Did you know that 82% of small business owners, including field services businesses, have credited customer referrals as their main source of new customers? In the home services industry, this number could be even higher. Every action and response you give to your customers creates their experience with your business. Your customers’ experiences directly correlate to whether they refer friends and family back to your business. Create great customer experiences by following these four guidelines.
Clear, Consistent Communication
When working with customers, it is essential that your communication is clear, concise, and consistent. Ask your customers if they prefer to be contacted by phone or email. If a customer calls, make sure the call is returned as quickly as possible to make the customer feel important. By consistently following up with your customers before projects begin, during projects, and after projects, you are showing your customers that their time and opinions count. When and how you communicate with your customers is a huge part of the customer experience and will create long-lasting relationships with your customers.
Detailed Estimates
Customers want to know every detail of the project, and it’s best to put it in writing. Estimates should include an itemized list of all the tasks and supplies, as well as the exact cost of each item. By laying out each task and the associated costs, it provides transparency and helps the customer trust you. Once you have reviewed the estimate with your customer, have the customer sign off on the estimate to ensure there is a clear understanding of what the project scope is and when payment is due. Great customer experience is in the details.
Proposed Timelines
The hardest detail of any project is the timeline. There are so many moving parts that affect the project timeline such as coordinating with other contractors’ schedules, delay in supplies, or even weather. Those are all great reasons why at the beginning of the project, customers should be informed that “This is a tentative and proposed timeline.” If there is a snag in the timeline, immediately communicate the issues to the customer. The customer may still be upset, but if the customer learns of the issue indirectly, that only increases their irritation. Even when issues arise, customers can be understanding if they are communicated to immediately. Honest communication will make any timeline issue seem less troubling while maintaining a great customer experience.
Easy Payment Options
Customer experience includes everything from the first contact to the final bill. How a customer pays can make or break the experience. Allow customers to pay in person via credit card, check, or cash, or online by credit card or eCheck through a secure payment portal. This allows customers to pay however it is most convenient and budget friendly for them, while you can get paid faster.
Clear communication, detailed estimates or proposals, proposed timelines, and easy payment options are foundational in creating a great customer experience. Great customer experiences lead to more referrals. Customer experience is the foundation to keep building your field services business.
