WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED BY SERVICE COMPANIES

October 14, 2009 · No Comments

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.