When you own a plumbing company, customer service has to factor in as the most important aspect of running a successful business. Why?
Happy plumbing clients bring in more customers to your business. They are also likely to benefit your business through word of mouth.
How to Improve Customer Service as a Plumbing Contractor
So, whether your daily planner will be filled with appointments or not will largely depend on how you treat your customers.
Many factors can impact the overall customer experience, ranging from the software you use to manage bids to the timeliness of service and anything in between that can give your customers a “wow” experience.
In this article, you’ll learn some handy tips to help you up to your customer service game as a contractor and win clients.
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1. Answer the Phone During Business Hours
When plumbing issues arise, they can be a nightmare to homeowners. For instance, if not fixed promptly, a burst pipe can flood a basement and cause costly damages.
As such, a prompt response is essential. It all boils down to how long it takes to answer the phone and schedule a meeting.
When a potential customer calls your company, they want their plumbing issues fixed ASAP.
They expect you to answer the phone so they can explain their plumbing issues and set up a time for the plumber to come and assess the situation. But if they call and get an answering machine or are prompted to leave a message, chances are they’ll call a competitor.
2. Leverage Plumbing Estimating Software
If you’re serious about growing your business, plumbing estimating software is an essential tool to have in your arsenal.
Among other things, plumbing estimating software can help you stay organized and accurate with your estimates.
When writing up estimates on the go, so much can get lost if you’re jotting things down on paper.
Important details can be missed, incorrect parts can be ordered, and even labor hours underestimated. Some of these items, if captured incorrectly, can lead to inaccurate bids and negatively affect your bottom line.
However, plumbing estimating software allows you to correctly capture every little detail, improve bidding, and keep your work neat and organized.
Better still, both field technicians and office staff can access this information at any time and on any device.
3. Keep Your Word
Broken promises can hurt your plumbing business.
If you give a promise to a customer, be sure to honor it. Unlike other repair work, plumbing issues often require the owner to be present.
Most people will take off work and stick around while you do your magic.
If you don’t show up and ask the customer to reschedule, the customer will be unhappy as they will be forced to request another one-day leave.
Such inconveniences will make the customer think twice before hiring you again.
4. Educate Customers on New Tech or Innovative Products
What better way to gain your customer’s trust than by educating them on innovative products that can improve their home or eliminate the common plumbing issues?
If you could educate your customers on things like tankless hot water heaters, water leak alarms, automatic water shut-offs, and more, you’ll be viewed as an expert in your field and a valuable resource for information.
Customers will value your expertise and will certainly refer you to their friends and colleagues.
5. Follow Up After the Job
Successful plumbers know that the job doesn’t end after they leave the customer’s premises.
Following up is critical as it helps determine whether everything is working correctly and whether the job was done as per the customer’s expectations.
Assess the customers’ feedback and use it to improve your operations. Studies show that 59% of customers don’t return after a negative customer service experience.
If the customer was not satisfied, it’s your job to assess what went wrong and turn things around.
We hope this article will help you improve your customer service as a contractor. Feel free to comment and share.
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