Fox Plumbing & Heating Company Blog

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED BY SERVICE COMPANIES

WHEN USING THE TELEPHONE

Customers who don’t respond to messages

Open communication and speedy response are vital to a successful relationship between service companies and their customers.

It is often imperative for a service company to reach the customer. We may be in the middle of a job and need instructions or access to the house. If the customer doesn’t respond to a voice mail message from a service provider, the result can be interruption of the work, delays in ordering parts, materials, or even scheduling work. 

At Fox Plumbing, we always call the customer to verify that someone is home before sending out a service technician. Obviously if we encounter an answering machine, we are unable to dispatch a service tech to that job site. 

After leaving a voice message for the customer, companies like ours are only able to wait a short period of time before it is necessary to dispatch the service tech to another job site. If we’re trying to relay information or prices, we need a response before we can proceed. Lack of response will cause delays and can interfere with the building of a successful, trusting business relationship between the customer and the company.

Although the lack of response to voice mail messages may suggest lack of interest, I prefer to think that unanswered messages are merely incomplete communication--and that service businesses need patience and perseverance to forge a successful bond with customers.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED BY SERVICE COMPANIES WHEN USING THE TELEPHONE

  Difficulties in leaving a full explanation on a short voice mail

How many times have you been cut off by an untimely “beep” in the middle of delivering a lengthy, detailed phone message? 

Often, when leaving a message, a caller is rushed and trying to impart too much information. On top of those pressures, he doesn’t know whether the voice mail has a time limit. This situation is especially important in business calls to customers.

Rather than giving long descriptions and overly-detailed information, I prefer that Fox employees leave voice mail messages that indicate the need for one-on-one phone conversations. 

Courtesy, clarity, and cooperation are vital to creating successful messages as well as conversations. If a second phone call is necessary along with a second voice mail message, courtesy must be maintained and a sense of urgency must be imparted.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED BY SERVICE COMPANIES

WHEN USING THE TELEPHONE

Prompt re-scheduling when you can’t reach the customer

We’ve found that the scheduling of appointments is one of the greatest concerns of our customers these days, when they have to meet the service technician.

A further challenge for service providers is how to handle the situation when an appointment is scheduled but the customer cannot be reached. This can cause a chain of events that effects every scheduled appointment for the day, and includes rerouting of service vehicles, additional fuel consumption, and frayed nerves.

For these reasons, we place great importance on all customer communication, from initial scheduling and confirmation calls to prompt rescheduling when it becomes necessary. We strive to accommodate our customers and their schedules, and also to think green by conserving fuel and reducing emissions.

How many times have you been cut off by an untimely “beep” in the middle of delivering a lengthy, detailed phone message? 

Often, when leaving a message, a caller is rushed and trying to impart too much information. On top of those pressures, he doesn’t know whether the voice mail has a time limit. This situation is especially important in business calls to customers.

Rather than giving long descriptions and overly-detailed information, I prefer that Fox employees leave voice mail messages that indicate the need for one-on-one phone conversations. 

Courtesy, clarity, and cooperation are vital to creating successful messages as well as conversations. If a second phone call is necessary along with a second voice mail message, courtesy must be maintained and a sense of urgency must be imparted.

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Project updates via telephone

Just as every plumbing and heating job is unique according to the particular home, business, and problem, client communication also varies by each job. Some clients require more contact and more details than others; it is our policy to satisfy the needs of each customer. 

During the initial booking of the service call, customer service representatives are trained to establish each client’s need for updates and information about their job. Of course, our service technicians may also need to reach the customers for instructions and decisions.

Our goal is to help customers visualize job progress by painting mental pictures of the needed alterations or repairs. Updates for understanding the progress, various options, or price concerns are universal questions that each technician is able to address.

Hello! and welcome to my blog. This is my first post just to see how things are working