A lot has changed in the last 10 to 15 years in residential electrical service. I remember when we were the only company in town that made our electricians wear shoe covers. I recall mailing paper invoices to our client’s home as our only means of accounts receivable. I also remember when the phone book was our largest lead source.
The way we run a service call today is radically different from the way we ran one in 2005 or even 2010. I believe there are three key ingredients to running a successful service call.
1. Build relationships
You’ll be amazed at what you can screw up on a service call, and a customer will forgive it — if you take the time to build a relationship with them. People want to do business with people they like and trust.
To help you form these new bonds:
• Listen more and talk less. There are two sounds people like to hear more than anything else: They want to hear someone say their first name, and they want to hear the sound of their own voice. I’m terrible at remembering names so when I heard that using the client’s first name was important I knew I had to improve my memory. When I went on service calls I made it a practice to say the clients first name as many times as I could at the beginning of the call so I wouldn’t forget it. “So, Joe how long have you lived here?”... “Hey Joe, do you have a second, I need to show you something?” I was shocked at how well this worked.
• Thank your client in the very beginning of the service call. For example: “Joe, before we begin, I want to thank you for choosing Mister Sparky. I know you have choices, and I appreciate you selecting us for the job.”
• Ask questions. If it’s true that people like to hear the sound of their own voice, then your goal is to have them do most of the talking. The best way to accomplish this is to ask questions and follow up those questions with more questions. Find that client’s red hot button, which I define as what the client is passionate about. Once you do that, you’re on your way to building a great relationship.
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2. Educate the customer
If you’ve been trying to turn your electricians into sales guys, stop. Electricians got into this trade because they like using their hands and solving problems, not selling. We train our electricians to educate the client on their electrical system — whether it’s maintenance, repair, or safety items. Then, they give the client options and let them tell us what they want to do. The focus of our training is teaching our team members how to communicate in terms that are electrically sound but not so technical that the client can’t understand them. We call this program “Educate and Relate.”
3. Build value
Building value begins from the first ring of the phone into your call center/call taker. If a customer calls and gets a voicemail, a busy tone, or the phone rings endlessly, you’ve got a problem. Not only are you potentially missing out on thousands of dollars in future revenue, but your company’s reputation has also taken a huge hit. To be a professional service company, you must have a live person answering your phone 24/7. The next opportunity to build value is around your company’s image.
Here are a couple of items to consider:
• Are your techs in a full professional uniform? By professional uniform, I mean a button up uniform shirt with the logo patch above one pocket and electrician’s name above the other, along with matching uniform pants.
• Background checks and drug testing. I recommend doing federal background checks on all employees and enforce a rigorous drug testing policy. This protects your clients as well as your company’s image.
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].
