Minding Your Business: Nov. 2000, Delivering Silver Platter Service

Regardless of our companies’ size, location or niche, the reason we all exist is that there are customers who are willing to pay us for the services we provide.

Sometimes, though, we lose sight of what it is we really do or need to do. The excuses are numerous. Have you ever heard, "I don’t have time to check that property, visit that customer or spend the afternoon with that crew?" More importantly, have you ever made these statements yourself? If so, now is the time to reevaluate how you can serve your customers better.

Each and every business day we should serve the needs of our clients. But do we understand our customers’ buying motives? What did we sell them anyway? Better yet, what do they think they purchased?

The real work in providing excellent customer service is making sure our customers get what we promised. Often, after the rush of the spring season and the excitement of a new property subsides, our purpose and commitment to our customers wanes. At this point, it is time to work smarter.

Ask yourself: Are we really providing what we promised? Are we professionally maintaining the properties or are we just mowing them? To answer this, visit your properties, meet with your crews and, most importantly, talk to your customers. This is the only way to ensure exceeding your customers’ expectations.

One tool that ensures top-notch service is a written evaluation of the property. Judge the quality. A good report both complements great workmanship and identifies areas to be improved. Grade the property and review this with the crew. See if you can get the crew to view the property through the customer’s eyes.

Spending time doing regular evaluations has an extra bonus. It will often prevent situations that require urgent attention, and who wouldn’t like to extinguish fewer "fires" each week? Successful companies have been doing these evaluations for years, and that is one reason why they are successful. Doing these evaluations well takes practice. However, if you make them a habit, they will pay huge dividends in the future.

A consultant also can help you provide solid service. Nothing is more sobering than bringing an impartial party with real industry experience in your company for a day or two. A good consultant will turn your company upside down, find your Achilles’ heel and beat you up while making you feel good about it.

Similar to making written property evaluations a habit, the real work of having a consultant evaluate your business begins when he or she leaves. Bad habits have to be dropped and changes have to be made, and some of this has to happen immediately. And, if you do not make the changes and adhere to them, then the check you wrote the consultant is not an investment. Rather, it becomes another expense with no return.

A third way to provide superior service is the most basic of all – ask your customer how you are doing. Phones don’t allow for a personal touch, so visit your customers at their property. Be sure to respect their time, but you will find your customers thrilled to see you and interested in talking to you. Then, be sure to follow up with the necessary changes. Customers love to see changes being made as a result of your meeting, especially when it was "their idea."

Regularly performing written job quality evaluations, consistently following advice from a competent consultant and visiting customers are three tools for our service toolbox. We should always look for new tools, as well. If a tool can help you produce positive results, use it. As a fellow manager in our company says, "If we do not take care of our customers, someone else will." Nothing could be more true.