Customers take many things into account when they hire a plumber or any other kind of service provider, however one of the most important factors that drives their decisions are whether or not they like the person that they are going to be working with. You certainly don’t have to become best friends with all of your plumbing customers, but it’s very important that they feel comfortable with you. Obviously you need to do great work to get repeat business and generate referrals, but you also need to consider the “likeability” factor. If you don’t go above and beyond to make a great impression, the customer might not have a complaint about you, but they probably won’t go out of their way to find you the next time they need to hire a plumber either. You need to be memorable and that is much more likely to happen if the customer likes you!
So how do you become a more “likeable” plumber? Here are some tips:
Be friendly, right from the start
Every interaction with a customer should be a positive one. Engage in a friendly phone dialogue when they first call. When you reach the destination where the work needs to be completed, smile and shake hands with the customer. Introduce yourself by name. Make sure that the customer is all that matters at that point in time. Don’t appear to be rushed, it will make the customer question whether the job was done correctly or not.
Be honest regarding pricing information
Be upfront regarding pricing information and don’t have any hidden costs that you hit the customer with after the work has been completed. If a project is more complex than you first thought it would be, communicate that to the customer as soon as possible.
Share your knowledge
As you are working on the project it might make sense to actually demonstrate to the customer what caused the problem. They will appreciate that you shared this with them, as it will prevent them from causing the problem and needing to get it fixed again.
Be courteous of the space you are working in
As a plumber you will be entering many homes and workplaces. It’s important to respect the space. The work you are doing may be dirty, but you don’t want to leave a mess when the job is over. Take the time to leave the working space in the same condition as you left it. The owner of the property will appreciate it.
Follow up
After you’ve completed a job, follow up with the customer within a day or so to check and make sure that everything is working properly. This shows that you take pride in your work and want to make sure that the customer is 100% satisfied.