DGM Properties Ltd

Source: Construction Digital

Date :14/11/2007 11:35:23

Tailor made properties

DGM Properties is a family run business focusing on offering stylish and individual homes and apartments. Kim Penney explains to Exec UK its customer satisfaction policy

Written by Lucy Mowatt and Produced by Nicholas Davies

Kim Penney is the marketing director at DGM Properties, a role that involves overseeing the sales department, the customer care department, home tailoring and marketing.

Russell Delahoy, who is the Chairman and Ms Penney’s father, owns the business, while her brother Craig is employed as the Managing Director of the company.

Overall, DGM directly employs 24 people, including three qualified interior designers, but it also has a substantial list of trusted contractors, with whom it works on a regular basis.

The housing company holds the Investor in People Award for its human resources management too. Kim Penney explained that the company runs regular appraisals of its people to ensure that their careers are progressing as expected and to identify any training needs. There is also the ‘Employee of the Month’ scheme, which acts as an incentive to achieve these aims. A number of DGM’s contract companies have heard about this scheme and have requested that DGM extend this program to offer a ‘Contractor of the Month’ scheme.

The company builds personally tailored homes in close communication with its customers and Home Tailoring department. It began by solely offering luxury detached houses, but the Marketing Director explains that this has changed: “Because of demand, we now build all ranges — we build first-time buyer homes, we build apartments, a range of family homes and big detached houses.” These are located in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Northamptonshire. There are no immediate plans to expand outside of these regions, but Kim Penney explains that DGM would consider any projects within a 60 mile radius of the head office in Lincolnshire.

Five-year business plan

There is a five year business plan underway at DGM Properties, which Kim Penney elaborates upon: “We have a five year plan, which we started in October 2005. Our aim is to build 150 units a year by 2010. In 2005 we were only building 20 units; we’re now up to 80.”

She goes on to elaborate upon the company’s ‘100 percent customer delight’ philosophy, which guides DGM’s activities. She says: “We monitor our build progress very closely. Every week our site managers send reports in and we have constant updates between the sales team and the customer.” This means that they are aware of any changes in progress and any difficulties.

The customer has a sales person, a customer care employee and their own home tailoring consultant, which ensures that the customer is in constant communication with the company. Ms Penney explains that once the company can foresee a feasible completion date for a property, a contract is set up where the completion date and price are agreed upon. And the company has never missed a completion date or reneged on a price.

The reasoning behind this is simple, the Marketing Director explains: “What would stop a customer being delighted is if their expectations were not satisfied or if a completion date wasn’t met. It’s never happened, but sometimes things do get a bit close and people do get stressed, but at the end of the day it’s down to communication.” This involves keeping the customer aware of progress and also the solution to the problem.

Properties with style

The properties built by DGM are available in four styles; Classical, Contemporary, Country and Liberty. “These are available across all homes. What we do is take into account the architecture of the properties and the character of the properties and we decide very early on, which style it will be.”

This also takes into account the potential type of customer – whether they will have children or are an executive couple, for example.

The Liberty style currently seems to be the favourite at the moment, with its bespoke features and individuality. Kim Penney explains that this style is much more eclectic than the others, and includes wrought iron and handmade fittings. Although she admits that it is a bold statement, it gives a customer much more freedom once they have decided on a style.

She also elaborates that each property has a style decided for it and comes with basic features, which the customer can then add to. She explains that all fittings come within the house specification, such as those in the bathroom and the kitchen – including the colour schemes, the taps, the fireplaces, everything that’s fitted into the house is included in the price. The customer can then add light fittings, window dressings, wall art and mirrors with the help of the Home Tailoring Consultant, who ensures that the customer receives a complete service.

This service also extends into the garden, where there is the option to develop the theme inside of the house. Landscaping and plants can be added to the gardens, which come with topsoil and turf as standard.

Many customers that visit DGM show homes seek the company’s advice for their own home improvements too. Kim Penney says, “Anyone that has seen a DGM home locally has been totally gobsmacked by the style, the design, the build quality, everything!” This means that it is approached for its interior design consultancy services, which is a happy by-product of the company’s success.

Winning awards

DGM Properties has won a number of awards for the running of the business and its homes. In October this year the company won the Lincolnshire Free Press Award for Business of the Year, while last year it won Best Development of under 20 units at the South Holland Built in Quality Awards, and the trophy for Best Partner with the Architect. As a result, it was put forward for the regional Business of the Year award, in which it was runner-up in a field of 86 companies.

All of DGM’s properties are bespoke and individual, offering Classical, Contemporary, Country and Liberty styles. When asked if there were plans to develop this portfolio further, Ms Penney explains that they have been asked if they would include a Colonial style or Ethnic Look, but that they see no need; the four styles cover nearly all tastes and requirements.