Hello everyone. My name is Mike with Lefke Tree Experts and I wanted to do some of my own research on what would benefit Community Managers and Mobile Home Community Owners when it has to do with Trees in your Parks.
We, as a company, have worked in over 50 communities to date and I am looking to expand our relationships across the US by learning about what your pains are. We are also learning how we can provide a cost effective solution by reducing liability and increasing curb appeal to help drive more lot sales.
Here are some questions I would ask my clients to better understand their needs:
1.) Is price a big issue with tree removal/pruning? How does your budget play into this?
2.) Is customer service a problem with local companies you’ve worked with in the past?
3.) What are your expectations of the tree companies you work with?
4.) If you were to get all the trees taken care of in the park to reduce future liability, would it give you more peace of mind?
Price of course matters, but in general I would rather pay a little above market rate in exchange for saving myself the time and hassle of getting competing bids, chasing a contractor, etc.
Where I am an offsite owner, my ideal tree company would 1) schedule work or surveys in advance (so I can notify tenants) 2) present their opinion (with pictures and pricing) of any serious problems that need removal and 3) schedule work and leave the site clean.
Item 2 would be less of an issue after the “initial consultation” when I purchase a park or switch vendors.
Biggest headaches are definitely communication and scheduling.
Thanks for the feedback! All of these concerns are something we focus on and excel at! A big point we have found with our pricing is typically (per our average) less than the competition. Glad to know we are falling in line with your expectations.
Interesting is that in one of our communities, we have called about 5 tree companies and all said they would come take a look and have, but nobody is returning our calls. One guy said he quit and doesn’t remove trees anymore. That being said, do you offer travelling crews and what states do you operate in?
Price is a big issue as it is an expensive repair. We often stagger tree removals over years.
Yes, as described, customer service has been a challenge in at least 1 market.
I expect the company to do the work rather than ignoring us. Funny thing is that many contractors will say they will not quote because they are backed up by a month or two, but from our perspective, we would like to get the work on the books even if it is 3 months out. Then, it is ok if the work takes that long.
We just remove the trees as needed but it doesn’t affect my psyche whatsoever.
Thanks for the feedback. I understand that service is the up most of importance. That is something we pride ourselves on is fast service and responses.
