“If it doesn’t do everything right away, I don’t want it.”
Man do I hate that mind set! I’m sorry but this blog post may be a bit of a rant (so you’ve been warned). This type of thinking does not come up often but when it does, it can be really frustrating. Have you ever had a customer who wanted immediate results, but you knew it was not realistically possible?
We get a few of these every year. The ones who get so excited for the entire system that they forget that you have to build the foundation before you can build the first floor.
We have a couple suggestions:
- Give fair warning- tell the customer straight up how long something will take. It’s better to alert them right away than waste your time and materials to find later they can’t wait. We provide both in writing and in conversations over the phone the amount of time it will take to set up our field service software.
- Also warn that the work may take longer than expected. Perhaps the weather slows you down, or the job requirements are unusual. Good customers want it given to them straight. Tell them what the hiccup was and for them to get the absolute best out of whatever you are supplying them with, you will need more time. They appreciate the honesty and the integrity to quality work.
Patience is a virtue. You are worth the wait. A job done right is better than a job done quickly.