By Taylor Tuomie
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we figured we could write a post about a few simple things you can be doing that your customers will be thankful for! Creating a happy customer can be pretty easy. Your field service customers want to feel valued, in fact, FollowUpSuccess.com states that 68% of businesses lose a customer because they feel the company is indifferent about them.
I would imagine that you are thankful for your customers, they are the reason you're even in business! But how can you show that gratitude and leave them even more satisfied? Here are 8 simple things that you can do for your customers that they will be thankful for:
Notification/confirmation emails
Send out notification emails to your customers in a timely manner. If they schedule an appointment with you, they appreciate that you send out a confirmation email so they know they are on your books. Or if you need to reschedule an appointment, customers appreciate receiving that notification, rather than waiting around for a service tech that is not going to be at their property. HindSite Connect, our service business marketing solution, sends transactional, rescheduling, reminder and also completion emails.
Leave a clean workplace
After completing a job, go the extra mile and really make sure you’ve cleaned up any mess that you made while out on the job. It is a simple task that shows your customers you really care about their property. A lot of green industry jobs are meant to create a better looking property; an irrigation business creates healthier lawns and a lawn maintenance company makes those lawns look nice. Take the extra step and make sure dirt is washed off any pavement or asphalt on the property or blow off any grass clippings from mowing.
Here is a great article from Lawn and Landscape about taking cleanup seriously and how it can make your customers thankful!
E-Newsletter
Let your customers know what is new with your company. Show them your shiny new equipment, tell them if you’re offering a new service or just give them an update on what is happening with your business! It's an easy way to stay in front of your customers, too.
Again, this is extremely simple to do out of our software. HindSite's Connect tool allows you to easily segment your customers from prospects, so you know exactly who you are sending your newsletters to.
Send thank you notes end of season
Depending on how many customers you have, writing a good, old-fashioned handwritten thank you note is best. We were just at the GIE+Expo in Louisville and had a booth there. The organization putting it on actually wrote us a handwritten thank you note, we thought it was a very cool thing to do considering there were over 1,000 exhibits there! Again, it shows that you’re taking the time to acknowledge the importance that their business is to you.
Educate your customer
Explaining why you want to provide a certain service rather than just telling them what is needed is something your customers will be very thankful for. Instead of being viewed as a pushy salesman, you’ll be viewed as a trusted advisor, which is far more desirable to work with. Offer suggestions to your customers that can truly benefit them.
Know what is important to your customer
This is easiest if you have a field service CRM in place. For instance, if you go out to a property and learn they have a dog in the backyard that bolts as soon as you open a gate or they are very particular about what time you should be at the house, it can be very important to know what your customers want. Being able to store that customer information and accessing it while your field techs are on the job will make that interaction a lot more personalized and more enjoyable for your customer.
Treat customers the way you want to be treated
This is actually one of our core values at HindSite. The Golden Rule - you've probably heard it a million times before. Treat your customers they way you want to be treated and they will be singing your graces!
Ask for feedback
Close that feedback loop and delight your customers! Asking your customers for feedback will show them that your business is interested in knowing how well you did your job. Your customer will offer you valuable feedback that can potentially improve your business, too.
Even though it is Thanksgiving season, use these tips year-round and your customers will be singing your graces!
If you're winding things down for the year,sign up for our FREE webinar on December 1st to learn about how to grow your business this offseason! Just click the link below to sign up!
