Big developers fail in customer service

Dubai: They operate from impressive sales centres but real estate developers in the Gulf are clueless when dealing with customer phone calls or employing a well-trained sales force.

These are the main findings of a mystery shopper survey conducted by brand consultancy FutureBrand on customer experience at 25 real estate brands in the Gulf, including many in Dubai. The company concluded that big budget developers often fail to impress on the basics of customer services.

"[Developers] are spending millions of dollars on creating all sorts of things, but are falling short on the basics of customer service, such as attention to detail, salespeople who are responsive and friendly and professional materials," said Rina Plapler, executive director at FutureBrand.

According to the survey, the phone remains a weak point across the industry. The survey typically found it difficult to reach a sales centre operator on the first call. Once the phone was answered, operators and salespeople were often less than enthusiastic.

Sales people in general received a mixed to positive grade while the quality of marketing materials was viewed as mostly professional, but occasionally incomplete.

The only area that stood out was the quality of developers' sales centres. The survey found them mostly clean, well-maintained, creating a positive impression about the company and property.

Plapler urged developers to build model homes, especially as most sales are agreed off-plan, years before actual project completion.

FutureBrand concluded that the market is still geared towards investors, who not being end-users, are less likely to demand quality customer sales.

FutureBrand said the Dubai fared better than other Gulf states. It added that smaller, second-tier developers were often the best performers.