In concept, customer care has received a great deal of attention in marketing and public relations circles in recent years, as executives begin to discover the value that dollars poured into customer satisfaction development can have on their bottom line. In fact, the idea is fast becoming an industry of its own, with consultants and analysts, educators and facilitators posed at the corporate whiteboard to instruct an organization and its team on the basics of good service.

Why, then, do the highest customer satisfaction ratings continue to favor smaller companies with no budget allocations for analysts and facilitators than for companies who spend millions, even billions, of dollars annually on attempts to capture them?

Trinity Construction was founded 20 years ago with a team of dedicated, hard-working men – Antoine A. Sabga and Robert Marques – who, by starting small and focusing on doing the job right when someone else couldn't, were able to grow the team into a prosperous company.

The team at Trinity Construction Corporation, Florida's leading shell and pre-cast contractors, believe the key lies in being proactive, not reactive, about customer service. By hiring people who demonstrate that they understand the value of good service and how to deliver it, by making ongoing investments in each of their employees, and by maintaining close relationships with customers at all levels of operation, the company builds customer service right into its very foundation – beginning with the integrity of owner Antoine A. Sabga's vision, and extending out through every decision the company makes.

Elizabeth Sabga, director of Human Resources at Trinity, believes there are three basic but powerful principles the company has harnessed to set them apart in the industry and create a loyal following of delighted customers.

Competition is everywhere in the marketplace, and even slight fluctuations in perceived quality, affordability and service can sway customer decisions one way or the other when there's little differentiation to be found between competing companies. But building a reputation of providing consistent, top-notch quality on products that fill the need and fit the budget of your customers goes a long way in establishing the loyalty that propels business forward.

Committed to improving project cycle time and reducing on-site waste, Trinity Construction Corporation manufactures and installs complete shell and pre-cast systems that can be built on-site (often in less than a day) or at Trinity's facility and shipped to the job site for single- and multifamily homes throughout Florida. Antoine A. Sabga and his team have crafted the company into a one-stop shop for shell construction and erection services, including labor and materials, for everything from foundations to roof trusses to sheathing.

The team works closely with builders and homeowners to ensure every project is created, installed and completed with the highest level of quality, including after-build inspections by Trinity's quality control team. Trinity fully guarantees the craftsmanship and durability of their work, and by extension, offers a full year of no-questions-asked maintenance service to the homeowner after construction – providing the builder, too, with added peace of mind.

“Trinity Construction was founded 20 years ago with a team of two dedicated, hard-working men – Antoine A. Sabga and Robert Marques – who, by starting small and focusing on doing the job right when someone else couldn't, were able to grow the team into a prosperous company," says Elizabeth. "They refused to let the typical corporate culture be the foundation of who they'd become as a company, even as they grew.”

Watching their success take flight on those ideas, Antoine A. Sabga turned his own personal values into a set of guiding principles for everyone at Trinity, from the top down. Among them are commitments to invest in quality training and opportunity programs for all employees; providing the pay, benefits and supportive environment that allows every to excel; involving each team member in important company decisions; and continually acknowledging the value that each brings to the company as a whole.

These principles, Sabga believes, create a healthy sense of investment and loyalty in the company – which then translates into a desire to be a part of its success, and that includes delivering on the company's core promise of total customer commitment.

“Antoine's not a typical boss,” says Elizabeth. “He's accessible, approachable and his door stays open for everybody. He has high expectations, especially when it comes to customer service, but he treats everyone more like extended family than employees. The whole team knows they have stability here, they know they each have unique value. Antoine readily admits that the company wouldn't be where it is today without the dedication and contributions from everyone here.”

According to Elizabeth, that means everything from forming a new game plan mid-project if necessary, to working extra hours to get it right – even if it means a financial loss to Trinity. That guarantee is great motivation to get the job done right the first time, but if for any reason there's a snag in the process, builders know they can count on the team at Trinity to come through.

“No matter what it takes, no matter what the cost,” she says, “we're going to be there and we're going to stay there until it exceeds that builder's expectations. Our business is successful today because we've followed through on that promise.”

That promise has earned them loyal clients like Arvida, Centex, Lennar, Zuckerman, D.R. Horton and more. And it's propelled Trinity Construction into a growth pattern that includes, on the near horizon, expansion into international markets.

“We're a great company, and we're founded on solid principles of integrity and exemplary service,” says Elizabeth. “Many companies will say that. But will their customers? That's how we measure ourselves.”