A high-quality and reputable roofing crew will do many things: they’ll provide excellent customer services, exhibit professionalism at all times, and show quality workmanship. However, there are also things that a high-quality roofing crew will never do. If you experience any of these breaches of professionalism or protocol listed below, please find a new provider!
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1) Ask for cash payment or payment the same day
If a roofing crew is asking for cash payments or same-day payment for a job, they are either trying to avoid tax liabilities or suffering from serious cash flow issues. Not having enough working capital is their issue. Not yours. You are not their business mentor or their board of directors. You’re the client. A high-quality, experienced roofing crew provider will have a 10 or 15-day payment term or they will adhere to your company’s billing and payment system.
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2) Ask to borrow equipment or tools
A professional roofing crew will have all tools and equipment needed to complete every job. Period. They will never need to borrow anything from you or, God forbid, your customer.
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3) Throw full bundles of shingles on a dumpster
For me, this is 2 sins rolled into one: stealing and dishonesty. I’ve seen this treason committed many times — contractors frustrated because crews have thrown out full bundles of shingles. The only plausible reason why anyone would do this is that they want to charge for more squares. That’s not just annoying — it breaks the trust the contractor had with the crew, breaking down that important relationship.
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4) Leave behind a mess
A good roofing crew will leave your customer property looking the same (or better) than they found it. No debris; no nails. They will treat your customer’s houses as if it were their own home. Bad cleanup is a sign of an unprofessional crew — one that doesn’t care about your business, or frankly, their own. When a roofing crew leaves behind a mess, they’re telling you, “This is not a long-term business relationship. I used you to make a buck.” These kinds of crews are either inexperienced or worse, careless. You shouldn’t even have to remind them to do a good cleanup — a great roofing crew will know it’s expected.
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5) Drink alcohol on the job site
I saved the most important for last. Catching your crew drinking or using drugs on the job site is not just a terrible experience for your customer – it’s a huge liability for your company if they get hurt. There are serious consequences: enormous financial, reputational, and human losses for your company. A great way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to ask your crew for their policies and procedures before hiring them. Make sure they prohibit substance abuse on job sites and that they have a clear disciplinary procedure for dealing with breaches in those policies. To see an example of what this should look like, check out the Pro-Choice Roofing Company Policies and Procedures.
For every terrible roofing crew out there, there’s at least one great crew to hire for your jobs. High-quality crews are in high demand and busy, but when you find one and treat them fairly, they will add value to your company and become a fantastic business partner. We pride ourselves on extremely professional, organized, and highly skilled roofing crews. If you run into any of the issues listed above with your current crew, don’t hesitate to try us out for your next job.
Finding your ideal crews and building trust with them takes time and effort, but once you find high-quality crews, the relationship can go on for many years. If you would like to learn more about how we train and manage our crews, contact us at office@prochoiceroofing.com.