Whole foods whole world
I bet the grocers that had a bad day when Walmart got into groceries about fifteen years ago are having a really bad week now that Amazon has announced their intention to buy Whole Foods. The innovations Amazon is going to bring to grocery buying go well beyond low price and internal operational tweaks. Amazon […]
Real deal customer service saves the day after a flat on I-95
A flat tire on my boat trailer on Interstate 95 ranks high on my list of things that suck most in life. Of course, it has to be on the traffic side of the trailer to really suck. It sucked on Saturday morning at 8:50 when I heard the blowout and looked in the driver’s […]
Good enough is not good enough for commercial services
There’s a new article on forbes.com by customer service consultant Micah Solomon that’s worth every commercial service contractor’s time.Read Is ‘Good Enough’ Customer Service Good Enough For Your Business? I’m sorry to steal Micah’s thunder, but anyone who wants a profitable, growing service business already knows that the answer is no.Micah Solomon’s five elements of […]
Say “yes” to the quote
Are you worried that customers are going to “shop” your repair or upgrade quote around to other service contractors? If so, you failed earlier than you may realize. Getting customers to a “yes” on quoted work starts well before you ever find a problem and send a quote. It starts with trust. I’m not talking […]
Service hazard (Infographic)
What’s holding your service business back? Is it double data entry and other accounting inefficiencies in the back office? If you solve those problems, are you going to create more value for your customers, make your techs more productive, and differentiate yourself from the competition? Nope. Accounting doesn’t drive better customer outcomes. So, why do […]
Write your vows to your premium program customers
We’ve mentioned (here and here) how much more profitable it is to sell a premium program that gives the customer better outcomes than it is to negotiate on labor rates. You’ll need a few things to sell a premium program: Technology-enabled differentiators A proactive maintenance and/or inspection plan A defined service level agreement (SLA) The […]
Break the profit vise
Service contractors, you’ve got 2 huge problems. First, skilled workers are expensive and hard to find. We call this the “Skilled Labor Squeeze.” Second, small-time competition is undercutting you on price. We call these fly-by-the-night operations “One Truck Chuck.” With expensive labor driving costs up and cheap competitors driving prices down, you’re stuck in a […]
Fill the stadium for your customer service features
So now what? You’ve completed a big project to add new capabilities or value for your customers – something like implementing ServiceTrade or adding the Service Portal to your website. How do you get the word out so your customers start using and appreciating it? If you have asked those questions, you aren’t alone. I’ve […]
Lessons in customer service from the utility company – NOT
It is fortunate for the utility companies that they are protected by high walls of regulation that prevent new entrants from competing with them. I had to call customer service at Duke Power yesterday because I need to change the service at a location where I am now the personal representative of the owner. I […]
It actually is rocket science
Sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected places. Like space and a government agency. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is shrewdly launching (pun intended) the GOES-16 satellite and sharing their excitement with the public. Service contractors can learn from two things that NOAA did exceptionally well: They engaged their audience throughout the process of adding new […]