WHAT ARTICLES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE ? LET US KNOW : EDITOR @ GEMCELL . COM . AU
Of course , customer service really kicks in when you respond to those jobs you want to do .
What ’ s your process for making appointments , quoting and communication before the job even starts ? That ’ s all critical customer service .
“ Today , there ’ s a demand on time , a demand on access and a demand on trust and assurity ,” explains Modde .
For electricians , of course , calls often come in times of distress or emergency – and for residential business in particular , you ’ re being invited into people ’ s personal spaces .
Understanding that emotional element , and building that trust , therefore , is vital – and needs to be a key component of your customer service offering .
“ Customer service is all about adapting to the situation – there ’ s no rulebook ,” says Modde . “ You need to put together all of the different elements about a situation , understand the customer , their emotions and their needs .”
The lifecycle of a customer is important to understand when it comes to customer service , too , because it informs how you interact and engage with your customers .
“ Some of the big companies do it well – Amazon , for example , really get customer service ,” says Modde . “ Australia Post has really improved its customer service . Other big companies don ’ t do it so well !"
Modde says it ’ s easy for small businesses to get their customer service right – and it can be achieved by bringing together the human and the tech to complement each other .
“ All of the tools are there to help automate your customer service processes ,” says Modde .
“ They ’ re all available on your phone , and it ’ s easy to implement – you just need to know what customers want , need and expect at every stage .”
However , it ’ s critical to keep the human element in there too – because that ’ s what makes all of the difference , and really differentiates your business from the next .
“ That ’ s where an electrician ’ s business really is very different from the likes of Amazon ,” says Modde . “ Amazon is robotic – I ’ m ordering a product and I expect efficiency .
“ For an electrician , you need to connect with customers personally . They want to trust you with their most precious possession – their home – and want to be comfortable and confident in you .
“ Trades have a massive opportunity to build up that connection with people , which means that , next time they need some help , they ’ ll call you – the person they have an emotional connection with – and not the other person down the street .”
Delivering good customer service can reap other benefits too – you can potentially charge more for your service , and get word of mouth recommendations , too .
“ I ’ ve been trying to get someone to fix my washing machine for four weeks ,” shares Modde , by way of illustration .
“ I ’ ve sent requests to any number of companies , and I ’ ve not received one reply . If one replies , I ’ ll be in there like a shot , no matter what they charge me . I want to defer my problem to someone else , I want them to take care of it and trust them to do the job .”
And , ultimately in the trades , that ’ s typical of every customer , everywhere . n
FOUR TIPS FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCCESS
SHARON MELAMED , FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MATCHBOARD , OFFERS HER TOP TIPS FOR ELECTRICIANS ’ CUSTOMER SERVICE .
1
PICK UP THE PHONE TO
CUSTOMERS RATHER THAN SENDING THEM TO VOICEMAIL As electricians can ’ t always jump off their work to answer calls , I always recommend outsourcing to a professional call centre to capture appointments and answer basic inquiries . If people don ’ t get through to a live person , they often just start shopping elsewhere .
2
MAKE SURE YOUR WEBSITE
OFFERS MULTIPLE CHANNELS FOR CUSTOMERS TO MAKE CONTACT Some customers prefer emailing , others sending a text message , and others just calling . Cater to consumers ’ varied preferences !
3
CUSTOMER SERVICE CAN ALSO OCCUR VIA SOCIAL MEDIA Make sure you monitor any platforms , like Facebook , where you have a company page and customers may be leaving comments or questions .
4
AFTER YOU COMPLETE A JOB ,
SEND CUSTOMERS A SATISFACTION SURVEY Monitor the results closely and if you get negative feedback , call the customer to make amends !
DEC – JAN 2022 GEMCELL . COM . AU 37