It may not make sense that one company has success and another company in the same industry does not, but they may not have the same processes to achieve success. Understanding how to reach success can help a business owner get there, and Karl and Sumner Dunn, owners of Stucco Surgeon in British Columbia, Canada, are one example of that, reported Richard Weninger of InHome.

Stucco is one of a building’s primary protections from the weather, so when it is damaged, it can affect the whole structure. That is when Stucco Surgeon enters the picture.

The Dunns attribute most of their company’s success to its reputation.

“Companies with great reputations stand the test of time,” Karl said. “We have worked hard to build up our reputation and have listened carefully to what our customers’ needs are.”

Building Stucco Surgeon into the successful company that it is today was not just about being excellent at all types of stucco repairs. When potential customers reach out to Stucco Surgeon, they have typically done their market research. The reputation that Karl spoke about has already done its part, drawing in the customer.

The next part, according to Karl, is meeting the customer’s needs. He said customers want real-time solutions that match their schedules. Nowadays, this means having a digital office and online communications.

“Our business must keep up with the digital world and the ways customers expect to be serviced,” Karl said. The company’s clients want the convenience of what Stucco Surgeon offers—things like emailed proposals and invoices with customer interface buttons embedded, digital photos and reports, and easy payment options. Still, they also want to speak with a knowledgeable person about the work they need done.

The tried-and-true style of sand and cement stucco has undergone many changes over the years, Karl said. Modern stucco products can range from poly-modified concrete products, which have increased strength and durability, to the very popular acrylic topcoat systems, which offer a complete range of colors and a smoother texture.

While acrylic topcoats are typically highly durable and attractive, they must be expertly installed. As an example of how important client trust can be, Karl talked about a recent project. What should have been a minor, simple touch-up morphed quickly when technicians had peeled off most of a wall in one whole sheet because it had not been properly applied or a weather event happened unexpectedly.

Karl explained that when stucco is first installed, sudden environmental changes, like dusty windstorms or a drop in temperature, could lead to failures in the acrylic-based topcoats—most likely what happened in this case.

When a small repair unexpectedly grows into a much bigger project, having that excellent reputation to fall back on goes a long way. The client has many thoughts going through their head, from if they can trust the company to how much the technician really knows. “And that is where all the hard work we put into our reputation pays off,” Karl said.

When it comes to earning the client’s trust, Stucco Surgeon has another essential tool up its sleeve—how it tracks and manages projects. Karl said that increasing the company’s success has been much easier because of the software program it uses.

“Having the right software to run our company has made all the difference,” Karl said. Stucco Surgeon uses a software program called Tradesflow to keep track of project progress and manage its workload. It also maintains a complete customer and property database of previous work.

Having all the information and photos for a job in one place makes the technicians’ work easier and customer communications smoother. Karl said choosing software that suits your company can reduce office hours significantly and having a remote office that everyone can access from their phones allows everyone to use their time more efficiently.

Karl said that having a good software program means having the time to do all the other things that make your company great; essentially, meeting the company mandate, which for Stucco Surgeon is to heal homes. Carefully managing the projects that it takes on has made it an industry leader at what it does. According to Karl, having the digital tools to manage all that work is priceless.