But the information she gleans from these drive-by visits is rarely the kind of information she really wants to know. For that, Drebert fires up her computer.

"I like to know what's going on," says Drebert, "and I have a lot of questions."

To get them answered, Drebert logs onto a special website developed by their Calgary-based builder, Cedarglen Homes Inc. There, she keys in her password and comes face-to-face with a computerized dashboard of data specific to their home.

Your Home On Track is where she is reminded of pre-scheduled appointments to pick out everything from floor coverings to lighting. It's where she learns concrete has been poured or that framers are onsite. It also holds every document they've signed, ensuring Drebert typically finds answers to her own questions without calling anyone and waiting for responses.

Dave Olecko, Business Edge
Darren and Megan Drebert check the progress on their McKenzie Towne house by computer.

Launched in early May, about a month after the Dreberts contracted Cedarglen to build their new home, Your Home On Track is the customer version of a software tracking program Cedarglen put in place for its suppliers and trades last summer, says Bruce Hall, senior vice-president of the Calgary-based home builder.

The idea for Cedarglen On Track, a user-friendly program the company's trades credit for increased efficiencies, started about six years ago when Cedarglen's principals looked for ways to differentiate their business.

They quickly dismissed price. Cedarglen builds about 650 new homes a year and about 30 per cent of their market is in duplexes, villas and townhomes. The rest are single-family abodes in an estate-style market that tops out in the $1-million range.

"We're not a discount home builder, we are a value-added producer," notes Hall.

Quality was also another area not open for discussion. The company has one of the highest specification sheets in the industry and wants to keep it that way, without changing its market. Besides that, most new-home builders in Calgary already set high standards. From a quality perspective, "there's very few builders' homes I wouldn't live in," concedes Hall.

All that was left on the table was service - and the realization Cedarglen wasn't really in the home-building business. "Our trades and suppliers are experts in house building. We manage that process," Hall notes.

Determined to make customer service a key part of its "differentiation strategy," Cedarglen looked for ways to improve how it manages its home-building process. Convinced they should focus on improved communication, the principals built an IT department that eventually included six full-time employees (most of them honours grads from Calgary's DeVry Institute of Technology, another point of pride with Hall).

Starting from scratch, that group took several years to build Cedarglen On Track, a management tool for trades and suppliers. They then offered training - and even helped some suppliers put the system in place beginning last year.

Based on real time, the system makes Cedarglen more accountable to its trades, Hall notes. "They've learned to trust our schedules, (and one year after its rollout) we have not had one complaint about this system."

"It's all about doing things right the first time," agrees Frank Sartor, vice-president of the Calgary region for Westridge Cabinets. Headquartered in Red Deer, Westridge is Alberta's largest cabinet manufacturer. With sales and service offices in Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary, the company manages about 300 employees, including 50 in the Calgary region.

The online information system ensures everyone in the communication loop has the same and most up-to-date information about details ranging from cabinet style and finishes to hardware and installation.

Because it's easy to see whether a particular jobsite is ready for its installers or service people, the system optimizes labour efficiency. "They're really pioneers in this and I think it's great what they've done," says Sartor. "It's made our relationship much more effective and efficient."

Joe Cerciello of Amelco Electric of Calgary echoes that enthusiasm. Cerciello, a junior partner, manages his firm's residential operations. With Cedarglen On Track, those in charge of Amelco's scheduling enter a Cedarglen address to find all of the information related to the project, then forward the information to their people in the field.

The online system means no one has to sort through reams of fax paper, followed by faxes with jobsite changes. Because Cedarglen postings are always based on the latest information, "we don't have to worry about any scheduling changes coming for the rest of the day," says Cerciello. "It's the best system that we have in place for all of our contractors."

Customers such as Drebert heap similar praise on the customer program, Your Home On Track. A number of clients asked to be on the system even though their contracts were signed before the program was available.

Cedarglen currently has about 80 customers using the system.

With no paperwork floating between Cedarglen and its customers, trades or suppliers, there's a whole lot less room for misunderstandings or jobsite down time, says Hall.

In a labour market pushed to its limits, this virtual angle to a real-world business is even starting to yield corporate advantages no one expected.

Some of Cedarglen's trades and suppliers tell Hall they're having to drop some clients, but are keeping Cedarglen. "They want to work with efficient builders, as opposed to inefficient builders," says Hall.

Turns out it's better for everybody.

(Joy Gregory can be reached at joy@businessedge.ca)