Earlier in January, Tri Pointe Homes—the No. 17 company on the 2023 BUILDER 100 list—launched a proprietary customer experience and communication app across its markets. Touted as the first such platform launched by a national home builder, the Tri Pointe Homes Homebuyer App aims to keep buyers engaged through automated updates on the build process and digital organization of documents and appointments.
The app, available to all buyers after signing a purchase contract, is part of the home builder’s efforts to streamline communication with the home buyer.
Linda Mamet, chief marketing officer at Tri Pointe Homes, spoke with BUILDER to discuss the origin of the app, the functionality, and the potential impact of the new platform.
What gap did the company see that they felt the Tri Pointe Homes Homebuyer App could address?
At Tri Pointe Homes, we are constantly looking for ways to evolve the customer journey and to stay ahead of trends in consumer preferences. Knowing that building a new home is complex, with multiple touch points along the way, we wanted to streamline the process. For instance, our customers communicate with multiple members of the Tri Pointe team throughout their home buying journey. The Tri Pointe Homes Homebuyer App simplifies this by serving as a centralized hub and “singular clearinghouse” for communication, progress updates, and scheduling. The application capabilities ease the flow of emails, phone calls, and texts, and provide a valuable library of photos, needed documentation, and relevant guides that inform and educate home buyers.
What is the value of having a customer experience platform, and how does this help set the company apart?
Today’s consumers rely on mobile applications for everything from banking and shopping to scheduling and communication. Providing our customers with a user-friendly and easily accessible platform to stay up to date with their new home purchase, which is one of the largest transactions in life, is a huge benefit. With the Tri Pointe Homes Homebuyer App, home buyers can check build status and timelines as well as keep track of upcoming appointments within an easy-to-use platform. By its very nature, home building generates hundreds of questions. Whether those questions relate to scheduling, timelines, aesthetics, home financing, inspections, or progress, every question is important to both the home buyer and the builder. The Homebuyer App instantly answers those questions. The user-friendly platform provides a series of easily accessible guides and streamlined, direct communication with our team. Moreover, we saw enthusiastic adoption of the app during the early testing cycle.
What was the development and rollout process like for the app?
To bring our ideas to life, we collaborated with a third-party developer that worked in sync with our business intelligence and marketing teams to integrate the Homebuyer App seamlessly with our internal company systems.
The team thoughtfully rolled out internal and external testing in stages and leveraged feedback received to make valuable improvements ahead of the final release. Although we were extremely excited about the launch, we took our time to uncover any issues and to ensure the platform was sound and delivered what was promised.
Can you describe the resources, actions, and options available to homeowners through the app?
The following are just some of the many features of the Tri Pointe Homes Homebuyer App.
- Automated progress updates through every construction phase (from foundation to finish) with regularly updated photography;
- Ability for customers to communicate directly with their on-site community team;
- Tracking of various appointments including new home orientation and Design Studio appointments during which home buyers personalize home finishes such as countertops, tile, flooring, and other curated selections;
- A dedicated library for important documents such as a Homebuyer Journey Guide, visual timelines of the build process, and brochures and links to other resources including home financing; and
- An exciting way for customers to share status and photo updates with family and friends.
We are not actively marketing the platform, as once the home buyer purchases a new home, they gain access to the Tri Pointe Homes Homebuyer App via an automated welcome message. New home advisers assist in familiarizing home buyers with the platform and its capabilities so they can immediately begin to use it.
What benefits does Tri Pointe Homes expect to realize now that the app is live?
Our core goal in developing the Homebuyer App was to engage and maintain consistent communication with our customers and to enhance the overall home buyer experience. The application has only recently been rolled out, and we plan to track the analytics carefully to inform future enhancements. Are home buyers engaging with the platform, and, if so, how frequently? Are they leveraging all of the different capabilities found on the platform, and if so, which ones? Resulting data collected in the next six to 12 months will be critical in expanding the platform in future.
What is the feedback loop for the app? How can customers share their experience with Tri Pointe?
The Homebuyer App itself serves as a direct link between our customers and the Tri Pointe Homes team, and we also invite customers to share their feedback via surveys—whether they uncover elements they really enjoy or perhaps something they feel can be improved. We are always looking to enhance our customer experience and expect that the feedback we do receive will allow us to continue to evolve the application.
