Customer Service

Unemployment rates in the trade industry remain low. While that’s good for workers and the economy, it makes finding quality new talent a challenge and means employee retention is more important than ever. An old saying teaches that “Employees don’t leave jobs; they leave employers.” A healthy work environment doesn’t just produce happy employees. It Read more

Unemployment rates in the trade industry remain low. While that’s good for workers and the economy, it makes finding quality new talent a challenge and means employee retention is more important than ever. An old saying teaches that “Employees don’t leave jobs; they leave employers.” A healthy work environment doesn’t just produce happy employees. It makes happy customers, too! At Nebrasky Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, we’re proud to have built a work culture that extends to our work ethic. It’s a model from which employees, management, and customers all benefit.

Our approach began, ironically enough, when unemployment was at an all-time high – early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, finding new team members was a challenge for a variety of reasons, so owner Paul Nebrasky did what so many business owners found they needed to do to keep the lights on during lockdown. He adapted.

Nebrasky began an initiative to retain good workers by hiring an internal brand ambassador who, in addition to representing the company, could consistently engage with employees. The position needed to be filled by a leader and natural communicator who could seamlessly integrate into our organization to facilitate new ideas, implement trainings, and make employees recognize that they are vital to our mission and our clientele.

It worked. Now, what began as adaptation to a crisis remains as an example of how employee moral goes hand in hand with customer satisfaction.

Employees who know they are valued by their employer are more motivated, attentive, and detail oriented than those who simply clock in to collect paychecks. Out team’s newfound sense of camaraderie amounts to a renewed sense of purpose, a responsibility to perform quality work not only for our customers but for the benefit of our collective – and for personal satisfaction, as well.

Company culture is part of an organization’s brand and says more than an advertisement can – and with fewer words. While our brand ambassador initiative began with an internal focus on our employees, it has had the effect of creating a multitude of ambassadors. When a motivated Nebrasky technician introduces themself at your door, they are introducing you to our team and our values. The face of a contented employee is the face of our company, and a job well done is our calling card!

Paul has grown Nebrasky Plumbing, Heating & Cooling from a single plumbing truck to a multi-disciplinary plumbing and HVAC company with nearly 50 employees. When he took over his father’s business, he was a 23-year-old operating out of his house. That was 1988. Today, the company offers plumbing installation, service, and repair; new construction plumbing; heating; air conditioning; and home energy assessments to a nine-county market area – all from its office and warehouse facility in Monroe, NY.

In today’s world, it’s not enough to just do your job. You might be an excellent plumber, but that’ll only take you half the way on your journey towards success. The other half will depend on your ability to deliver a top-level customer experience. This is something that’ll help to secure success in more ways Read more

In today’s world, it’s not enough to just do your job. You might be an excellent plumber, but that’ll only take you half the way on your journey towards success. The other half will depend on your ability to deliver a top-level customer experience. This is something that’ll help to secure success in more ways than one. For example, it’ll help to turn first-time customers into repeat customers, and it’ll be more likely that they tell their friends and family about your service, too. 

But the main reason why you should focus on your customer experience is that it’s the right thing to do. In this blog, we’re going to look at some useful tips for ensuring that your customers have a positive experience from beginning to end. 

Let People Contact You

Your customer’s time — and needs — should be a top priority. All too often, when people try to contact a plumber, they find that they’re not able to get through. And is there anything more unnecessarily annoying than that? And this is especially the case when a potential customer is facing a plumbing emergency. In this day and age, there are plenty of ways to ensure that customers can always get through. You could add a live chat feature to your website, hire a phone answering company to take your calls, and allow people to send you a WhatsApp or Apple message

Deliver Accurate Quotes

Your customers might love the work that you do, but they won’t be so happy about paying the bill if it’s more than they thought it was going to be. This is not something that plumbers generally do on purpose, but it is something that they do. But they don’t have to. If you’re insisting on providing quick quotes that you come up with on the spot, then you can’t be all that surprised if you end up having to charge your customers more money. Instead, use software to create accurate quotes, and don’t insist on delivering it there and then. If you need an hour to come up with the quote, then that’s fine. 

Do What You Say You’ll Do

There’s no substitute for delivering good work. All too often, plumbers are happy to say that they can do a job, but then when it comes down to it, they find that they’re unable to do so. As with all businesses, honesty can go a long way — or rather, if you’re all talk, then eventually you’ll be found out. All transactions need to be built on trust. If you can honestly assess the task, come up with a solution, and then do it within the agreed timeframe and budget, then you’ll have done your job. 

And Then Go The Extra Mile 

You can just do the basics that you were hired to do. But it’s worth remembering that this is only the bare minimum that the customer is expecting. If you want to offer a better experience, then look at going the extra mile. There’s no shortage of things you can do. You could conduct a pipeline risk assessment while you’re there, for instance, or conduct a follow-up check to make sure that everything’s working as it should. It’s these little touches that can go a long way towards ensuring that your customers are nothing other than delighted with the work that you’ve done. 

Keep a Record 

It’s always a good idea to focus on building a relationship with customers. It’s good for business, but also, it just makes life more friendly and enjoyable. You’ll be helping your customers a lot if you keep a record of the jobs that you’ve already done for them. It’ll streamline the job, but it’ll also show that you care. When you finish a job, write a detailed record of all the jobs that you’ve done. You’ll have something to draw upon if they call in the future. You could also add a reminder for when your customer may need a plumbing checkup (for example, if you installed a boiler). 

Train Your Staff

Finally, remember that it’s not only you that has an influence on your customers. If you have a team of staff, then they will too. Everyone connected with your company will influence the customer experience in some way. It’s up to you to ensure that they do so in a positive way. You can do this by offering training, creating a positive work culture, and emphasizing the importance of customer service. That way, the whole company will be customer focused. 

“You called the right place! How can we make you smile?” See how easy it was to catch your attention with a simple greeting? You would be surprised how often a simple acknowledgment of the customer will improve an online review. When working in the home service industry, customer service is your brand. It’s what Read more

“You called the right place! How can we make you smile?”

See how easy it was to catch your attention with a simple greeting? You would be surprised how often a simple acknowledgment of the customer will improve an online review. When working in the home service industry, customer service is your brand. It’s what people remember about you long after a job is completed. It’s the thing that can help drive your business to the next level.

As service providers, it is important to realize that, in today’s world, communicating with your customer directly, has become a necessity. With people finally getting a chance to converse face-to-face after a long period of strict social distancing guidelines, the customer wants to get to know you. No longer can we as service providers hide behind the bag in 2021. Which means it’s the perfect season for sharpening our soft skills such as controlling voice patterns and body language now that we are spending more time face to face. These skills are vital when communicating with customers.

Communicating with a customer is about building professional trust. When a customer feels that you have listened to them and understood what they need, they trust that you can accomplish the job and that expectations are clear. That is when the skills we’ve mastered as service providers come into play, and we follow through with what we promised our customers. This allows your team to ask the customer for additional and referral business, as well as that five-star review that will help create credibility online.

The Wow Factor

The No. 1 rule of any service provider is to go above and beyond expectations. We call this the “wow factor.” The wow factor is doing something extra without expectation; meaning don’t tell the customer you’re going to do it as part of the job. Instead, tell them you did it to say, “thank you.” These don’t have to be major jobs either. It can be as simple as changing air filters when repairing an HVAC unit. The key to this is to start the job the customer paid you to do, add something extra to the deal and then let the customer know at the end. Effectively communicating this is also paramount. Don’t make it look like the extra job was a hassle. Use proper body language and tone to show the customer you were excited and happy to do the job. The technician needs to list this “wow factor” on their invoice at full price then discount it off showing the customer that you are saying “thank you” by going ahead and covering that expense today.

The Good, The Bad, The Lost Customer

It’s funny. Research shows us that the No. 1 reason a customer leaves any company and finds a replacement is a lack of customer service. When there is poor communication, the customer doesn’t feel that he or she has been truly heard. Customer service is about communicating with the customer in a simple form and ensuring they know you’re listening. Using soft skills to keep the customer engaged is key. Not only will it reaffirm they are your No. 1 priority, but it will also help avoid potential conflicts with the customer. If they feel listened to and acknowledged, they will become customers for life and begin to send referrals your way.

The Golden 3

So, after all this discussion, you are probably wondering what are the most important soft skills a service provider should understand and master to improve customer service and satisfaction. In my experience, there are three:

  • Listening to the customer: Listen to the customer’s whole question before thinking about how you are going to respond. If a customer finishes their entire question and you already know the answer, then there is a good chance you didn’t actually listen. One thing that we have learned is most field staff stop listening to the customer in the first 10 words that are said. Most customers don’t say what they mean until the last 10 words. So, oftentimes technicians think they are working in the right direction, and they’re working on the completely wrong thing. Following this rule helps ensure all parties’ expectations are clear.
  • Skillset training, both technical and communications: We are creatures of regression. We automatically lose things that we don’t practice or sharpen. Making sure you are setting time aside as a company for all your field staff to sharpen their technical and soft skills multiple times a week (even if it’s only 15-30 minutes) helps to limit their loss of knowledge.
  • The ability to shut up: This is probably the most important skill a field tech can learn. When you ask a customer a question, STOP and wait for their response. When a technician asks a question, they tend to get uncomfortable with the silence. So, the tech ends up asking another question to break the silence, which in turn completely breaks the customer’s train of thought. It’s important to know that when you ask a question and then SHUT UP it may be uncomfortable for you, but it’s not for the customer. It doesn’t register as silence to the customer because they are still processing the information you just presented. So, learn to shut up and let them finish their process…respectfully.

If you can follow these three simple rules and processes, I’m confident you will improve your customer service skills and help retain customers while gaining some new ones, too.

Matt Koop is Vice President of Training and Implementation for The New Flat Rate, a home service menu-selling system designed to put profit directly into the hands of plumbing, electrical, and HVAC contractors. For more information visit www.thenewflatrate.com or email info@menupricing.com.

Whether you are interested in becoming a plumber yourself or you need to hire a plumber or a certain project, it is important to make sure that you are aware of what makes a good plumber so that you know what to look for. Read on to find out more. A desire to use the Read more

Whether you are interested in becoming a plumber yourself or you need to hire a plumber or a certain project, it is important to make sure that you are aware of what makes a good plumber so that you know what to look for. Read on to find out more.

  • A desire to use the best products – The best plumbers do not cut corners. They make sure that they use the best tools and parts because they know that this is how they are going to get the best results. You cannot expect to simply purchase secondhand parts on the likes of eBay. Whether it is pipework or a shell and tube heat exchanger, quality and suitability should always be your main priorities. 
  • Great customer service skills – Not only do plumbers need to be competent when it comes to carrying out plumbing tasks, but they need to be great with customers as well. After all, this is a customer-facing role. You are going to be dealing with people who may be a bit frustrated because they have an unexpected expense. Moreover, a lot of them may not understand much about plumbing. Therefore, it is imperative to be empathetic and understanding. Furthermore, you need to have the ability to explain plumbing concepts and issues in a manner that is easy to understand. 
  • A good knowledge of math, building, and construction – There are a lot of great plumbing courses out there that will teach you everything you need to know in order to become a plumber. Nevertheless, you need to make sure you have the basic knowledge if you are to be effective in this role. Some of the key areas that are important when it comes to plumbing are construction, building, and math. You will need to be able to maintain, use, and repair a wide range of tools and machines as well. 
  • Problem-solving and initiative – These are another two areas whereby you are going to need to excel if you want to be a plumber. Sometimes, the problem is not always going to be obvious when it comes to plumbing issues, and so you will need to be able to get to the bottom of what has happened so you can provide the solution that is needed. 
  • A good team worker – As a plumber, you will rarely work on your own. A lot of the time you are going to be with at least one other person. Moreover, you may find that you need to work with other professionals, especially when working on new builds and such like. Because of this, it is vital to make sure you can work effectively in a team.

As you can see, there are a number of important skills and qualities that successful plumbers have. We hope that this has helped you to get a better understanding of what it takes to be effective in this position and what you should look out for when hiring. 

It’s no secret that being a plumber can sometimes be a hazardous occupation. When you conduct any plumbing work, you could potentially injure yourself or other people around you, such as your customers, if things don’t go according to plan. Thankfully, there are some ways you can boost your safety while you’re at a customer’s Read more

It’s no secret that being a plumber can sometimes be a hazardous occupation. When you conduct any plumbing work, you could potentially injure yourself or other people around you, such as your customers, if things don’t go according to plan.

Thankfully, there are some ways you can boost your safety while you’re at a customer’s. Plus, here are a few ideas you can follow to protect your plumbing business from litigation.

Take a look at these examples to see what you can consider for your business:

Check Your Tools Before Each Job

As a plumber, you will undoubtedly use an array of hand and power tools to complete your work satisfactorily. You may also use things like gas torches and even welding equipment, depending on the nature of your work.

It’s crucial that you ensure each tool you use is safe before you commence any work at a customer’s premises. For instance, torches shouldn’t leak gas and potentially cause an explosion.

Get the Right Insurance

You will undoubtedly have some insurance coverage for your plumbing business to protect you against the most common legal threats. For example, one type of cover that all plumbers will have is public liability insurance.

Make sure that your insurance policies provide comprehensive coverage for the type of plumbing work you do. Find out more about what to consider with public liability insurance, especially if you work at industrial premises.

Don’t Take On More Work Than You Can Handle

One of the biggest mistakes that some plumbers make is taking on too much work. For example, some plumbing contractors might attempt to repair unfamiliar equipment or pipework because they don’t want to turn the job down.

The truth is, such decisions are incredibly risky. If you don’t fully know what you’re doing, you could possibly cause a dangerous situation – both for yourself and other people in the vicinity.

You should either turn down the job or sub-contract the unfamiliar elements to suitably experienced plumbers in such situations.

Stock the Parts You Will Likely Need

There’s nothing worse than getting to a job and discovering you don’t have the right parts to complete the work. Such scenarios typically mean plumbers will need to go and purchase those parts and make a return journey to their customer’s premises.

Sadly, some plumbers try to get creative by adapting the parts they have available to them. It might be a concept that can work in certain situations; however, it’s not a recommended option for every case.

Wear the Right PPE

Lastly, you should always make sure that you’re wearing the right PPE (personal protective equipment). Doing so means you have some degree of protection in your work, and you are less likely to cause an injury to yourself or other people.

Safety glasses and gloves are the two most essential PPE items you should always have at your disposal. You may need other things, depending on the types of jobs you usually complete.