Introduction to customer service

Just like any other service industry business, strong customer service is vital for long term success. Every business you compete against will most likely have similar offerings and skill sets, however it is your customer service that can really separate you from your competitors. When it comes to customer service in this industry, it is important to focus on four key actions. In this playbook we will discuss three things: a concept called under promise/over deliver, how to be effective with communication and scheduling, and the importance of educating and consulting your customers.

Under Promise/Over Deliver

The purpose of this standard is to help set proper expectations for the customer. One of the biggest challenges business owners face in customer service is disgruntled customers who have a worse experience than they were expecting. For example, if a home that was built in 1910 has lead paint and a lot of peeling paint, the customer might expect a new paint job to make the house look brand new. We know that in this scenario, the home will look good, but will still have the weathered look of an older home. If this is not communicated to the customer, they will have a worse experience than they were expecting. Another great example of this is setting the right expectations for how long the project will take. Let’s say you think the project will take four days, I would typically let the customer know it will take five days to complete the project. This gives you a bit of a buffer time to catch  up and stay on the customer’s expected timeline in case something goes wrong on the job. If everything goes smoothly, then the project will be done sooner than the customer is expecting it. This tactic will help you obtain more 5 star reviews and create a stronger brand reputation over time.

Communication Standards

The number one customer service complaint in this industry is lack of communication from the business to the customer. You should have a system in place to help you communicate as proactively as possible with your customers. Here are some key expectations you should set for your business communication standards with customers.

• Pre Estimate Communication
• Send Pre estimate email
• Pre estimate phone call or text to confirm
• Post Sale Communication:
• Talk to the customers at a minimum once a week.
• Lock in colors, and coordinate any work that needs to be done by the homeowner prior to starting the job.
• Communicate the start date a week in advance if you can.
• During Production Communication:
• Communicate with customers daily.
• In person during your daily visit, or text updates with pictures if they are at work.
• Communicate the expected end date and schedule a final walk through.
• You want to schedule a walk through as soon as the job is complete.
• Any change orders should be discussed and signed off before doing the extra work.
• Post Production Communication:
• Conduct a final walk through, and have them sign off on the project.
• Ask for referrals, a letter of recommendation, or if they would be willing to leave a review.
• Follow up a month later to ensure quality is holding up and ask for referrals again.
• Updates or changes
• Customers should be notified immediately if any changes are being made to the plans or start times.
• If you are running late to an appointment, or the crew is running late to the jobsite, ensure you communicate an updated arrival time to the customer.
• Customer outreach
• If a customer calls, you should call back the same day. If they call after hours, you should return their call or message no later than 24 hours afterwards.
• If a customer has a complaint or issue, make sure you engage the customer asap even if you do not have a solution.
• Let them know that you are working on it, and will touch base later with a proposed solution.

Scheduling

Another major aspect to providing good customer service is to have a reliable schedule for the customer to follow. Timeliness and punctuality is important to many customers and a lack of these things can lead to trust issues with the customer throughout their experience with you. Make sure you have a set schedule for every aspect of the project that aligns well with the customer’s needs. Make sure you do all of the following to ensure the customers are prepared for every step of your service:

• Have a scheduled estimate appointment.
• Schedule a production start date that works well for them.
• Make sure you give yourself a day or two of buffer in case of weather or material delays that are out of your control.
• E.g. If a customer has a 3 day project and they want it done by the 15th. I would tell them we are looking to start the project between 9th and 11th of that month.
• As the production date gets closer, you will be able to lock in a more concrete time.
• This goes back to setting expectations and not overpromising anything.
• Ensure daily start times are agreed upon before the project starts.
• Schedule daily check-ins with the customer to answer any questions they may have and to make sure they are up to date with the progress of the project.
• Make sure the final walk through is scheduled a day in advance to ensure the customer will be available to finalize the project.

Educating and consulting

Another great way to create a positive customer experience for your customers is to be a supportive and consulting resource. Most customers will not have the knowledge for what is best for their home or project and are looking for an expert to help give them guidance. This is part of the reason they look for contractors to do the work. This is also a great way to show a ton of value and build trust with a customer. They will have a sense of security working with people that gives them advice and educates them, rather than just giving away money for a service. Here is a list of ways you can consult or educate your customers.

• Giving consultation on colors and design
• Some Sherwin Williams locations have design specialist that you can use as well for an additional service offering
• Educate customers on the problems they are experiencing, why they are experiencing them and how you can resolve the problem.
• Try to teach them something about their home that they did not know.
• Teach your customers about the difference in quality of paint and why some paints are more expensive than others.
• Help them understand the painting process and why you follow that certain process.
• Conduct final walk-arounds to show the customer the work that was done.

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