One construction company owner told Kim Battles and Lisa Lyle that she used to drive home on her lunch break because she didn’t have a restroom she felt safe using on the jobsite. Later, when she ran her own company, she made sure her crews had clean, safe restrooms. If the site didn’t have them, her company provided them.

That story came up at the 71st annual National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) conference in Reno, Nevada. In Episode 3 of CX Breakdown, Kim and Lisa share what they heard from women who built careers in the trades, started companies, and used what they’d learned to improve working conditions for the people coming up behind them.

The restroom story stayed with them because the owner knew exactly what it cost an employee to work around a problem that could be fixed. It raises a question for anyone who manages a crew or a customer relationship: what are people working around every day that you could fix if you heard about it sooner?

Ask for feedback while you can still use it

At the conference, Kim and Lisa spoke with construction companies that collect customer feedback at the end of a project. A closeout survey can help you improve the next job. On a project with several phases, it can also mean learning at the final walkthrough that the customer has been frustrated since the first handoff.

A short check-in at a milestone gives the project team a chance to act. Try asking, “How did this phase go from your side?” and “What should we adjust before the next phase starts?” If a customer says they’re unclear about what happens next, the project manager can walk them through the schedule before the next crew arrives. That conversation takes a few minutes and can change how the rest of the project goes.

Ask new employees what they notice

Lisa shared a question The Daniel Group recommends asking new employees: “What’s something we’re doing, or something we aren’t doing, that we could improve?”

A new hire still remembers what it felt like to show up without knowing who to call, where to find something, or how a handoff was supposed to work. Longtime employees often know how to get around those gaps. The person who just had to figure it out can tell you where the process needs attention.

Tell people what happens next

Kim got a reminder of this principle on the way home from Reno. After a string of flight delays, she arrived around 5 a.m. without her luggage. Southwest had someone there to help, sent updates as the bag made its way to a delivery driver, and had it on her doorstep by noon. What stood out was that she could go home and rest — she knew where things stood and didn’t have to chase down an answer.

The same principle applies when a customer flags a problem mid-project or an employee points out a gap in onboarding. Tell them who’s handling it, what will happen next, and when they’ll hear from you. Then follow through while the issue is still fresh.

Think about a project you have underway right now. When’s the next time you’ll ask the customer how it’s going? And what could you still change if you heard their answer today?