Del Webb manual put on CD-ROM

With so many things to learn about a new home, Del Webb Corp. has replaced the typical paper-bound homeowners manual with an online version. The builder's Nevada Communities division started distributing the owners guides on compact discs last summer.

"When you close (on a new home), every builder gives you a big book that becomes a dust collector in drawers and cabinets," said Byron Jones, director of customer service for Del Webb Corp. in Nevada. "What I wanted to do was improve on the binder thing."

The CD-ROM re-creates the inches-thick manual so that it appears the same on-screen as it would on paper. The screen resembles a tabbed notebook, but instead of leafing through 70 or more pages, homeowners can access warranty, service and maintenance information by clicking on indexed topics or using a built-in search engine.

"I think it's fantastic," said Fred Hammar, as he was introduced to the computerized manual during the orientation for his new home in Anthem Country Club.

"It's very progressive," his wife, Joyce, said.

The CD-ROM is used exclusively by Del Webb at its Anthem Country Club and Sun City Anthem properties. It will be offered at Sun City Aliante this spring, when the first homes are completed, and this summer at the builder's new Solera neighborhood in Anthem.

"We are the first builder in the country that I am aware of that has done this. I know for sure that we are the first in Las Vegas and Phoenix," Jones said.

The basic idea for the change was to make the owners' information more user-friendly and improve communication between the owners and Del Webb. More importantly, Jones said homeowners are using the CD-ROMs to answer simple questions rather than call the corporate office.

"I think it will be easier to use ... to seek out immediately the information you want," Fred Hammar said.

During orientation, customer service manager Randy Anflick demonstrated how the CD-ROM works and pointed out key areas the Hammars should read.

In addition to maintenance and care suggestions, and warranty terms, the CD-ROM has an online link to the builder's service department.

"It's a fast track to (warranty) service," Jones said. "The more our homeowners know and understand about our customer service and procedures, the better they perceive us to be."

Using the CD-ROMs and Internet access, customers can submit requests for service on their homes. A scheduling process that used to take four or five days now takes 24 hours or less because the service requests are already in Del Webb's computer system, Jones said. They also can track the progress of requests.

Since Del Webb is the nation's largest builder of age-qualified communities, the CD-ROM was designed with an on-screen magnifying glass to enlarge the print. Jones said it also eliminated any blurred or crooked print resulting from manual pages being "recopied and recopied and recopied."

Jones developed the idea for the CD-ROM three years ago with a target completion date of June 2002. It was created by Ironwood Lithographers in Tempe, Ariz., and was first distributed late last summer.

Jones and Lori Gaston, Del Webb's service area manager, said they were surprised at how popular the CD-ROM has been. When the idea was proposed, they expected about 70 percent of new-home owners to prefer the computer version over the paper version.

"It's been way over 90 percent," Gaston said. "We've given out 500-plus CDs and less than a dozen books."

The financial savings were another benefit. Gaston said it cost Del Webb about $40 to produce a paper-filled binder compared to about $1 per CD-ROM.

"The cost savings were huge ... but that was not our main interest. Providing better customer service was our main goal," Jones said.

The CD-ROM's advantages and popularity has prompted Jones to consider transferring other documents, such as homeowner association codes, covenants and restrictions, onto discs.

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