new homes between October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015, Tarion has announced the 2016 Homeowners’ Choice Award recipients, chosen for their excellent customer service.
The High-Rise Category saw a tie for winner, with The Daniels Corporation and The Tricar Group taking home top honours, while in the Large Volume Category, Tribute Communities came out on top. LEMAY Homes, a first-time finalist and award recipient won best Medium Volume Category for its Maisons LEMAY project, while Kolody Homes, another first-time finalist, was named the winner in the Small Volume Category.
“Today’s best companies know that positive reviews by real customers are the key to success. The Homeowners’ Choice Awards, presented by Tarion, recognize that when it comes to defining success in the province’s residential building industry, the voice of the homeowner matters,” said Howard Bogach, Tarion president and CEO, in a press release. “Being attentive, responsive and listening to home buyers is what makes these builders rise above their peers.”
The Homeowners’ Choice Awards, formerly the Tarion Awards of Excellence, are the result of thousands of surveys collected from new home buyers across the province annually. This year, nearly 12,000 responses were received and tabulated by Crunch Research and Nielsen.
The survey asked homeowners to share how their builders handled their customer service duties. Home buyers are asked to evaluate every customer service touch-point in the process of buying a new home. The questions are all centred on customer service delivery.
“Tarion has been working with builders and homeowners for the past 40 years,” added Bogach. “This insight has taught us that builders who make customer service a priority create a positive home buying experience that leads to happy, satisfied homebuyers. The Homeowners’ Choice Awards show that almost every building can have a chance to be recognized – from small to large, and new to established. It’s all about how a builder chooses to focus on their customers.”
To qualify for the awards, a builder must have had at minimum five new home possessions during the survey timeframe. In addition, a specific number of completed questionnaires must be returned.
