64 Business and training
Shift your customer
Customer service is a no-brainer tactic for creating more loyalty and higher revenue. But are you absolutely sure that you are approaching it in the right way?
By
Mike Agugliaro
If you were to discover a treasure map that you knew for sure would lead to a pile of treasure, would you follow it? Or if you learnt a secret trick to suddenly start getting happier customers who leave glowing reviews online and call you back for more work, would you deploy that secret trick?
Well, such a treasure map and secret trick exists: customer service.
Before your eyes glaze over because you have heard it a million times before, you should read this, because it may be a completely different approach to what you are used to.
When most companies think of customer service, they see it as something they bolt on after first deciding what they are going to sell. For instance, you might think of your plumbing service as the thing you sell and customer service as the layer of care, politeness, and professionalism that you put on top to keep the customer happy. It is as if you are viewing your plumbing service as the cake and customer service as the icing.
Unfortunately, if that is the way you regard customer service, it almost becomes more of a cost, more of a hassle, and more of an inconvenience. It sometimes seems as if it gets in the way of you doing the work you are getting paid to do: plumbing. And even if you do not feel this way personally, there is a good chance that your team might. When they do, they will cut corners and skimp on the customer service part, because they see their real service as plumbing and customer service as the‘ extra’ that a customer is lucky to get. Sure, they might not be thinking these specific thoughts, but if they treat customer service as something that you add on to your real service, then that mindset will come out in everything they do.
So, what should you do instead?
Simple mindset change It starts with a simple mindset change: stop thinking about plumbing as the thing you sell and customer service as the icing. Instead, adopt the mindset that you are in the business of serving. You are not a plumber who serves customers; rather, you serve customers with your plumbing. That might sound like a small change, but it is a profound one.
When you are a plumber who serves customers, your focus is on doing your plumbing work; it is very transactional. However, when you serve customers with your plumbing, the primary focus is on serving. Therefore, you approach everything differently:
• You figure out how every step of your interaction with the customer can help them, rather than simply help you complete your work.
• You figure out what will amaze, wow, and delight a customer.
• You consider it a successful project if the customer is happy( not just if the plumbing project is completed to specifications).
• You actively look for new ways to serve the customer through additional services and products or even referrals.
Before it even becomes a successful strategy in your business to help generate more money and build additional loyal customers, you must first convince yourself. For some plumbers, it will be difficult because you have always seen yourself as a plumber; for others, it will be an easy switch because you see how obvious and beneficial it is. It is a mindset change that needs to happen in you before you can share it with the rest of your company.
Changing the company culture First, start talking about it. Get people thinking about what it means. Ask questions. Invite people to share their thoughts. Get feedback from your employees.
Second, hold an all-company meeting and excitedly unveil this new concept. Even if it was an easy switch for you, it could be a difficult transition for your employees, especially those who feel that being a plumber is the real high-value position while customer service doesn’ t require the same amount of specialisation. You will need to teach them that being a plumber is the highest calling, because it allows them to serve customers in a very specific way. During your all-company meeting, reveal a theme for the next three months that promotes this new mindset.
Third, measure employees based on customer service results, and reward them for their successes. If your culture allows for it, pit employees against each other in a fun, competitive contest.
Fourth, introduce a measurement tool that you use with every employee during a quarterly employee review, and build that measurement tool around customer service results.
Fifth, continue talking up this important mindset shift every single day. You cannot get tired of talking about it because it is central to the growth of your company.
Sixth, look for ways to train your employees to serve customers at a higher level. That might include on-the-spot training, formal training sessions, special guest speakers, and more.
Wow factor You are a plumber and that is an important job. But to be a successful plumber, you need to generate revenue and build a list of loyal customers. Plumbing services alone will not cut it. You need to do more. You need to serve your customers with your plumbing services and amaze them with how much you solve their problems and help them.
When you approach every customer with that mindset, you will unleash surprising growth. PA
About the author Mike Agugliaro is the co-founder of New Jersey-based home service company, Gold Medal Service, which provides residential plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical services. As a business coach, Agugliaro takes from his own experience to regularly lead national speeches, podcasts, webinars, and seminars on behalf of his other business, CEO Warrior, and has published two business books, with a third currently in production.
April 2017 Volume 23 I Number 2 www. plumbingafrica. co. za