A great company is about more customer experience than financial success. Customer experiences can make or break your business. A number of factors go into creating a positive customer experience: communication, great listening skills, and perks. If your customers love the product and service you deliver, your business will flourish, but if they don’t, it can mean fewer referrals and a bad reputation. Here are a few of the ways that leading contractors deliver the ultimate customer service experience to their clients.
Constant communication
One of the easiest ways to keep your customers happy is by keeping the lines of communication open at all times. Communication is essential in any business, and clients who feel like their contractors listen to them will feel that you really care about their opinions and concerns. This can and should be done through a variety of mediums, including telephone conversations, emails, social media updates, and of course face-to-face meetings. Just make sure to keep the lines between work and home life clear: after all, you can only provide the best customer service with a work/life balance that suits you and keeps you rested and refreshed.
Positive attitude
Home improvement projects can be unpredictable: maintaining a positive attitude even when circumstances (or clients) are tricky is important if you want to keep your customers happy. Try to look on the bright side, seeing the silver lining in everything. Your training as a customer service professional will help you to help your clients see things this way, too. How can you do this in your day-to-day business life? Be a problem solver by acting proactively rather than reactively and anticipate issues that may come up in a building project, knowing how you will go about solving them if and when they do arise.
Honesty
If for some reason a particular project does come across a bumpy road, it’s important that you tell your clients straight away. Hiding smaller problems may sound like an easy way to deal with a situation initially, but failure to reveal all the information could be disastrous if things worsen in the long run. We think honesty is always the best policy, so try to stay up front, open, and transparent about everything you do—including project issues, prices, availability of materials, and timelines. Trust goes a long way with customers, so getting this part of the client/professional relationship right is key if you want to deliver great customer service.
Dedication to quality services
If you love your brand, you will do everything in your power to make it succeed. Following your brand guidelines and ethos will not be lost on your clients; for example, if you say your brand specializes in eco-friendly builds, you can and should practice what you preach in every build. Clients will choose you because of the services you provide, so sticking to your guns will help your brand grow stronger and give customers another reason to love your work and remain loyal.
Employee morale
Contrary to popular belief, great customer service is about more than just pleasing customers. If you own your own construction business and employ subcontractors, architects, and other specialist builders, their happiness and satisfaction should be just as high a priority as that of your clients. Happy employees equal great craftsmanship and professionalism, so their attitudes will filter down through their work to your clients—and they will know whether or not your employees are happy in their jobs.
Perks and loyalty schemes
While loyal customers will stay by your side through thick and thin, a few treats every now and then never hurt anyone. In fact, introducing occasional perks and incentives to both new and existing clients will keep everyone happy. Similarly, loyalty and refer-a-friend schemes can bring in new business and further solidify the bond you have with regular customers. Try several different kinds of recurring offers and one-off promotions to keep customers pleasantly surprised and on their toes.
Satisfaction guarantee
While every contractor strives for perfection, the fact of the matter is that sometimes things don’t go to plan. If, for whatever reason, your customers aren’t 100% happy with the work you’ve done for them, they should have a right to say so. Of course, satisfaction guarantees can make a small financial dent when things go wrong, but having a policy in place from the get-go will make customers feel like they’re in control of their projects. An added bonus to this kind of policy is that it will look great on your marketing materials and draw in new clients.
