Full Circle

[ruff]

I'm not an owner op, we can answer our phones but we were using FC to leverage our time and focus on marketing.

Al, answering your phone is marketing.
Every point of contact with your client, before, during and after the job, is marketing and sale.

Some of it is overt and some not so obvious, yet all marketing and sale on different levels.

You made a decision to neglect one aspect of your business to promote another.
An executive decision.
It may be a good one, may be not.

 

[ruff]

I'm with George, I suck on the phone. When you explain to the caller that you are in the middle of a job and would like to get back to them and they just keep talking, telling you there life story about how this stain got on their carpet. you tell them again that you need to call them back and they get pissed off and say I'll just call someone else. NO THANKS. I'll let the girls at fc handle the calls. Yes, I use to have many problems with the girls but once I started also using Service Monster and maybe since firing the problem girl, things have gotten a lot better.

Kevin, I may be wrong and if I am, my apologies.
But I am always mystified why people who do not seem to like people choose to be in a service oriented industry.

"Yes Mam, that is very interesting, could you tell me more about that stain."
Now. Was that so difficult

 

[ruff]

Ofer,
I think what makes it so cool is it's a service specifically for cleaners and the girls really do more than just answer the phones.
They follow up, they help with issues, answer the customers questions to the best of their ability and what info they have etc.

I've said all along that every cleaner here (aside from companies with office crews) should have this service at the very least for a backup when you can't answer the phone.

I use it differently because I don't believe that a company runs on phones alone....I know it's the point of attack but as long as SOMEONE answers...you're ahead of the curve.
If that someone has some training and info....even better.

If they are friendly and knowledgable...even mo betta.

If this was just another answering service that took messages...it wouldn't work.

But the fact that they are the closest thing any BD cleaner has to a pro office staff...makes all the difference in the world.

Most (if not all now) the girls at Full Circle are friendly, intelligent and eager to help our business' because it will in turn help them keep their jobs.

AND I truly believe they are good people.

Brian, I give up.
Like all good sale people. Just like they teach.
Regardless of what objection is being made you say:
"Yes, and that is exactly why you should........"

Weren't you going to start pad capping.
And wasn't it supposed to decrease your PPD's (posts per day.) :?:

 

[KevinL]

Ofer, did you miss the part about being in the middle of a job? With the wand howling and a blower running and the truck burning gas and the customer waiting for you to get done so the can go pick up the kids. Or you just walked in the house to meet the customer and your phone rings. Or you try to answer the phone and accidentally hang up on them. Or your in the middle of taking a crap. Or you're 6 stories up on a job with appointment book in the truck. Or every other thing that could disrupt the call.

 

[ruff]

Kevin, not to put you down, and yes, I did read your post.
We've all been there.

For me what comes across from that post, was that you find some clients, on the phone at least, to be a nuisance. If you do, it is a a smart decision on your part to use FC, as that attitude would be picked up by the client.

I'm just giving you feedback, feel free to ignore it. And as I said: I may be wrong.
Or you can ask others what they think comes across from that post.

 

[Brian R]

"neglect" is not giving your potential customer the courtesy of your undivided attention. If you are anywhere besides in your office or parked on the side of the road in your mobile office you are neglecting them.

Having a service that is in an office and is totally "there" for the customer....is being a responsible business owner.

And a nice side effect is they make you appear bigger than you are to your customers...not in a deceitful way...because by hiring FC, you really are bigger than you are.


Brian

PS. My equipment is not here yet...I am expecting it today or tomorrow. I still have to outfit the truck accordingly. !gotcha!

 

[Brian R]

Damn...that should be FC's new slogan.

"Hire Full Circle and be bigger than you are"


Ok, now that I wrote it outloud it doesn't seem as cool. lol

 

[Brian R]

I almost started a new thread with this one


Did anyone noticed how easy it was when they fired that girl that was not up to par?

No paper work....no unemployment issues...no threatening to sue OUR companies...no having to give her the new...no NOT having to train another girl (sort of)....

It was hardly a bump in the road once we figured it out.

The only down side is we didn't have individual control over the situation...but together (complaints) it happened.

It's never that easy if you have to fire an employee yourself.

Just thought I would mention that to everyone.

I love Full Circle

 

[joeynbgky]

Everytime my phone rings a customer hears......... Your call may be monitored or recorded.. No matter who answers the ohone all of our calls are recorded... Its a service yellowbook gave me for free... So I get each recorded call a list of their name address and number they called from... makes it nice

 

[Brian R]

Yeah, that 's a good idea. I had some services that recorded calls too.

I listened to myself one time and I wasn't as good as I thought I was lol.

I think you have to realize that a conversation just isn't as exciting unless you are in the middle of it.

 

[Dave Rampage]

I have to admit my experience with FC was terrible.
I believe I would have lost a good amount of business had I continued using them.
So many customer complaints, promises of reports I never got, and lack of professionalism.
My customers will wait for my callback, they wouldn't sell a new client anyway, not much of a gain to me. When I informed them I was canceling service I was told, "well you don't have a contract so I will cancel your service. A few weeks later I received a bill saying I was over the minutes, imagine that?
Btw if one of you missed getting a message and received it two days late it's because I got it and I have the email to prove it!!!!
Just being honest here.

 

[Mikey P]

being a bit too cryptic there Dave.

not sure what you mean.


I wuv them.

few mistakes and all.

 

[Jay D]

Do they have a ongoing COPY of your database or do they even need that? I'm reluctant to let go of the phone because of that and the trust issue of will they betray my trust in them not to keep or give away or sell customers information to another competing company. Valid concerns for a small service business.

 

[Brian R]

They could get into huge trouble for that if they ever got caught....not that it can't happen...but I think the chances are slim.

 

[Dave Rampage]

being a bit too cryptic there Dave.

not sure what you mean.


I wuv them.

few mistakes and all.

Cryptic, that was my reaction when I was getting emailed contact info to call someone in another state months after ending service with them.
Spelling it out for you, someone missed out on messages cause they were sent to me. Much more than a few mistakes in my opinion.