Best Practices in the Field

Change customer experience, and set high expectations

When approaching the customer’s home, a few key things can change the experience for the customer and increase the chances of making a sale.  

1. For residential calls, if at all possible, don’t park in the driveway. First, oil can leak from the truck and cause stains.  It’s possible that the truck doesn’t leak at all but that there were stains there in the past but the customer may believe that you left them there.  It's just easier and less intrusive to park on the road as long as it isn’t too far away and parking on the street doesn’t cause a hazard.

2. When standing at the door, do not square up to the doorway. When the person answers the door, they will see you in a body position that would normally be aggressive.  Doing this can make the customer feel like this will be a confrontational experience and that can affect the sales process later on.  Instead, technicians should turn at an angle, with one shoulder closer to the door than the other. That makes the technician appear less aggressive.

3. Most residential contractors recommend wearing shoes covers (booties) when entering the home. It shows respect for the homeowner and sends the message of what level of care will be taken on their system.

4. There are steps to be taken amid the Covid-19 pandemic, too, and although many are not new, they are worth reiterating. They include:  

• Proper PPE (personal protective equipment)

• Nitrile gloves

• New drop sheets for every customer, washed and sanitized before they are used again.

• Hand sanitizer and Lysol wipes in each truck

• iPads wiped down between calls, and 

• Proper social distancing between technicians and customers at all times. 

Consider doing something that has nothing to do with the visit. In a ServiceTitan webinar video, Travis Ringe of ProSkill Services explains how his CSRs and techs go above and beyond by always offering to do more, such as providing ladder service to help elderly customers change lightbulbs or smoke detector batteries, or simply bringing the trash can from the curb.

That webinar inspired Operations Manager Shane Spiller of Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain Service in Baton Rouge, La., to make a change that improved a two-star Google rating to an average of more than four stars. “The second-mile thing changed everything,” Spiller says.