Service Remains Important Even After the Sale

We all realize that to be successful we must meet client needs and win their trust. However, it's also important to realize that their needs don't end with the completion of their projects, and that we must continue to merit their confidence even after the installation work is done.

The service you provide when a post-installation problem arises, and the attitude and speed with which you tackle that problem, will go far in shaping a client's opinion of your firm, and in shaping the things he or she tells friends, co-workers and relatives about you.

To view the matter from a client's perspective, think of how you feel when you shop for a new car. Do you want to do business with a dealer who backs his cars for five years and 50,000 miles or with one whose concern ends when you reach the end of his driveway? Given the importance of earning and maintaining a client's trust, I recommend living by the motto, "If it's not right or there is a problem with the project products, and it's our responsibility, we'll make it right." Now, understand I did not say it was our fault. I said it's our responsibility. This is the way we should all be looking at our service for our customers.

As with any meaningful commitment, there are times when it's difficult to live up to that pledge. However, I've found that with specificity, forthrightness and common sense, a dealership can honor that promise and still separate legitimate problems from frivolous complaints and grievances that fall outside of its responsibility.

A Fair Service Policy

The best way to devise a service policy that's fair to both parties and that eliminates gray areas is to put it in black and white. A simple written clause in your agreements stating where your responsibilities begin and where they end leaves little or no room for misunderstandings and the hard feelings they often provoke. Just state the facts that you want known. Don't make it difficult to read.

As an example, you might explain that, in the event you furnish appliances, service on those products will be handled by an authorized service company in keeping with the manufacturer's warranty. You could continue that any dissatisfaction the client has with those appliances will not be cause for them to withhold money due to you. Such clauses may prevent a lot of unnecessary bickering?and cash-flow problems.

Now I realize that whether these matters are spelled out in writing or not, there are some clients who just are not going to pay as long as they are unhappy. We need to understand that some people will never be happy no matter what we do. In some instances, it's because the client never intended to pay us in the first place. That's a problem you must assess on an individual basis.

For purposes of this article, however, we'll proceed on the assumption that clients are acting in good faith and are making complaints that they believe are legitimate.

In such cases, it's important to respond immediately. Go out to the job site yourself, or send a staff member capable of sizing up the situation. The staff member taking the call or the service-responsibility clause in your written agreements should explain how complaints are handled so that clients know what's involved from the start. This will reassure clients about your commitment while it discourages service calls prompted by the owner's abuse or misuse of a product.

For instance, we tell people that while we're more than willing to come out on a call, we will assess a $35 service charge if we determine that the problem involves misuse on their part. That news often prompts responses such as, "Oh, then I think I'll have my husband take a look at it when he gets home from work."

Reputations on the Line

While such methods are an important means of ensuring that you don't waste time and money on inappropriate service calls, it's even more important to remember that the success and reputation of your company ride on the way you handle legitimate problems. I've told our clients and our staff that we'll stand on our heads and spit nickels if that's what it takes to make our customers happy. That's the way it has to be. Almost right is still not right, and that's not all right. If someone says, "That's good enough," chances are it could be better.