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Successful Life Podcast
The Successful Life Podcast, hosted by Corey Berrier, is a globally recognized show that ranks in the top 2% of podcasts worldwide. It offers expert insights tailored for contractors, focusing on business strategies, sales skills development, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the industry.
Successful Life Podcast
Winning Over Customers: The Service Technician's Guide
Every service call is more than just a technical task—it's an opportunity to build or break customer trust. Successful service professionals understand that customers judge them from the moment they arrive until the final handshake, with countless small interactions determining whether they'll become loyal clients or one-time customers.
The difference between average and exceptional service often comes down to twenty fundamental practices that any technician can implement immediately. Arriving punctually (or communicating delays promptly) demonstrates respect for customers' time. Professional appearance—clean uniforms, proper identification, and well-maintained vehicles—creates confidence before you speak a word. Clear communication without confusing jargon ensures customers understand what's happening in their homes. Active listening validates customer concerns while often revealing crucial diagnostic information.
Respecting property through simple actions like wearing shoe covers and using drop cloths shows you value their most significant investment. Price transparency eliminates surprises and builds trust. A friendly demeanor diffuses tense situations, particularly during uncomfortable breakdowns. Follow-up communication demonstrates ongoing care beyond the transaction.
These aren't complex sales tactics or psychological manipulation—they're straightforward expressions of respect, communication, and professionalism. When consistently applied, they transform ordinary service calls into relationship-building opportunities that generate referrals and repeat business. The most successful technicians understand that technical competence gets you in the door, but these interpersonal skills keep you coming back.
Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting your career, mastering these twenty customer service fundamentals will differentiate you from competitors and create the loyal customer base every service business needs to thrive. Your technical skills may solve today's problem, but your approach to customer care determines whether they'll call you for tomorrow's.
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https://www.audible.com/pd/9-Simple-Steps-to-Sell-More-ht-Audiobook/B0D4SJYD4Q?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreysalescoach/
Welcome to the Successful Life Podcast. I'm your host, corey Barrier, and today, folks, we're going to be talking about how the customer sees you as a service technician, as an installer or as a comfort advisor or as a comfort advisor, and I'm going to give you some things today that are going to help you from the customer standpoint, of why, maybe, when you get to the house, they're upset or why they welcome you with open arms. So the very first thing on the list is you got to show up on time, you got to be there on time. If you look, customers value their time, just like you and me. And even if you are late, five or 10 minutes without a heads up, guess what? You've already put that customer on edge. They're already irritated with you before you ever show up. And you might think, corey, it's only five or 10 minutes, dude, it's really not that late, yeah, but you don't understand what that customer has going on. You don't know if they have somewhere to be, you don't know if they're waiting on a phone call, and that five or 10 minutes could put them so far behind that maybe they miss that appointment, maybe they miss that phone call, and guess what? You're setting yourself up for irritated customer if that happens.
Speaker 1:I remember we had a 9 am appointment. Showed up at 8 55 in fact, for me 8 55 is still a little bit late, but out of being respectful for the customer, I wouldn't show up at 15 minutes early, or, if you do, sit in the van Anyhow. So we showed up at the customer's house at 855. The customer was ecstatic because they were expecting a no-show, right, right? So look, that simple act gave that service technician credibility before they ever picked up a tool, before they ever had to do anything. You've already won the homeowner over because the last person didn't even show up. And so, and look, if you're a business owner, use GPS tracking to check or to make sure that your guys are showing up on time. There's software, dispatch software and, not to mention, you could use that same software to let the customer know what your ETA is right. So not only does it keep, as for the business owner, it keeps your guys accountable to when they're supposed to be there, but it also gives that customer a heads up, which in turn, gives your customers a better experience, and that's what this is all about.
Speaker 1:So when you get to the house, you need to look professional. Right, you're. Look, people are letting you into their homes, so they're judging you on your appearance before you ever open your mouth and you got to understand this. People's homes are their biggest asset, that's their biggest investment, is their home, and they're inviting you into their sacred space, their private area where they live and it's look.
Speaker 1:I don't like people being in my home, but if they don't, if I don't need somebody to come by my house for a reason, I don't want a random stranger, and you are a random stranger, whether you want to admit that or not. They don't want you in their house. If you don't have to be so, at least show up looking presentable. We got to a house one time and the tech before us had shown up in ripped jeans and no badge and smelling like smoke. What in the world? So the customer asked are you even with the same company? And this was a tech on the same team. Can you imagine like that?
Speaker 1:If somebody showed up at my house reeking of cigarette smoke, with no name badge, with ripped jeans, I would think that you're like a truck in a truck, because that's basically what you're showing up as. So show up with a clean uniform, have your shirt tucked in. Have your shirt tucked in, have your whatever your ID is, or ID badge, whatever that is and make sure your truck is clean, and I don't mean just from the outside, also from the inside, because it speaks volumes about how you are going to act inside of that house. Whether it's true or not, perception is reality and maybe you think that they don't. My company doesn't tell me to tuck my shirt in. You don't have to show up. Nobody, no company is going to tell you can't tuck your shirt in. So take it a step further, unlike the guy before us who had ripped jeans and no badge and smelled like smoke. Go the extra mile and just do these few things and I promise you you're going to give that customer a better experience and they're going to like you way quicker and way better. They're going to be more welcoming for you being in their home and then, guess what, they're going to buy more stuff from you. I guarantee it. I'm not guarantee, I guarantee it.
Speaker 1:Clear communication. I can't harp on this enough. Your customers don't need to hear about superheat or sub cooling or Delta T. They need to understand the why and the what. Now, why are you there and what do they need to do to fix the problem? But don't go into that jargon, about the technical jargon that you really want to talk about, because you may feel smarter. You 100% may feel smarter, but what I can tell you is you don't sound smarter because you've left that customer confused about what it is you're trying to do.
Speaker 1:Here's a great example. So, instead of saying your condenser fan motor is pulling high amperage, say the motor's working too hard and if it fails, the whole unit shuts down. We can replace it today to avoid that. Do you see how simple that was? It's the same message, but anybody, whether they're in the industry or not, will understand the motor's working too hard and if it fails, the whole unit shuts down. We can replace it today to avoid that Simple, right? You can use and I encourage you to use visual aids, right?
Speaker 1:Not everybody is an auditory listener, meaning. So there's three types of people. There's kinesthetic, which means that you need to touch it, hear it and feel it. There's auditory I need to hear it. And then there's visual I need to see it. So you're talking to them. Bring something visual photos, videos, a damaged part that could explain what it is you're trying to explain to the customer. And then, if it is a part, like one of my guys used to take in insulation, and he would take not insulation, what am I thinking? And he would take not insulation, what am I thinking? He brought in a section of the ducting that he was trying to get them to understand. Anyway, the point is, if you bring those things in, if you're talking about it, they can see it, hear it, feel it, touch it, all of the things that you know for sure. You've hit on one of those three ways people one of those three ways people learn.
Speaker 1:So the next one's active listening. Let the customer explain what's going on, even if it sounds ridiculous what they're saying. Let them finish. It builds trust that the customer is able to get out whatever it is they're talking about, even if it sounds ridiculous, even if it's off base, even if it doesn't matter. They're just trying to vent and lots of times they don't know what they're talking about. But that's okay. Here's an example. We had a customer say it's making a rearing sound at night, but it's only when the wind blows Turns out a loose outdoor unit panel is vibrating in the wind. Well, I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't have listened carefully. You just want to make sure that you're actively listening, not only to your customer, but to your wife, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, whoever it is your kids Actively listen. It takes patience, it takes practice, but I can tell you right now, lots of times people will tell you so much information that it saves you three or four questions that you were planning to ask that now you don't have to ask. So the next one is respect. Respect for their property. Again, it goes back to the second example of this is their home. It's their biggest investment. You want to respect that, their biggest investment. You want to inspect, you want to respect their home. And I'm not talking about so look, here is what I'm talking about Simple actions like removing your shoes or using drop cloths or asking permission before you go moving things right, it goes such a long way.
Speaker 1:Carry shoe covers with you. This seems to be like common sense shit to me, but you would not believe how many people just don't put on shoe covers. Or the customer says, no, hey, john, it's okay, you don't have to put on shoe covers, and you say, yeah, perfect, and then you track stuff all over their floor and then guess what happens. They're cool, you leave, everything's good, they're happy, non-confrontational. What do they do? They call your boss or they call back to the company and they say John tracked mud all on my carpet. Somebody needs to come out here and clean it. And John's. This is bullshit, because the customer told me not to wear shoe covers. Who's going to win that battle? Not you, not John. I can promise you that, because you're not going to call the customer back and say, oh no, you told him not to wear shoe covers because, guess what? There's a chance that John may not be telling the truth and the last thing you want to do is lose a customer over John not wearing shoe covers.
Speaker 1:Transparency in pricing Explain the costs up front and talk through the bill and explain what it is you're charging them for before you ask them for payment. Here's another example. So we quoted a $200 repair. Midway through we found out that the capacitor that they would need is going to raise the bill to $260. What did we do? The technician stopped, explained the extra cost, got the green light and the customer was so grateful that we communicated with them about the extra 60 bucks.
Speaker 1:Nobody wants surprises. Even if it's only 60 bucks, it makes that customer feel like you've lied to them and nobody wants to feel like they've been lied to. Even if you didn't, if it wasn't intentional, it doesn't really matter. The perception is reality. So have a friendly demeanor. A little courtesy goes a long way, especially when it's hot outside, the AC is down, tempers are flaring. A simple hey, how's it going? It's not going great, you already know that. But a simple hey, how's it going going. It'll calm down that frustration in that homeowner right. It'll turn a tense situation into a friendly one. And look, smile, just smile. It's the cheapest way to boost customer satisfaction. It's really hard to when you see somebody smiling. Naturally I don't know if you know this or not, but subconsciously makes you want to smile, so it's really important.
Speaker 1:So follow-up communication man on man, whether it's a call, a text message, an email, following up with the customer is so important and it tells the customer that you still care. And I'm not talking about following up to get the sale, I'm talking about following up with the customer after the invoice is paid. Hey, john, I just wanted. I know it's been a few days since we installed that mini split. I just wanted to make sure you didn't have any questions about the equipment we installed and questions about the remote. Just want to give you a quick shout and make sure that you're all taken care of. It'll take you five minutes. Now.
Speaker 1:The biggest fear here is that, oh, you're going to call that customer and they're going to say, yeah, f something up. You already know if you F something up. You already know if you took a shortcut. You already know if that customer is going to be irritated. So let me just tell you, if you do this and you call that customer, everything's cool. They're probably going to leave you a great review. I would almost be willing to guarantee, if you nudge them at that point, to leave you a review. Don't lead with that, by the way, because then it sounds like that's the only reason you're calling. Get all their situation, chat with them for a minute. Build that little bit of rapport. Make reason you're calling. Get all their situation, chat with them for a minute. Build that little bit of rapport. Make sure you're just checking up on them. By the way, john, if you could feel free to leave a review, if you were happy with the service Now, knowing you, you've already gotten the review, so you wouldn't need to say that.
Speaker 1:But if you haven't, and maybe you forgot or whatever the case may be, this is a great way to make that customer feel good, a great way to make the customer feel like you care about them. Therefore, they're going to care about you. So update the customer in a timely fashion. So, so if you're running late which is inevitable sometimes, but it's all about how you handle that customer. It's all about how you handle that situation will depend on how that customer sees you. It matters, right? It makes such a huge difference.
Speaker 1:I remember we had our job running long. I texted the customer Ms Davis, hey, I'm finishing up with the customer. I'm running about 30 minutes behind. I appreciate your patience. What do you think the customer did? They replied and said thanks for the update, corey, I really appreciate that.
Speaker 1:So it's the little things, guys, that'll make that customer's experience unlike anybody else, because most people don't do these things. They just don't All right. So when you're finishing up a job and you're going into ServiceTitan or Housecall Pro whatever you're using you got to have detailed work summaries. Make sure you take the time to put in what the customers want to know, in case they call in they have a problem. That way your boss can look at it and he can verify what you said. But customers want to know what they paid for, right? So there's a summary on the invoice, but there's also a summary that you need to leave for the service manager or sales manager, whatever it is. Whoever your boss is right. After a repair I noticed on the invoice replaced failed contactor System, not energizing, checked refrigerant pressure and tested cooling performance. All readings normal, clear, professional and complete.
Speaker 1:Look, it makes all the difference in the world if there ever is a problem, if there ever is a problem and you just want to make sure that you're doing everything that you can do to make everybody's life easier, including your own. So educate the customer, giving a little bit of knowledge. It empowers them and it positions you as an expert. I don't mean talking down to the customer. I don't mean making them feel stupid. By no means do I mean that. What I'm saying is and do this in a way they can understand what you're saying, but giving them just a little bit of knowledge about what you're doing, how long it's going to be the process. You don't have to go through all of it. But my point is like customers really appreciate that and it positions you as the expert.
Speaker 1:I remember showing a customer how to program their thermostat. They had a unit for a year and no one had ever explained to them how to program a thermostat. And so do you think they were happy? Yeah, because nobody wants to go turn in their heat or air up and down every single day, not to mention it costs you more money, costs them more money.
Speaker 1:It's a pain in the butt when you're offering options, whether it's a repair or replace whatever it is, don't just present one solution. You want to give choices when you can, because people like choices right. It's not. This is common sense here that the good, better, best option works because they're going to go in the middle almost every single time Gives them the highest price when they're usually not going to go for that they're probably, and they're not going to go for that they're probably, and they're not going to go for the cheapest one because they don't want to be cheap. So they land right in the middle. This is psychology, but it's also common sense. Think about the last time you had to choose between three different things a good, better, best option, for whatever it was you were buying. You landed right in the middle because you know the price is reasonable, no-transcript.
Speaker 1:And so I remember a technician told a homeowner we can patch and recharge, which might last one season, or we can replace the coil and solve it long term. You know, we won't have to be back out here Now. We'll probably be back out here next season, at best maybe even this season, if we patch it, which is like a bandaid option, which I don't recommend. Or we can just replace the coil and solve this problem and I've got one on the truck or I can have someone bring it out, whatever the case may be, and you've saved that customer from having to call you back. Let you know this thing isn't working that you suggested that they've already paid for. They want a refund on the thing that you suggested that they've already paid for. They want a refund on the thing that you patched, even though you explained it just cut out the garbage dude, like just cut out all that noise. And you'll be grateful that you did, I promise you.
Speaker 1:So be prepared if you can fix it on the first visit. You just made a great impression Because most people feel like if you've got to come back for the second time, one, it's an inconvenience for them and two, it costs the company twice as much to send you out there twice. Now, sometimes you can't help this, sometimes it's just not possible to fix it there on the first visit. But if you can, by all means do everything that you can to make that happen, right, I had not. I didn't have, but the technician had a universal blower motor on the truck. Customer had ac, had ac again in in under an hour because they thought I'd be out. They thought I'm going to be out of air for days. But because you came in as Superman, fix the problem. Because you had it on the truck, you made a great impression and they're going to call you back because you were efficient with their time and respectful.
Speaker 1:The next one is use respectful language, speak like a professional and by all means avoid any sort of sarcasm or talking down to that customer, because they don't appreciate that. You know, and it's just a jackass thing to do to be sarcastic to a customer or to talk down to a customer. They're not stupid people and, especially with the Internet the way it is now, they can find out anything that they need to know before you ever get to the house. So don't underestimate the fact that the customer probably knows more than you think. More than you think If something's under warranty. We ran across this at the last company I was at. They didn't realize that the part was under warranty it was like $1,200 until they got back to the office. They called back to the office. The office did some digging I don't know why it took so long, but it took some time and so the customer was ready to pay that $1,200. But we called them back and let them know that we verified that the part was under warranty. And guess what? They were shocked that we called back to say, hey, we don't want your money. It's covered and granted. That doesn't help your pocket in the short term, but in the long term that customer is going to stay with you because they can trust you, they can believe you, they know that you're not a shyster and most people think contractors are not very ethical people. I don't know if everybody thinks that I said everybody. The point is you're overcoming that crap experience that they just had with the last contractor that ripped them off. So you're already starting behind the eight ball.
Speaker 1:If you offer emergency, you need to be available. Customers remember when somebody answers the phone and when they don't. And if you answer an emergency call from a customer and you get out there in a reasonable amount of time, they're not going to forget that. I remember getting a call. It was about 8.30 pm. There was a baby in the house. The heat was out, so we talked them through resetting the breaker, the heat kicked on and they were thrilled to death because all they cared about was that baby and rightfully they should have been cared. They should have cared. You don't want to take advantage of people because they don't know what they're talking about or what you're doing or whatever the case may be.
Speaker 1:So next is customized service. You want to customize your service because little things like here's an example little things like remembering people's names or previous work that made you stand out, is a customized service. I remember a customer's attic hatch was. It was tricky, so I brought a stepladder. The next time she said you remembered and you remembered. Right, yeah, she remembered that, we remembered. She's got a tricky hatch and, dude, that makes that customer feel like they're the only customer on the planet which, if you're in their house, that's what they should feel like if you're not using some sort of field service software or some sort of digital way for paperwork and for them to pay. You're making it. You're creating friction between you and that customer.
Speaker 1:So you want to get up to date right, use digital communication every way that you possibly can. If you can send an invoice by email, offer an online payment portal and get your bookings through, let them book through text message. It was you know. Look, it's the way of the world. This is not rocket science.
Speaker 1:To use these sort of digital communication to interact with your customers and, lastly, show appreciation. You always want to thank them for choosing you because they had other options. You're not the only option in town and so always make sure that you thank them for calling you. Tell them you appreciate their business, because they remember that and it leaves a lasting impression, because so many times guys will go out and they just think I just go out and fix the thing and leave. It doesn't help your case when you're trying to build trust in the organization or with that customer.
Speaker 1:So make sure you thank them, tell them you're grateful for the business and be grateful, because without them, you don't have food on the table. Without them, you don't have food on the table. Without them, you don't have a paycheck, and even if they're a pain in the ass, tell them thank you, tell them how much you appreciate them, tell them how much you're grateful for them. And so there it is. There's 20 real-world ways to make your comfort, your customer, feel valued. These are not fancy tricks or some slimy sales jargon. It's just respect, right. It's respect, communication and professionalism. That's what builds loyalty, earns you referrals and keeps the daggone schedule full, which ultimately keeps everybody happy. So I appreciate you guys tuning in and we'll see you next Friday.
