TL;DR What Happy Customers Want and Expect From Your Business
Rather listen to this post instead? Click the “Play” button below to hear it now.
Introduction
When you’re in business for yourself, success (or failure) depends a lot on your sweat and commitment to your profession. But, what is perhaps even more important is pleasing your customers. And a large part of having happy customers is being able to determine what they want, need, and expect from your business.
Large companies spend a lot of time and market-research dollars trying to determine what their customers expect and desire. And sometimes it pays off for them, and sometimes it doesn’t.
If you run an on-call service or maintenance business, though, trying to figure out what your customers want shouldn’t be so complicated. So, in this quick post, we will cover a few simple ideas that will not only help make your customers happy, but will also help make them customers for life.
Focus on Keeping Not Getting
Research done by a lot of smart people shows it costs up to 25 times more to get a new customer than it costs to keep one you already have.
With your service or maintenance business, you probably already understand the importance of word-of-mouth and referrals (without them, things can get lean and hard.)
So, what exactly does this mean for your business? Simply put, it means you should focus more on keeping the happy customers you already have, rather than concentrating on adding new ones.
If you provide fantastic service and support to your current customers, new ones will come (think autopilot.) After all, happy customers can do more to make your business profitable than any ad campaign ever could.
Quality with the Quickness
A lot of “business experts” and “financial gurus” tell us that consumers feel quality is more important than speed. And while this is probably true in many industries; as an on-call business expert in your field, you know better.
When a customer calls because their kitchen is flooding, or because they have a gas leak, or for some other emergency, they want their problem fixed – quick, fast, and in a hurry.
Anything that delays you, or your on-call, getting to the customer (as quickly as possible) is just not acceptable. From the moment the call comes in to the time you pull up and fix the problem, the clock is ticking. And how fast your business can respond to these calls will determine how happy that customer is and how many referrals they will (or will not) send your way.
Make it Personal
Happy customers want to feel they are dealing with a business that cares about them and their needs. So, as soon as the call for service comes in, whoever answers the phone should try to connect with the customer on a personal level.
When your receptionist or answering service agent addresses your customers by name and listens to their needs in a caring and friendly way, lots of good things happen. Your customers feel like they are talking to a friend who they can trust. And when your agent establishes trust, this is the beginning of a wonderful customer experience – which leads to a productive (and profitable) relationship with your business.
Joe is MY Plumber
“Oh, you need a plumber? Joe is MY plumber. Joe is awesome, and he’s there whenever I need him. Even if he can’t come personally, one of his co-workers is there fast, and they always do a great job. I would not dream of calling anyone else. You really need to call Joe!”
Are you “Joe”? If not, you really should try to be.
Does this sound like something you want customers to say about your business? Of course, it is. What service or maintenance business owner wouldn’t want happy customers like this? Not many that we can think of; that’s for sure.
Nevertheless, when you deliver exceptional customer service, referrals like this just happen.
Creating great experiences for your customers is the key to turning them into walking, talking billboards for your business, and it all starts with answering the call.
Insta Answer – YOUR Answering Service
Even if “Joe” is not your plumber, we want to be YOUR answering service.
For over 50 years, Insta Answer has been helping service and maintenance businesses (just like yours) provide outstanding answering and dispatch services.
At Insta Answer, we tailor our services to match the needs of your business, and we specialize in many on-call and service industries. So, whether you fix faulty HVAC systems, repair busted pipes, keep elevators running, or deliver oil and gas, we can help your business create fantastic experiences for your happy customers (We provide our agents the training they need to support your industry and service type.)
If you would like to learn more about how our caring, friendly, and professional answering service agents can help keep your customers happy – at very affordable prices – please click here to contact us for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation. Trust us; you’ll be glad you did.
