J. T. Turner Jr.

When it comes to customer service, J.T. Turner Construction is firing on all eight cylinders—and probably a few more besides. Turner’s clients tend to love information, so he gives them all they can handle, taking the unusual step of involving staff from his accounting and estimating departments in client meetings. They also want to feel that their business is valued, so Turner makes sure to attend regularly as well. Client concerns observe no business hours and take no holidays, so Turner maintains a 24-hour phone answering service and keeps a staffer on call 365 days a year. Project managers and superintendents carry cell phones and pagers, so they are never out of touch when a client needs attention.

The full court press continues after the project is complete. Rather than a single punch list tour of the project, the company conducts multiple walkthroughs with each client. When the house is turned over to the owners, it comes with a warranty manual that includes information on materials and equipment used in the house and contact information for company employees and subcontractors. As a housewarming gift, Turner presents a framed artist’s rendering of the newly completed house and monogrammed stationery imprinted with the same image.

The approach is geared toward creating customers for life, and it is working, says Turner, who serves past clients with both renovation and insurance repair services. Another service, however, really stands out in Turner’s tropical storm-prone market. Each year the company forms a “hurricane task force” that prepares the company and its subcontractors when storms threaten, making sure that manpower and materials are available for emergency repairs. Current and past clients have a standing invitation to reserve boarding-up services. “We have many clients on this list whose homes we built up to 20 or 30 years ago,” Turner says.

“We firmly believe that once you are a client of J.T. Turner Construction, you are always a client of J.T. Turner Construction,” Turner says. And if anyone is inclined to forget, the company is always devising clever and helpful reminders. Early in a project, when homeowners are collecting bushels of samples and magazine clippings, the company provides a canvas tote emblazoned with its logo. Other branded giveaways—appropriate to the season—include hats and visors, umbrellas, beach towels, and a spray hand sanitizer for site visits.