Despite the growth of the
internet and social media, most people still contact HVAC
companies by phone. That means no matter how awesome your
website is or how many followers you have on Twitter, you
need to get telephone customer service right in order to
grow your business.
Below are five tips that HVAC contractors can put into place
today in order to improve the level of customer service they
deliver over the phone.
1. Make Sure Someone Answers
This may seem obvious, but you would be shocked by the
number of companies that simply fail to answer the phone.
Before you can even think of landing new customers or
impressing folks with your professionalism, you have to be
there when they try to reach you.
Solo contractors and small companies often use the excuse
that they’re on jobs and are too busy to answer every call,
but potential customers aren’t going to try back. They’re
going to move on to the next company.
2. Avoid Voicemail
If number one got you thinking about ways to answer every
call, it’s important to note that voicemail doesn’t count.
It’s an improvement over simply having your phone ring
continuously, but it’s a long way from being customer
friendly.
People want to speak to a live person. Answer every call
yourself, hire a receptionist, use an answering service, or
pay your son or daughter to man the phones - whatever you
have to do to make sure potential customers hear a live
voice.
3. Be Prepared to Handle Every Call
Everyone has a frustrating call center story. You call a big
company looking for help, they transfer you from one person
to another until you eventually hang up. Surprisingly,
calling smaller companies can be just as frustrating.
Instead of being transferred all over the place, you’re
stuck with one person who doesn’t know what they’re doing.
To make callers happy, you need to understand their needs
and be prepared to satisfy them while on the phone. Are most
of your service customers calling to schedule an appointment?
You better make sure your calendar is accessible wherever
the phone is being answered.
Make a list of the different kinds of requests you get and
make sure you have a standard solution for each.Story
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4. Answer
the Phone Professionally
Customers hate calling a business and receiving some
generic, casual telephone greeting. You need to answer
professionally in the name of your company, and the same
greeting should be used every time.
Think about some of the companies you call on a regular
basis. Those that have a professional greeting likely come
across as being more reputable and organized. Emulate them,
even if it means being more formal than you think is
necessary.
5. Be the Person You Would Invite into Your Home
Hiring an HVAC company isn’t like hiring someone to mow your
lawn. Both involve someone providing a service at your
residence, but only one needs to come inside. That requires
more trust.
Keep that in mind as you interact with customers over the
phone. Ultimately, they are going to ask themselves one
question before deciding to move forward: Do I trust them?
To gain trust over the phone, you need to be patient,
polite, friendly, and knowledgeable. Ask questions about
their problem in order to showcase your expertise. Say
please and thank you. Don’t make it obvious you’re in a
hurry.
Make them feel comfortable and they’ll schedule a service
call with you in no time.
Put these Tips to Use!
Now that you’ve read these telephone customer service tips,
be sure to evaluate your current practices and look for ways
to improve. Don’t be the HVAC Company that loses business by
not paying attention to the importance of telephone calls.
About the Author
Gere Jordan writes for Continental Message Solution, a US
based call center serving the
HVAC industry. They provide professional customer
service so HVAC contractors can stick to doing what they do
best. Learn more at
continentalmessage.com/industries/hvac-call-center.
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