In the world of contracting, you know how important an excellent customer experience is to the success of your business. You do exceptional work. But is that enough? Modern consumers are looking for more than quality products and work. Your clients and leads expect a smooth client experience and quality service when they do business with you. With our customer service tips for contractors, you can build customer service habits that set you up for success.
Why is customer service important?
According to Help Scout, “U.S. companies lose more than $62 billion annually due to poor customer service.” 62 BILLION? That’s no small amount! In fact, they go on to say that when people have a pool experience, they will tell 15 others about the bad encounter, but only tell 11 others after a good encounter. It sounds unfair, but it is true nevertheless. Even worse, Help Scout states, “After one negative experience, 51% of customers will never do business with that company again.” Yikes! No second chances; not even a goodbye letter.
On the other hand, 70% of people in the U.S. say that they will spend more with a company who offers great service. More money is always better, right? And it’s not just a buck or two. In fact, they’ll spend about 17% more, plus 77% of people will give that company a good personal referral. A personal recommendation is the best marketing you can receive. A positive customer experience is the best way to inspire one!
Customer Service Tips for Contractors
So how exactly do you have excellent customer service? Here are a few tips.
Communicate often and openly in a variety of ways. Clients get anxious when they feel out of the loop. With this in mind, communicate clearly before they even have to ask. Also, clients appreciate when they have a choice as to how you communicate with them. Offer the choice of phone, email, and text for communications. Then, remain responsive to questions and comments through these avenues and on your social media pages. You can avoid customer service failures with clear communication that manages client expectations throughout the project.
Don’t make anyone have to say, “Can I speak to the owner?” When your employees are bound by complicated secret policies that force them to say “no” to clients in need, the service experience is escalated unnecessarily. Even when you are looped into the issue and manage to fix things, the experience has already been tainted. Instead, empower your front-line employees to go the extra mile to solve client issues if they can.
Your clients feel cared for when working with your contracting company is easy. Do you know how to make their customer service experience even more enjoyable? Offer financing! With HFS Financial, your clients have access to the best contractor financing for customers. At no cost to your company, you can connect your clients with the funding they need for virtually any home improvement project. From kitchen renovations to a new pool loan, they can apply for their loan right from your website. And when financing is this easy, every lead is one positive customer experience away from becoming a satisfied customer. Apply today to add HFS Financial to your customer service experience.