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improving their service as perceived by their customer than from any other source . I ’ ve seen that many times in various businesses .
In one business , after we had to make cutbacks , customer service declined . But as soon as we fixed it and saw satisfaction climb above 80 %, sales started growing again .
There ’ s a question to ask ourselves . Are we more likely to shop again , and recommend a store to our friends , if the service is good ?
DON ’ T CUT CORNERS Cutting corners is almost always the wrong thing in business . This applies when it comes to materials , tools and quality of workmanship . It ’ s not a coincidence that the most successful businesses are nearly always well-equipped and use market leading supplies .
GET IT RIGHT FIRST TIME
There is a virtuous circle in doing a great job for the customer because happy customers are easier to deal with . Customers who feel that they ’ ve been treated badly often approach the next issue in a more belligerent frame of mind . This belligerence then impacts you or your staff , who can be upset and respond in kind .
The only way out is to make your service truly great and keep it that way . Over a few months the attitude of customers will then turn around .
TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR WORK
If you are a sole trader and even more so if you employ people , there should be an emphasis on pride in work done well . The vast majority of people enjoy the feeling that a job has been done well and will find this motivating . It also helps to avoid the unpleasantness of upset customers . That way , on the rare occasions that a customer kicks off and is unreasonable , it ’ s easier to take .
Taking pride in work again helps to create a culture in your organisation of respecting and helping customers .
HANDLE COMPLAINTS PROFESSIONALLY
The subject of complaints is a tricky one and no one really likes having to deal with them . After all , suggesting that customers can complain is establishing a culture of poor service , isn ’ t it ?
I don ’ t think that ’ s true . No matter how well we provide service , there will be occasional failures , if only because we can ’ t control illness or guarantee that our suppliers won ’ t let us down . Making it easy to complain , then dealing with complaints promptly , is all part of providing good service .
WELCOME CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
My business , Powered Now , has recently been working with Checkatrade on a variety of initiatives . It ’ s interesting to think what the impact is of requesting and publicising customer views of your work , which is what Checkatrade do . It ’ s obvious that the very act of doing this makes the business more sensitive to their customer ’ s view of the work done .
Apart from the marketing benefits of having reviews of work online , the pressure it puts on a business to deliver good work is a help . Many businesses will see more growth from
GET OUT IF YOU ’ RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH
A person I knew used a particular plumber on the extensive renovations of their house . You could always tell when the plumber had visited as there was dripping and a pool of water somewhere in the house ! Following some nasty confrontations an agreement on payment was made . Although this was incredibly stressful from the homeowners ’ point of view , I ’ m guessing that it was worse for the plumber .
Their work was so consistently bad that there is no way that this was a one off . It must have meant that they were often clashing with customers . The thought of enduring this for the rest of my career would fill me with dread . If this is you , I would suggest that you get out of the profession , it just isn ’ t worth it .
HAVE GOOD STAFF
At the end of the day , all work done by plumbers and gas engineers is a service and that service will be only be as good as your staff . That ’ s why you should only employ and retain staff that both want to and can do a great job . A bad employee can trash your reputation overnight . It ’ s never worth it . It ’ s time to act with any bad employees .
WHAT REALLY MATTERS
My business supplies apps that help trade businesses grow rapidly without being drowned in paperwork . But all this is meaningless without happy customers . To get happy customers , you need to do quality work . If you do , you will see improved profitability as well as enjoying work much more . It ’ s a promise !
About the author Benjamin Dyer is CEO and co-founder of Powered Now . Powered Now ’ s mobile app aims to make it easier for installers and other trades to run their businesses .
www . powerednow . com
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