For contractors, clients and customers aren’t just numbers on a page. They’re the lifeline of your business. They’re not only the people who pay for your services or products, but also those who will refer new clientele to you, write reviews for your website, and, depending on your branch of contracting, could become staple portfolio pieces to help you garner future business.
Chances are, you very much appreciate your customers and want to provide them with great customer service.
So what is customer service –– just admitting that the customer is always right?
No! The customer is not always right, and sometimes that type of mentality will encourage customers to try to get the absolute most out of any transactional situation. This mentality can be equally damaging to the service provider or vendor who might get bullied into undercharging or doing work that was out-of-scope.
Customer service is the support customers receive from a company (or, if you are the company, then the support customers receive from you) before, during, and after the transaction. Customer service itself is neutral. There’s good customer service and bad customer service. And contrary to what it may seem on the surface, good customer service isn’t simply giving the customer what they want. Good customer service is fair to you, too!
Here are some tips to conduct the customer service side of your business like the professional you are, streamlining your process and boosting your business.
Communication is Key
Decide when and how to communicate.
Do you want to have customers texting or calling you or would you rather have a dedicated email hour every day? Only you can answer these questions, and they likely vary due to your industry. Whatever you choose, it’s best to make a plan and stick to it so customers know when and how they can reach you. When emails, calls, and texts fall through the cracks, that’s lost business.
Remember that some customers won’t have access to every communication tool. Some older clientele might not feel comfortable emailing or texting, so be sure to be flexible depending on your customer’s needs. (This doesn’t mean you have to respond to texts, calls, or emails after hours unless your business requires it!)
Be concise and courteous.
Give people the information they need without sending seven texts in a row. Conversely, don’t give such a bare minimum of communication that your tone comes across as snarky. Punctuation and salutations matter! A “sincerely” at the end of an email has never been misconstrued.
Proofread.
While most people will forgive a typo, if you’re not much of a wordsmith, you can run your emails through a free service such as Grammarly to make sure all your “yours” are good to go, as well as other tricky homonyms such as their/there/they’re.
Be proactive.
Customers don’t only want to hear from you after they’ve reached out to you. Sending updates at various stages of a project is a nice way to let customers know they are top-of-mind.
Honesty is the Best Policy
Set the stage correctly.
Basically, people will be happy if you deliver quality work on time. To do so, you have to set reasonable expectations from the start. As you enter into your preliminary agreements with your customer, make sure you can satisfy the requirements of their particular problem or project. Set accurate deadlines and estimates and prioritize finishing the project within the timeline and price quote.
If you make a mistake, own up to it.
Mistakes happen. If something is your fault, don’t try to sweep it under the rug. You’ll just appear dishonest. Make sure you’ve done some groundwork to ensure your own safety and that of your customer in the event of a mistake, such as operating under an LLC. If your business involves expensive equipment, have the appropriate insurance so any mistakes you make won’t come out of your own pocket or your client’s pocket. These small preventative measures might go a long way in the event of a mistake. Whether or not you ever need to fall back on your insurance or limited liability, having them in place is an impressive demonstration of your professionalism.
Be transparent.
It may seem like the right decision to not tell customers about small setbacks or issues, but should those small setbacks become bigger setbacks, you’ll appear dishonest. It’s almost always the right choice to be transparent from the get-go.
Show People You Care
Clean up after yourself.
If you are working onsite at someone’s house, never leave their home or yard in disarray. Always ask if it’s okay to wear shoes inside a home. Even if your work isn’t inherently messy, showing people that you care about the way you treat their homes will go a long way.
Treat people with kindness.
Oftentimes people are dealing with personal issues far outside of the issue you’re helping to solve. If your customer seems stressed, try not to take it personally. And definitely try not to add to their stress by canceling, not showing up on time, or by not responding to their communication.
Sometimes a project will require you to go above and beyond for a customer. As long as you have the bandwidth and ability to do so (and their demands are reasonable), you should always do what it takes to ensure that the customer has a good experience working with you.
Don’t waste time.
If you’re not the right person for a job, let the potential customer know sooner rather than later. Nobody likes to have their time wasted.
If you’d like to read more about ways in which customer service can boost a contractor’s business, here’s an interesting listicle.