Customer feedback and contractor appraisal in construction

Holder, L and Coffey, M (1997) Customer feedback and contractor appraisal in construction. In: Stephenson, P (ed.) Proceedings of 13th Annual ARCOM Conference, 15-17 September 1997, Cambridge, UK.

Abstract

Customer feedback is widely used by organisations in most industries and in some, particularly organisations in the retailing and service sectors, is regarded as essential, yet in the construction industry its use is seen to be minimal. This paper reports on the findings of a study of construction clients in the United Kingdom, their experiences of and attitudes towards customer feedback, and their performance appraisal of contractors. The receptiveness of construction clients to feedback questionnaires is tested and found to be high, as is their desire to see feedback implemented more widely. The criterions upon which contractors are appraised are evaluated and the contrast between the clients perceived and actual priorities explored. The study identifies the extent to which construction clients actually appraise contractors, it also shows the extent to which clients produce and maintain performance records of contractors. The results indicate that clients are willing to provide such performance information to the contractors they employ.

Item Type: Conference Paper (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords: customers; feedback; appraisal; performance; contractors
Index terms: construction client, United Kingdom, questionnaire, appraisal, construction industry
Subjects: data collection methods, practitioner, industry analysis, factor and component analysis, Geography
Topics: Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Geographical Context
Descriptive scope: 3 PTA

N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here