Between efforts to get the company name out there, winning contracts, and getting the work done, actual attention to relationships with customers–aka customer service–can easily get lost in the shuffle. Read on for practical pointers on ratcheting up your focus on consistent, high quality customer service.
Take Me Out To The Ballpark…
Actually, deluxe seats at the arena, while perhaps a fun splurge for clients, does not truly check off the customer service box. Gregg Schoppman, a construction industry management consultant, observes that what matters most is how the relationship goes during the project life cycle. For example, on a day to day basis, would customers consider you firm, but fair? Reliable? Communicative even when challenges arise? Pleasant to do business with? Reminding us not to confuse splashy outlays with the art of really building relationships, Schoppman encourages examining these questions as you consider what may need strengthening in your approach to customer service:
- Do you know five things about your direct customer liaison, aside from their name and where they work?
- Do you feel like your relationship is always strained? Put another way, when you ask the most basic of questions, are you met with resistance?
- What does your customer really like about your project team?
- Are you just the best alternative because you were the lowest price, or do they see the real value you provide?
- If you are always selected on the basis of price — which is fairly common — does the building process with the customer always feel like a protracted root canal with no anesthesia?
In your non-work life, consider the kinds of customer service that you receive and appreciate, as well as transactions that do not meet the mark. At the roots of solid customer service, according to Schopman, are these standards that apply to every business, every day: “One should expect a high level of communication, customer savviness, attention to the small things and, dare I say, ‘absorption.’ (Read: Taking a hit for the client from time to time for the sake of the relationship.)” Even though the cost of getting a job done is typically a big factor in customer decision making, don’t fall into the trap of acting as if being the lowest bidder entitles you to set solid customer service aside:
There are plenty of accounts that began on the basis of price and migrated to a negotiated model simply because a customer said, “I like those folks.”…Isn’t it just easier to be nice?….Being nice works both ways and keeps everyone a little more sane … .Hard-bid, negotiated-bid, sole-sourced — people want to feel good about their choice and shouldn’t regret that experience. The adage of controlling the controllable certainly applies. For instance, if I fly a super no-frills airline that charges me for every item, I should understand that decisions have consequences. Independent to that is how I am treated as the customer. Maintaining a high level of respect and dignity costs nothing and should be what every business strives for. A hard-bid contractor that pursues realistic and appropriate change orders does not have to subscribe to the philosophy of being “Class A Jerks” to deal with.
Providing a steady flow of brief and clear communication–whether the news is good or bad–is a great example of what routine customer service means. Being in the habit of consistently sharing updates, including those that surprise and delight customers with good news, creates trust to leverage when challenges must be relayed. As Shawn Van Dyke of Construction Business points out, proactive communication is always best, and reminds us: “There’s no easy way to deliver bad news, but doing it sooner will save you a lot of stress, and get it off your back so you can start working on the solution sooner…..If you wait until the last minute, you’ll be dealing with two problems – THE problem itself and a frustrated customer.”
Remember too, while ongoing communication is great for business, losing your temper is not. Seems obvious, but let’s be honest, we’ve all been there. Though an outburst might feel good for a few seconds, it’s of course best not to blow a customer relationship because you are steamed up. Hard-won trust is all too quickly and easily broken through unproductive conflict: “You have the power to build awesome relationships and projects….If you are able to respond professionally and keep your team focused you will avoid problems, prove that you are not like other contractors and everyone will be a lot happier….”
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