Mark Saiger
Mr Happy!
I will take those types all day too....
Making a call...joking with us while we do the scheduling....treating us so kind when we are there....
and just a lot of fun to be of service to....
Will your charm last for generations?
- Thread starter Mikey P
- Start date
I will take those types all day too....
Making a call...joking with us while we do the scheduling....treating us so kind when we are there....
and just a lot of fun to be of service to....
smastio
Member
At the end of the day - it's about people helping people. Good on ya John. 
Papa John
Lifetime Supportive Member
There are customers that want the human connection and those that dont.
We biz owners should cater to both. Older people will tend to want the human touch.
Young, rich "Dot Com" types will perfer the ease and speed of ordering online.
Old Coastie
Supportive Member
Technology changes. Human nature does not.
Dave Rampage
Member
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2010
- Messages
- 190
For me in the beginning when the kids showed up, many customers didn't want them. I had them do the jobs anyway. That built confidence in the kids because when the customer gave them a hard time, they always praised them when the job was done.
Now customers just ask how I'm doing. I'm old school. I have been tough on the kids. They are great and will be a step up from me. I feel the future of our company is much brighter now and we are growing much faster.
Now customers just ask how I'm doing. I'm old school. I have been tough on the kids. They are great and will be a step up from me. I feel the future of our company is much brighter now and we are growing much faster.
Mikey P
Administrator
Very cool Dave
Im happy for you
Im happy for you
smastio
Member
He's talking about you Will S. The rich dotcom type.
Lint Basket
Member
I'm always looking for something extra to do. My favorite is I always clean the entry rugs when they don't ask me to. If I'm cleaning up stairs and they don't want the stairs done it drives me crazy so I always rinse off the stairs coming down. I don't ever tell them the extras I do until the very end after I collected the bill. I tell them I freshened the stairs up with a rinse that's why they are a little damp and same with the entry rugs. Always tell them after the bill is collected. Last week a lady had a couple plastic trees out front that she was going to hose off. I hit them real quick with the DI water, I did let her know before hand just in case. It wasn't on her bill. It's those 2 minute extra things that make a difference.
Mikey P
Administrator
exactly...
Scott and I are on the same page.
Scott and I are on the same page.
Old Coastie
Supportive Member
Anybody should appreciate that. Scott, I usually say something like "By the way, I might've accidentally cleaned the upstairs hallway so it won't argue with the bedrooms. Whoops!"
The Great Oz
Member
Being at the tail end of the boomer generation, I have to admit there are a lot of scenarios where I think automation beats the crap out of human interaction. I book on-line and love just getting into a rental car and driving off. I've seen a home services website that allows customers to book online and makes them feel so good about the service that over half of their customers have never seen or spoken with anyone at the company.
Consider that automation can be programmed to always have the correct response, never be grouchy, will never forget pieces of the service, can be programmed to be just the right tone of funny or even charming... and with current advances in AI those Siri and Cortana responses are getting better at a rapid rate.
Not a tech we have to chase yet, just be aware of. By the time Millenials change their habits and actually buy real estate, everything will be different anyhow. The boomers are living longer than previous generations, they're still the largest demographic, have the vast majority of the disposable income, and have the highest dollar homes - that need upkeep.
Consider that automation can be programmed to always have the correct response, never be grouchy, will never forget pieces of the service, can be programmed to be just the right tone of funny or even charming... and with current advances in AI those Siri and Cortana responses are getting better at a rapid rate.
Not a tech we have to chase yet, just be aware of. By the time Millenials change their habits and actually buy real estate, everything will be different anyhow. The boomers are living longer than previous generations, they're still the largest demographic, have the vast majority of the disposable income, and have the highest dollar homes - that need upkeep.
smastio
Member
4 years doesn't seem like a long time. I'm just saying don't ignore them. They will have the money shortly.
bob vawter
Grassy Knoller
Call 'EM all dear.....
An'you'll do jus fine
.
...
An'you'll do jus fine
.
...
Goomer
Member
The frequency of automated inquiry and booking will only increase, but it will always be the personal service experience that will be most important.
One persons charm will only last until the moment someone else shows up, where it is then up to them to attempt to approach or meet the standards that you have made the customer accustomed to, and to establish a new relationship close enough to the original.
Surely established loyal customers will give some leeway, but any replacement can't fall too far off the original established standard if they hope to maintain the majority of established customers.
The higher the original service standards was, and the strength of the relationships, only means the standards to be compared against will only be higher.
With 2 sons that I plan to be active in the business at least in some capacity in the future, I question how challenging maintaining my standards will be.
Within the context of family taking over, with the main driving forces behind any operator who started from nothing being the need to survive and provide for a family, where every customer counts, and who knows all to well the feeling of having zero jobs booked and the phone not ringing, and the amount of effort involved to build a customer base and establish the reputation of their name over time, how does one instill the same desire to perform and establish strong relationships in someone who is unfamiliar with these motivators, and may undervalue the importance of each and every customer because they are under the false impression that the phone will always continue to ring?
I see the main challenge in being able to replace or replicate the original absent motivators in some effective way that avoids them becoming complacent with what they have been gifted, and to continue to strive for growth.
I continue to acquire a lot of customers from a long established local competitor who's son does not seem to have the same tact as his dad, and who seems to place little value on the small ticket customers who were the foundation of the business that his father built, and only wants to focus on bigger fish.
I can understand his decision, but the mistake he seems to make is that he has no problem with letting the customer know that they are of low importance to him.
Kudo's to Stockwell or anyone else who seems to have pulled it off.
One persons charm will only last until the moment someone else shows up, where it is then up to them to attempt to approach or meet the standards that you have made the customer accustomed to, and to establish a new relationship close enough to the original.
Surely established loyal customers will give some leeway, but any replacement can't fall too far off the original established standard if they hope to maintain the majority of established customers.
The higher the original service standards was, and the strength of the relationships, only means the standards to be compared against will only be higher.
With 2 sons that I plan to be active in the business at least in some capacity in the future, I question how challenging maintaining my standards will be.
Within the context of family taking over, with the main driving forces behind any operator who started from nothing being the need to survive and provide for a family, where every customer counts, and who knows all to well the feeling of having zero jobs booked and the phone not ringing, and the amount of effort involved to build a customer base and establish the reputation of their name over time, how does one instill the same desire to perform and establish strong relationships in someone who is unfamiliar with these motivators, and may undervalue the importance of each and every customer because they are under the false impression that the phone will always continue to ring?
I see the main challenge in being able to replace or replicate the original absent motivators in some effective way that avoids them becoming complacent with what they have been gifted, and to continue to strive for growth.
I continue to acquire a lot of customers from a long established local competitor who's son does not seem to have the same tact as his dad, and who seems to place little value on the small ticket customers who were the foundation of the business that his father built, and only wants to focus on bigger fish.
I can understand his decision, but the mistake he seems to make is that he has no problem with letting the customer know that they are of low importance to him.
Kudo's to Stockwell or anyone else who seems to have pulled it off.
smastio
Member
It's the age old issue - No one will care for your business like you. If you can't instill this value in your operation, you are destine to work your self into a frenzy trying. I happens in all businesses...
