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For installers, good customer service can make all the difference when it comes to growing your business. Making an effort to go above and beyond to offer support before, during and after a job not only helps you retain customers but also attract new ones.
In the digital age, customer service is becoming increasingly important as more and more customers choose their products and services based on online reviews. A negative review can have a real impact on your business and can turn people away. In contrast, a glowing review will help to set you and your business apart from others in the industry.
On top of doing the best job possible, offering fantastic customer service is a great way to keep your customers happy and ensures that they post positive things online about your business. This in turn helps to guarantee future business growth as more people want to work with you.
To help you out, we’ve provided some top tips for improving your customer service:
1.Put your customers’ interests first
In order to build a relationship with a customer you need to have their best interests at heart. For example, rather than simply fixing their boiler, you should offer useful hints and advice to help them prevent future problems. Customers will really appreciate it if you take the time to talk them through the problem and let them know what they can do differently. This will not only show your customers that you care but will also position you as an expert and someone to turn to for advice, helping to build a strong relationship and putting you front-of-mind should they need a plumber or heating installer in the future.
2.Know your products
In order to give the best advice to your customers, you need to have an extensive knowledge of the products you’re using. Today’s customers research many items online but as a professional, you can offer added value by providing additional information and advice on the best products to use. Some manufacturers offer free tools and training for installers to learn new skills and keep up-to-date on the latest products, helping you to impress your customers and make sure you can answer any questions confidently. Improving your knowledge of the products you’re using is also essential to guarantee you do the best job possible, which is obviously a must if you want happy customers!
3.Make sure you’re available
In the modern world, we’re constantly connected. The internet gives us many different ways of getting in touch, making it easier than ever to get hold of people when you need them. As a result, customers now expect to get a response from you as soon as possible and if they can’t reach you, they’ll simply go elsewhere. With that in mind, it’s important to handle enquiries as quickly as you can. Obviously, you can’t reply if you’re on a job but try to make it as easy as possible for customers to contact you. As well as giving customers your phone number, set up a chat service on your website that has an automated response when you’re on a job so customers know you’re not ignoring them.
4.Use booking apps for appointments
No one likes waiting around for a package to arrive that doesn’t show up when it should. Customers don’t like waiting around for service appointments either. While having a list of customers waiting shows you’re doing a good job, the inability to manage a busy workload can lead to dissatisfaction and potentially a loss of business. One way to help with this is to use booking apps to allocate set amounts of time to customers. This helps you to stick to your schedule and avoid wasting customers’ time waiting around for you. It also helps to demonstrate yet again that you care about customers.
5.Stay connected through social media
Social media is a brilliant way of staying in touch with your customers after a job. It’s important to continue offering great customer service even after you’ve completed the work, to help maintain your relationship and make sure they use you for future jobs. Rather than posting one way updates, make an effort to engage with your audience and create conversation. Social media is also great for gaining customer feedback – you could run polls and surveys to find out what customers want and need from you.
With a huge range of installers available online for customers to choose from, you need to find a way to stand out from the crowd. Improving your customer service is a simple and effective way to make sure you get noticed and become the go-to installer in your location. Follow the tips above to help get people talking about your business positively both on and offline. Great customer service leads to good reviews and happy customers, who are likely to tell others how great you are, resulting in more business.
For more information on Sentinel and the products and services it offers, visit: https://www.sentinelprotects.com/uk
Here are our top five small business apps that will help you to grow your business even further:
