Generating new clientele is important to the growth of service companies but it’s the loyal and longtime clients that make up the strong backbone of an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company. How does an independent contracting company grow this solid client base and what is it about a specific HVAC, plumbing, or electrical company that keeps these clients loyal? There are two main skills that are important to master when working to sustain strong retention patterns inside of a service company– relationship and repetition. In today’s blog, we are going to delve into the first important proficiency—relationship building.
Relationships:
Just like in day-to-day life, when we meet new people we must work to develop a relationship from that initial meeting. The same is true inside of an independent contracting company. When a service company team is devoted to building relationships with their clients, they will hone in on these three important areas of relationship building:
People-
The first important area of relationship and rapport building is to focus on the people that make up your company team. A client’s first impression of your service company relies heavily on the people that work within the company. Clients will first focus on the helpfulness, reliability, and personable nature of your company team as they begin to develop their opinion of your company and services. Clients invest in people first and products second, so it is very important that independent contractors recruit and hire individuals that have a positive attitude toward customer service as well as recruit people that understand that their actions as a company representative makes an impact on the success and growth of the entire company.
Needs-
Along with working to maintain a relationally-driven team full of personable and helpful individuals, it is also important that independent contractors train their team to possess the ability and desire to meet clients’ needs. While a client may initially focus on the people representing the company, they will soon after begin to ask themselves these types of questions: “Can this company meet my needs?”, “Will this company solve my problem?”, “Does this company want to help me?” Thus it is vital that a company train all of their team members on how to most effectively meet client needs whether working to find the best financial option, scheduling a call at a specific time of day, or patiently working with a client to help him understand how to use his newly installed product. Having team members that are receptive to clients’ needs helps grow a strong client-company relationship, which in return leads to greater retention of loyal and thoroughly satisfied clients.
Service-
Providing memorable and outstanding service goes hand-in-hand with both focusing on hiring great team members as well as training team members to effectively meet client needs. Service excellence relies heavily on the non-negotiable action steps that your company leaders put into place in order to make company-client interaction run smoothly and professionally. It is important that company leaders train their team on these action steps as well as periodically perform reviews to ensure company procedures are being carried out effectively and properly. When company team members see the value of their role inside a service company and work consistently to meet their clients’ needs then they will provide outstanding and unmatched service excellence. Clients that feel taken care of, important, and appreciated by their service company will develop into loyal clients who may also work as a positive marketing mouthpiece by referring friends and family to your service company.
Service companies that highly value the relationships they develop with their clients over the years will sustain strong retention of loyal and thoroughly satisfied clients. A company with outstanding client retention will value the three important areas of focus mentioned in today’s blog; hiring and recruiting great people, training team members to meet client needs, and providing excellent service. If you’d like to review and grow your company’s client retention then give S.E.T. a call today at 512-333-4133. Thank you for following our weekly blog. Here at Service Excellence Training, we strive to turn learning into earning!
-Resource curated by Whitney Stewart of Service Excellence Training.
