Ecmweb 8434 Aaronhagan Service Secrets Pr 7
Ecmweb 8434 Aaronhagan Service Secrets Pr 7
Ecmweb 8434 Aaronhagan Service Secrets Pr 7
Ecmweb 8434 Aaronhagan Service Secrets Pr 7
Ecmweb 8434 Aaronhagan Service Secrets Pr 7

Service Secrets: Booking a Service Appointment Should Be an Experience

Sept. 22, 2016
Five steps to an amazing client interaction begins with a simple phone call.
Aaron Hagan

The very first contact a client will have with your company is through the person answering your phones. Your call takers have a golden opportunity to either build amazing value for your company or leave a bad taste in the potential client’s mouth. Whether you only have one call taker or a dozen, a lost call can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. In my experience, I have identified three different types of call takers. You probably have one of these three working in your company today.

1) The road grader — This person is typically an employee who has taken on or has been forced to take on way too much work. Having an employee that can wear many hats is a blessing and a necessity in most small businesses. It can also be a curse if that employee has the wrong approach to booking a service appointment. Road graders typically have 12 different projects they’re working on at one time, and then the phone starts ringing. They know the phone call is important, but because they are juggling so many different things, they rush through the script and build little to no value with the customer. The result is a lower booking percentage.

2) The nervous Nancy — These  individuals are typically very friendly but almost to a fault. Their friendliness is often overshadowed by an audible lack of confidence. Their voice is weak and shaky when going through the script and when it comes to informing the client of a dispatch/trip fee, they become apologetic (Note: If you are not charging a dispatch/trip fee on every scheduled service call, you could be costing the company time and money). The result is a lower booking percentage.

3) The travel agent — Have you ever talked to a travel agent? Talented travel agents listen to their client’s needs and wants, then using their words, paint a picture as to what adventures and excitement awaits. They focus on the experience, not the price tag. This is exactly what “travel agent” call takers do while booking a service appointment. They listen to the client’s wants and needs, gather vital information, and build value in the service experience.

Related

Great call takers are worth their weight in gold. If you will put the same type of focus on training your call takers that you do training your electricians, then your company will prosper.

So now that you know the type of person you should have answering your phone, let me share some thoughts on what your call taker should be doing for your business. I’ve found these five steps to booking a client experience work really well.

1) The smile — Answer the phone with a smile on your face. As strange as it sounds, you can actually feel a smile in someone’s voice. Try this yourself. We do a fun demonstration in our call taking training class. We have call takers come to the front of the class and sit down with their back facing the audience. Then we give them two scripts to read — the only difference is at the top of one of the scripts it says read while smiling. We then have the class vote on which one they were smiling in. There’s never a doubt. Another great idea is to have small mirrors attached to the top of every call taker’s monitor. The idea is that they check their smile before every call.

2) The empathetic ear — There is a difference between empathy and sympathy. With sympathy, you’re feeling sorry for someone. With empathy, you’re putting yourself in the person’s shoes. We want to listen to our clients to understand what electrical problems they are having, and we want to do this with an empathetic ear. It’s important to always use the client’s first name. Make it personal. If you rush through this, it’s easy to come off as callous or not caring about the customer’s problem.

3) Get the vitals — This is one place where you can set yourself up for failure or success. You want to gather the typical information like address, zip code, and phone number. But you also want to gather information such as an email address so you can send them confirmation of the appointment and possibly a monthly newsletter. In addition, always ask customers how they heard about your business. This will give you important marketing information. Also ask them the age of their home. For example, if you find out the home is 20 years old, then the electrician running the call should have a very good idea of possible safety issues, code updates, and upsell potentials.

4) Build value — This is where a call taker should set your company apart from everyone else. Call takers want to be sure they are walking the client through what to expect from your company on this service call. Here’s an example of our approach. “Thank you for that information, Joe, now let me tell you a little bit about us. A licensed, drug-tested, background checked electrician — providing service that is 100% satisfaction guaranteed — will explain our warranties and do a full safety inspection for you today. He’s on the way and…”

5) Reassuring a new friend — The call wrap up should sound something like this: “Thank you Joe. You’ve made a great decision choosing today. Now let me verify some information.”

 As a last step, it’s time to verify the customers address and phone number and confirm the appointment slot.

“Okay Joe, I have you all set. I want to thank you for allowing me to serve you today. Again, my name is Amy. Feel free to give me a call anytime you have a need or would like a question answered. We’re here for you, Joe, anytime day or night.”

Now that’s a first-class customer experience.     

Hagan is a second-generation electrician. He owns and operates the Mister Sparky locations serving Northwest Arkansas, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa, Okla. He oversees a staff of 30, which includes electricians and technicians. He can be reached at [email protected].

 

About the Author

Aaron Hagan | Owner

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