Moving from the construction phase to ownership often involves inefficient, archaic steps—think binders stuffed with paperwork or USB drives cluttered with complicated documents—that frustrate customers and create the potential for a negative reputational impact for builders. A digital handover that always stays up to date helps ease construction fatigue and improve homeowner satisfaction.

In this BUILDER Session, associate editor Symone Strong discusses the applications and benefits of digital handover innovations with Joe Hemmelgarn, director of extended warranties and maintenance for Denver-based Thrive Home Builders; Derek Thompson, principal of Thompson Suskind, a Bay Area firm that manages custom residential projects; and Chris Thompson, director of enterprise customers at Centriq.

“We used to have that big fat binder we’d hand over … that went on a shelf and was never referred to and never updated,” Derek Thompson says of the days before digital handovers. Now, he says, the efficiency of the digital handoff doesn’t even compare to the old approach.

Just as important, he and Hemmelgarn note, is how digital handovers help the homeowner with ongoing maintenance. “We recognized that we have these really happy clients, and then we go away and there is no ‘check-engine light’ for your home,” he says. “People aren’t wired to take care of their home the same way they take care of their car. So it was this constant disruption for us, because … homeowners didn’t know where to find information, so the easiest thing to do was to call us.” With the the Centriq digital handover app, he notes, “it’s a different world now.”

Joe Hemmelgarn

Joe Hemmelgarn is director of extended warranties and maintenance for Thrive Home Builders, a privately held new home builder in Denver specializing in high-performance homes with a focus on energy efficiency and indoor air quality. Hemmelgarn joined Thrive 3½ years ago to launch a post-closing customer-focused maintenance program for Thrive homeowners, focusing on both educating and assisting homeowners on how to maintain the operating components in their new home. The Centriq home maintenance app has played a vital part in implementing this program.

Derek Thompson

The son of a Boston general contractor, Thompson Suskind principal Derek Thompson has building in his blood. With a career that covers everything from drywall apprentice to carpenter, foreman, operations manager, and general manager, he is the primary liaison between architect, owner, and designer at Thompson Suskind, which has managed the completion of over 70 custom residential projects in the Bay Area. Thompson notes that innovation starts with the needs of his Thompson Suskind’s clients, which is why the firm has invested so heavily in information technology that puts its clients in control. Before founding Thompson Suskind, he was general manager at an established San Francisco-based design/build construction firm, where he directed a staff of more than 30 full-time employees.

Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson is the director of enterprise customers at Centriq. He began his career with the Fortune 500 company EDS, where he innovated early in the technology outsourcing space across industries such as defense contracting, transportation, hospitality, automotive, and credit cards. After leaving the corporate world, he originated several startups. After buying a forever home with lots of moving parts, which became overwhelming to operate and maintain, Thompson discovered Centriq in his search for solutions. He is now working at Centriq to enhance the service offering and broaden the appeal to a wider range of enterprises that participate in the home purchase transaction.