Ever felt like your field service business is not growing as fast as you have rather hoped? For many business owners, this is a constant problem. Not just for new businesses, those who have been in the game for quite some time now could also realize that they are losing customers. Now, when you reflect on the matter, you may face a number of issues that are preventing your business from taking off the grounds. It may be a lack of communication between you and your customers, poor field service management, inadequate marketing efforts, and hundreds of other things. But the most obvious answer is often overlooked—inefficient customer service.
No matter how excellent you think your service is, how skilled your technicians are, or how much you have invested in your company, the only thing your customers are most likely to remember is the direct interaction they have with your staff. Therefore, it is safe to say that customer service is the key to your business growth. And we don’t say this based on some mere hunch. Experts have revealed that customer experience has become one of the most influential drivers of business profitability. In an industry oversaturated with competitors selling the same products and services just under different names, it is essential that you create a lasting impression on your customers.
This brings us to the crux of the matter—how to create a lasting impression on your customers? The answer is simple— Provide an excellent customer experience by improving your customer service. But how to improve customer service? Well, this requires a longer discussion and could be achieved in manifold ways. While it is not possible for you to remember or implement all of them, you should neither forget nor refrain from applying ten core customer service tips.
1. Know Your Customers
In order to deliver a memorable customer experience, there is no alternative to understanding who your customers are. Every person is unique and so are their needs. Therefore, if you are to give them the most satisfying customer service, you need to know who they are, what do they want from you, and how they want the job done.
The best way to understand your customers is by doing sufficient market research. Identify your target customer, create a customer persona, and design your customer service accordingly. If what you are offering does not align with their needs or preference, you are never getting their business.
For example, most people these days rely on the internet to look for all their needs. Now, if you are still relying on that old telephone and don’t have a strong digital presence, you are most likely never getting that job order. Therefore, you must build your own website, promote your business over social media, and create a business page on popular social networking sites. You can also invest in work order management software. This digital tool allows your customers to ask for quotes or request service with just a few clicks on their smartphone/computer. As they reach out, you can respond to their queries, create and send estimates for approval, and turn service requests directly into work orders using the software solution.
2. Communication is Key
Clear communication with your customers holds paramount importance in customer service, for it influences everything else you do in your business.
Make sure your customers can reach out to you whenever they need you. Listen to what they have to say. Try to understand their needs. Don’t shy away from asking questions so that you understand the job better. And also, don’t hesitate to take their suggestions and preferences into account while offering a service to them.
Remember, your customers want conversations, not mere correspondence.
To make your customers feel valued and understood, using positive language in your conversation is an excellent way. It is also a great strategy to avoid untoward conflicts that may arise from miscommunication.
For example, imagine an item required for a job is not available at the moment in your inventory. How do you break that piece of information to the customer effectively?
Negative Language: We cannot get you the product until next week. It is currently unavailable and back ordered.
Now, this might create a wrong impression on your customer, making them feel they are not prioritized enough. Or simply, they would think you are underprepared and is not capable of rendering efficient service.
On the other hand, you can share the same information without the undesired consequences by using positive language.
Positive Language: We have ordered the item and it will be available within next week. I can place your order as a priority and you will receive it as soon as it arrives at our warehouse.
Redirecting the conversation from a negative to a positive tone also shifts the focus on the solution instead of the problem, which is a great boost to customer experience.
3. Customer Feedback is Important
We have all faced the disaster called “false review” at some point. But this never discredits the importance of customer feedback by any means. In fact, the only way to scale your customer service is by analyzing your customer feedback.
Having said that, harsh words are not always indicative of criticism, and complaining about customers does not always necessarily mean that something is wrong in your business operations. As disheartening as it may sound, sometimes great suggestions are buried deep within the vitriol of negative feedback. And if you are getting constructive criticism, never shy away from grabbing it. Give credence to each and every feedback.
Device a survey that would help you get the relevant answers regarding your service. Ask for their suggestion on what they would have liked better in the entire journey. Inquire whether they are satisfied with the service they have received. Cross-check if they are likely to hire you again or refer your service to family and friends. To stay consistent in the process, you might consider using the CARP method:
- Control the situation
- Acknowledge the conflict
- Refocus the conversation
- Prioritize problem-solving
Reflecting on your customer feedback could be an excellent way to devise your business strategy and improve your productivity. However, receiving the same complaint again and again could be the beginning of a risky narrative. Yet, it could be a clear indication of what demands your immediate reaction.
Paying attention to customer feedback also involves active listen to skills. Show your customers you actually care enough to pay heed to their issues and are listening earnestly when they take out the time to speak with you. Active listening also increases your chance to hear your customers’ real problems and solve them effectively.
4. Be Proactive
Nothing helps your customer service more than going that extra mile. This requires you, as a business manager, to check all the boxes and yet, be ready to do more for your customers.
Being helpful and proactive means anticipating your customer’s needs and suggest them the necessary measure before they even have to articulate their problems to you. Sometimes, they might ask for one thing without realizing they, in fact, need something else. It is your job to point them in the right direction. But remember, don’t make it look like you are pushing your own agenda. Keep your customer’s best interest front and center at all times.
This makes your customers feel valued—as if they are special to you. It helps create a personal bond. This encourages them to come back to you again, and you get a loyal customer base in return. Nothing ensures a steady flow of revenue more than a stable pool of loyal customers.
This is also an excellent opportunity to bundle and upsell your services, which would eventually bring you more profit. In fact, it is a win-win situation for both parties involved.
5. Use the Right Tools
In this digital age, nothing will help you more than the advanced technology to provide the best customer experience. Therefore, ensure you are using the right tools for your business. The right technological support makes your
The most efficient tool to deliver great customer service in a service-related business is field service management software. This cutting-edge software solution efficiently automates and streamlines your business processes, such as business tracking, work order management, scheduling & dispatching, monitoring technicians in real-time, managing customer service contract, inventory management, creating and sharing invoices with your customers online, payment collection, and so on. Simply put, this smart digital tool helps field service business owners track, record, and optimize their operations and resources.
This smart digital tool also plays an instrumental role in improving customer service. If you are still following the traditional paper-based method in carrying out your business operations, you are prone to the risks of poor field service management. To explain, if you are manually tracking your field staff, equipment, work orders, and accounting, there is ample room for human error. As a result, you will receive more customer complaints than you would like.
With field service management software, you can automate all these tasks and conduct them more efficiently. You can always find the right technician for the job and view their availability, never miss an appointment, track job progress on the go, share proof of work with your customers, share comprehensive estimates, and do much more—never giving your customers a chance to complain.
Never Settle for Anything Less than the Best, Choose Field Promax
Be it your technicians, equipment, or support tools, always go for the best to deliver the best customer experience.
Just like you would never purchase faulty equipment or hire an incompetent technician, your digital support tool should be top-notch as well. Field Promax is your ultimate choice in this regard. It is one of the leading team software in today’s time, appreciated and recommended by thousands of field service business owners.
The smart, cloud-based software solution organizes all your data in one place so that you can render seamless service to your customers. It has all the features that any good FSM software would have, and then some. For example, it is compatible with all systems and devices, offers an integrated, GPS-enabled mobile app for your field technicians available for both Android and iOS, supports electronic signature, allows real-time reporting, and much more. It even integrates with QuickBooks Desktop and supports two-way synchronization. This means you can import all your customer data from the accounting software and use it to create work orders, manage jobs, schedule and dispatch technicians, as well as send invoices to the customers to collect payment in the field as well as online.
The real-time sync also means that you have all the necessary information at your fingertips and use them whenever, wherever you need them. This eliminates the need to re-enter the same data in various steps, thus saving valuable time that you can invest in taking care of other important things, such as improving customer service.
