A common question we get in the office from your fellow members is: How can I better communicate to my technicians the type of value they should be providing our clients? When I hear that question (or something similar to it), I like to share with them my restaurant example.
When you think of a great dining experience, what comes to mind? You probably start thinking about exquisite food, presented beautifully. Then, there’s the friendly, tentative staff who are helpful and informative. Of course, the ambiance and style of the restaurant ooze class and make you, the diner, feel like you’re being treated to a special evening. You’re not simply going out to have a meal, you’re enjoying a complete experience.
That’s certainly not the experience you find in any fast-food restaurant. There, you’re pushed through as quickly as possible. Service? What service? You quickly grab your greasy bag and hope everything you ordered is there. Should you elect to dine in, you’re treated to plastic seats, promotional posters, and screaming kids.
If you had the choice, which experience would you choose? Most people find much more enjoyment with fine dining versus the fast-food joint. After all, if a dear friend was coming to town, and you were going to treat him/her to a night out, I’m assuming it wouldn’t involve a stop to McDonald’s or Taco Bell.
That’s what you must communicate with your techs. As a company, you charge more than the competition, and because you charge more, you must deliver more. You are providing the fine-dining experience.
As a refresher, here are the “4 Core Principles to Providing an Exceptional Service Experience.” Pass these along to your techs when sharing this example…
- Presentation Is Everything
So many times what you pay for at a fine-dining establishment is the presentation: The appearance of the restaurant, the lighting, the decoration, the uniforms of the waiters, the music in the background, it all communicates elegance. These touches created the memorable experience.What type of experience are your techs creating? Are they driving dirty service vehicles to the home? Are they parking on the street or dripping oil on the drive way? Do they have a clean, starched, button-up work shirt and a pressed dress pants? Are they groomed nicely, not chewing gum, and have a big smile on their face when the clients open the door? Are their presentation pieces not bent, creased, or torn? Do they insist on putting booties over their shoes and use large placemats around every work area?Remind your techs that every little bit of their appearance is noticed and scrutinized by every customer—if not consciously, subconsciously. Their appearance will absolutely shape clients’ opinions and impact how much money they’re willing to invest with them. - Don’t Bring an in-and-out Attitude
So often technicians try to break the world record for fastest service call. They run in the house, go straight to the problem, do the work, and sprint out the door. Then, they complain that they need a raise because they’re not making enough using your performance-pay model.If your techs want to give themselves a pay raise, and also not spend as much time racing all over town from job to job, tell them it’s time to SLOW DOWN. They must create an experience with each and every client—build a relationship, develop trust. It’s not difficult—a simple question about the customer’s car or garden can get the ball rolling.Fine-dining experiences typically take two or more hours—yet few people complain because by the end of the evening, they’ve enjoyed the experience. That should be the goal for your techs: Their clients are so impressed and like them so much that the amount of time they invested isn’t a concern. - Ask & Answer
The best waiters in fine-dining establishments know the menu back and forth, and they’ll always answer any question quickly and confidently. They also know the right questions to ask to create the perfect dining experience. To be truly memorable, your techs should be doing the same.After your techs have had some time to talk with the customer and begin the relationship-building process, their next step is to ask questions. Let the homeowner talk. You know the homeowner called for a repair—but what made them call? What are they hearing and seeing? Have they been experiencing any other issues with the home, beyond the repair they want today? Often, simply by asking, you’ll jog a client’s memory.Once your techs have their questions answered, they should be conducting an inspection, taking ample notes of everything they see. Like a great waiter, your technicians should explain in-depth the benefits of conducting various other repairs they’re recommending and providing options. - Go the Extra Mile
The best waiters are the ones that go the extra mile. They make sure that all of your needs are met—and they pay attention. For example, they know that you’re celebrating an anniversary and they bring you their specialty dessert—on the house!If your technicians are taking their time and communicating with each of their homeowners, it’s not difficult to find little ways to go the extra mile. It could be something as simple as bringing up the newspaper from a driveway. Maybe you bring the emptied trash cans from the street to the garage? Working an evening service call? Have a pizza delivered to the family on the company.Find a way to go the extra mile and not only will you enjoy larger service tickets, your technicians will have fans for life who will personally ask for them. And it will lead to a noticeable increase in word-of-mouth advertising. That’s how most people find out about the top restaurants in town: They hear about them from friends and family.
If your techs focus on the client and doing their absolute best to deliver a fine-dining-type experience, they’ll make more money, have happier clients, and spend less time in their service vehicle. And of course, your business will prosper and grow.