The current commercial electrical contracting market is fraught with challenges, with many electricians and companies facing issues such as late payments, uncommunicative clients and project hold-ups.
While many of these issues stem from factors beyond the control of commercial electrical contractors, quality customer service can help organisations across the market to improve their image and reduce the chances of minor grievances turning into major disruption.
In this article we discuss the ways that commercial electrical contractors can improve their customer service and provide clients and service users with the best possible support throughout every project they undertake.
Make A Good First Impression
New clients should be treated with the utmost respect and reverence so that they continue to work with and recommend your business. This approach will increase the chances of them bringing more work to your organisation and reduce the chance of them putting a bad review online. Even slight differences in the way your firm communicates with clients can make a big difference, so ensure that from the moment you start working on a new job for a completely new organisation, every member of your team is professional and supportive.
Train Your Staff In Customer Service
Skilled electricians can be hard to come by, but it’s important that your staff understand more than just how to fix the electrical problems your clients have. They also need to be able to offer clients a level of customer service that goes above and beyond just being prompt and polite. Give your staff regular refresher courses in the standards of service that your firm expects so that you know they’re always providing clients with the exceptional support they expect.
Create A Supportive Internal Culture
Staff won’t be able to provide consistent good customer service if they feel unsupported by their employer and disinterested in their role. Therefore, it’s important that you work to cultivate a collaborative internal culture in your organisation, so that customer service is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. This will ensure that every member of your team is working towards the same goal: providing exceptional service to your customers.
Provide Quotes For Jobs Promptly
The cost of any job, be it a major project or a minor repair, is an important factor for many clients, as it has an impact on their budget. As such, it’s important that you try to get them a quote for every job they request as quickly as possible. Use an electrical estimating software solution like this one to save you time and allow you to promptly provide your valued clients with a quote before they have cause to become impatient.
Implement A CRM System To Avoid Administrative Errors
Admin errors can be frustrating to clients, so consider investing in a CRM system to reduce your business’s chances of making mistakes. Some CRM systems are specifically designed for the construction industry, meaning that they will have the functions and features that commercial electrical contracting companies need to manage any project efficiently from start to finish. A quality CRM system will not only help your firm to provide a great service for clients, but also reduce the workload for staff, meaning that they can spend less time on admin and more time giving clients the quality customer service they want.
Give Clients A Single Point Of Contact
Many commercial electrical contracting businesses have numerous administrative and technical teams, each with a number of different members. As such, many clients can end up being passed around from person to person when they work with these organisations. In order to streamline the process, opt for a single point of contact to support your client throughout the project. They might have to deal with different people at certain times, but by giving them a dedicated project manager they can feel safe in the knowledge that they have someone to go back to who they’re familiar with.
Offer Deals For Returning Customers
It’s important that your firm provides a good service to new customers, but it’s also vital that it remembers returning clients and shows them that they are valued as well. One great way to show customers that they are valued is to offer them a discounted price for repeat orders, or even a maintenance plan that ensures that they save money and get the electrical support they need at a reduced price because they’re a loyal customer. Giving discounts is a great way to build up a rapport with clients and make your organisation seem more appealing to them than other companies offering a similar service.
Always Provide A Quality Service
Customer service is important, but so is doing a good job and keeping your client’s business running smoothly by ensuring their electrical infrastructure is working effectively. Make sure that all of your technical team members stay up to date with the latest developments in the market and are able to offer clients the high-quality service they need. Getting them certified with a governing body, such as the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) will give your clients the peace of mind that they will receive the highest possible standard of service, both in terms of customer service and technical support.
Seek Feedback After Every Completed Job
Once your firm has completed a job, it’s important that your team seeks feedback from the client. This will ensure that not only does the client feel valued, but also that they have the opportunity to share their thoughts with your team. You might find the feedback valuable and be able to use it to improve your firm’s service offering moving forward, so take the time to assess every piece of feedback and review what aspects were out of your organisation’s control and what could be done better in the future.
Providing quality customer service is an important part of operating any business, so take the time to review the points listed above and find the perfect strategy to benefit your organisation and the clients it serves.