Strathmore builder takes H.O.M.E award

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

Customer satisfaction is not only the objective of local builder Aquilla Homes; it was the foundation the company was built on, and earlier this month it was their customers’ appreciation that allowed the company to tie a prominent award with Gold Seal Homes.
Aquilla Homes won the best customer experience award for the small volume single family category at the eighth annual Home Owner Mark of Excellence (H.O.M.E) awards on March 9.
The local builder with a staff of six has serviced Strathmore and area for 17 years. With building nearly 12 homes annually, Aquilla homes places emphasis on customer input and engagement while offering total customization.
“When you go to buy a car and they give you all these packages and you have to choose from this package or that package, you might not want the navigation system but you want the nicer stereo but you can’t have one or the other, so we don’t do it that way we break it right down so you can totally customize your experience and we follow along all the way through asking you to be involved,” said Barry Nephin, owner of Aquilla Homes.
“People expect a lot for the money they’re paying out, when they’re paying out $400,000 to $500,000 for a home. Homes are just so expensive. They want quality and they want to know that people care about paying out that kind of money … so (this award) is just such an important thing. It just tells us that we’re on the right track.”
The H.O.M.E. awards are hosted by Calgary-based company CustomerInsight, and are presented in four categories: Best Customer Experience; Builder of Choice; Best Trade Partner; and Industry Ambassador of the Year. Companies are required to meet 70 per cent of customer satisfaction in order to move on and compete against their equals. Homebuyers rate their builder’s performance one month after taking possession and 13 months later.
“Top performing builders have two things in common,” said Christina Caswell, president and CEO of CustomerInsight. “Number one, they engage their customers throughout the building process, listening to their customers and acting on feedback. Number two, their customer journey is aligned with customer expectations. Today, it’s more than providing quality products.”
Nephin said the company believes in the community and has a great working relationship with the town. Tying for the award is just another feather in their cap and supports the company’s ultimate goal; customer satisfaction.
“We have a pretty big geography including all the Calgary builders, so we’re in pretty good company so the fact is that Strathmore is our home and we’re a good quality community to live in and we have the builders that can put a home up that’s every bit as good as any other community in Alberta,” said Nephin. “We believe in the community so we find the town very easy to deal with, they actually value our opinion. People are proud to have an Aquilla home. We’re here, we’ve been here, and we’ll continue to be here.”