KB Home Ranks in Top Three for Customer Satisfaction in Four Markets, Study Says

RISMEDIA, Sept. 15, 2005 — KB Home (NYSE:KBH), one of the nation's premier homebuilders, ranked among the highest three positions in four major U.S. markets, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 New Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study(SM) released. Overall, the company saw improvements in seven markets.

According to the study, KB Home ranked in the top three in the Albuquerque, Austin, Houston, and Las Vegas markets for customer satisfaction. The independent study is based on responses from 73,353 new home buyers in 30 of the largest homebuilding markets in the U.S. who have lived in their homes from four to 18 months.

"Customer satisfaction is KB Home's top priority and at the core of our business strategy," said KB Home Chairman and CEO Bruce Karatz. "We are committed to providing our customers with superior service and quality with every home that we build. It's great to see the hard work of our employees around the country pay off with solid customer satisfaction scores, but none of us will be satisfied until we reach number one in each of our markets."

Along with customer service and home readiness, factors that drive overall customer satisfaction include: the sales staff, quality of workmanship and materials, price and value, design elements, design center, recreational facilities, location and construction manager.

The company has a solid commitment to customer service, offering every KB homeowner the "Power of 10" quality pledge, which provides homebuyers with 10 quality construction checkpoints at every step. During pre-construction, a construction superintendent is assigned to each new homebuyer to teach them what they can expect during each phase. These internal quality assurance processes complement KB Home's partnership with the NAHB Research Center's National Housing Quality (NHQ) program through which KB Home was the first large homebuilder to commit to working with certified subcontractors.

KB Home's "Say Yes!" program represents the rigorous standards of customer satisfaction practiced throughout the company. The KB Home "Say Yes!" problem-solving policy makes every effort to resolve homeowner concerns easily, efficiently and effectively. On average, it takes KB Home less than one week to resolve claims.

Source: http://www.rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/11774/1/1/