Customer Experience Isn’t a Side Job, It’s the Business

Lynn Wise on the Construction Champions Podcast

Customer communication can make or break your construction business.

In this episode of the Construction Champions Podcast, host Ron Nussbaum welcomes Lynn Wise, CEO of Contractor in Charge, for a deep-dive on how customer experience isn’t just important, it’s everything. From AI-driven service strategies to getting back to basics, Lynn delivers the blueprint for how to stop losing clients and start building a brand people trust.

From Dispatcher to CEO: Why Lynn Wise Built Contractor in Charge

Lynn’s journey started on the ground floor, literally. She began her career as a dispatcher and spent over 15 years running a plumbing, heating, and remodeling company. Then came 12 years at IBM, where she learned enterprise-level business systems before returning to her roots to start Contractor in Charge in 2016.

Her mission: give contractors the tools and support they need to stay focused on what they do best, serving customers, while experts handle the rest.

Passion Isn’t Enough Without Systems

Most construction business owners are passionate about the work they do, but Lynn warns that passion often fades when buried under marketing, accounting, and scheduling.

“They lose their way in the business, not their passion. They get buried under everything that’s not their craft.”

The key, Lynn says, is learning to work on your business, not in it, by surrounding yourself with subject matter experts who help run the business functions you aren’t built to handle alone.

Why Owners Are Often the Bottleneck

Lynn and Ron explore how many business owners unknowingly become the biggest barrier to growth. Whether it’s trying to manage customer service, financial reporting, or operations on their own, the result is predictable: burnout and broken systems.

That’s why delegation and trusted infrastructure matter. Getting out of the day-to-day weeds allows owners to shift their focus back to the customer journey.

Losing Sight of the Customer and How to Get It Back

One of the most powerful takeaways from this episode is Lynn’s honest assessment: most contractors have stopped thinking about the customer.

“I’ve asked hundreds of contractors what their goals are. Never once have I heard ‘I want to deliver the best customer experience.’ It’s always inward: grow revenue, reduce costs, hire more people.”

This internal focus, she warns, is a mindset problem and it’s affecting how contractors brand themselves, communicate, and deliver services.

The solution? Shift your focus outward. Make customer experience the goal, not just the byproduct.

AI, CRM, and the New Customer Expectation

Lynn also dives into the future of customer management, sharing how her team is building an AI-powered CRM designed to track leads and manage personalized client journeys.

The point isn’t to eliminate people, it’s to streamline processes so contractors can spend more time engaging customers, not pushing paperwork.

Ron reinforces this by sharing his experience building BuilderComs: a client communication platform born out of the need for better jobsite messaging and consistent updates. The businesses that prioritize clear, structured communication with their clients? They win.

Where Automation Works (and Where It Doesn’t)

AI tools and automation can simplify customer engagement, but Lynn warns against overusing voice bots or template messaging.

“We tested 40,000 calls with voice bots. The tech worked, but people didn’t like it. You lose trust when there’s no authenticity.”

Consumers want speed and clarity, but they also want human connection. That’s why voice AI works for basic tasks, but for high-value leads or complex service issues, real humans must still show up.

The Bigger Truth: Your Business Exists to Serve the Customer

Ron wraps up the episode with this core principle:

“Your business is the infrastructure that allows you to serve your customers. The customer experience isn’t a side thought, it’s why the business exists in the first place.”

That’s how industry leaders like Apple and Tesla operate. They obsess over customer experience, not just backend systems. That’s how they’ve built loyalty, trust, and world-class brands.

The same applies in construction. When you build a business around delivering trust, ease, and excellence, you can’t fail.

Ready to Deliver the Experience Customers Deserve?

BuilderComs helps construction companies fix client communication and build trust at scale. From automated updates to personalized jobsite messaging, BuilderComs supports your team in delivering an elite customer journey, every time.

Learn more at www.buildercoms.com

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