Minding Your Business: Aug. 2000, Service

Like many savvy, smaller companies staking a claim in the industry, NatureWorks Landscape Services, Walpole, Mass., knows one of the secrets to success is superior customer service. Since the company’s incorporation in 1995, Matthew Gramer, president, has adhered to this principle by carefully catering to the every need of NatureWorks’ high-end residential clients. Gramer built his company – which currently brings in about $1 million in annual revenue – around the idea that residential customers are looking for more than just some random guy with a lawn mower to cut their grass.

Gramer’s intent has been to set NatureWorks apart from the competition by concentrating on customer service. "We’ve designed the business around the type of client who values what we provide," he said, noting that his customers pay a premium to have someone accessible during the day or to have short-notice requests accommodated, for example.

Similarly, Arlington Lawncare and Landscape, Erie, Pa., has found success by providing "the little extras" its competitors overlook, according to Richard Arlington III, president. "If the neighborhood kid can do the same job, they’re not going to hire us," he pointed out.

Pleasing a customer is not something that many contractors know how to do well, according to Gramer. "A lot of companies are out there mowing the lawn but don’t really understand the business of mowing the lawn," he observed. "They don‘t understand clients’ needs."

KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER. The key to learning about client needs is constant feedback, Gramer advised, adding that his company includes a response card in every invoice "to get quick feedback on every little job we do," he said.

Gramer also recommended sending out a well-designed survey. In particular, ask customers precisely what services they value, what they can do without, what their overall expectations are, and get a sense of how much they are willing to pay for premium services, he suggested.

Similarly, to get to know its customers, Arlington sends out surveys every few months, to gauge customer satisfaction with issues such as bed maintenance, cleanups, employee courtesy and overall service quality. "Find out exactly what the customer wants and what they expect," Arlington said.

SERVICE SECRETS. There are a few obvious places to start when refining a customer service approach, according to Gramer and Arlington. For one, customers like an immediate response. "When that call comes in, how quickly you can tend to it is very important," said Gramer, who even has a small crew devoted to landscape emergencies, such as replacing a dead shrub or filling a last minute order for 20 flats of flowers.

Customers also appreciate speaking with a person on the phone. "Too many companies rely on voicemail and that’s garbage," Arlington said. "If you’re going to provide good customer service, you need to have someone answering the phone."

Gramer added that having employees who have the ability to immediately access scheduling or billing information is essential.

To stay on track financially, NatureWorks has carefully planned its customer service strategies to utilize resources responsibly throughout its stages of growth, Gramer said. Currently, the company is executing about 40 percent of its customer service ideas, and in the future, would like to start a newsletter, an interactive Web site and referral or prepayment incentives tailored to its upscale customer base, such as a subscription to Boston magazine or a bottle of wine, according to Gramer.

Despite the additional expense, NatureWorks’ high level of customer service has proven worthwhile and done wonders for the company‘s referral business. "We want to grow organically through word-of-mouth. We want to be working at the home next door to the one we’re working at now," Gramer said, noting that thanks to these referrals, his business has grown 30 to 40 percent annually the past several years.