Landscape Management, October 2012

BUSINESSPLANNER2013 By Ken Thomas n 2006 I learned a valuable lesson about customer service My company had recently completed a beautiful project for a wonderful client who happened to be a 9 11 widow She was quite pleased with her new backyard patio and waterfall until she was hit with a food that washed through her yard overwhelmed the developments storm drains and fooded her fnished basement She called us in a panic and we responded by helping her stop the water and clean the basement But I was surprised when the client blamed our company for the fooding even though we had nothing to do with the storm drains or epic storm As a seasoned businessman I pushed back when challenged and explained in my most gracious southern manner this wasnt a problem caused by our company I felt confdent that my logical and accurate explanation of why her basement fooded would sink in and shed appreciate all wed done to help her The next day I received a phone call from her lawyer who started the call by asking me Do you want to become famous on the news He said my client would be contacting a local news stations consumer advocacy reporter to tell him her story about how a big landscape company took advantage of a poor helpless widow So at a considerable expense to our company we did whatever it took to make sure that didnt happen But did we do the right thing While not all customer service problems are this severe they all have the ability to cost you money and hurt your reputation if not handled properly Behind every client problem I try to remember one thing This is a relationship business Most of our business comes from referrals Every year were in business our base of satisfed clients grows creating a larger circle of positive infuence for additional business Theres a huge advantage to making sure every client we deal with has a positive experience Many times our clients have legitimate issues with the way we conduct business or the product or services we provide Its important to deal with those issues quickly and effciently The best response is to apologize listen and empathize fx the problem quickly and fairly keep your promises and follow up Every now and then we get that client from hell who just doesnt get it and its our natural response to draw a line to protect our margin or be right Customer service breakdowns often involve customer expectations and our processes Heres what Ive learned CommuniCate Clearly Dont over promise to close a sale Slow down and get everything in writing Many uncomfortable client experiences can be avoided by being thorough about your scope of work and payment terms upfront Get a siGnature on every ContraCt and ChanGe order Its good business and LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET OCTOBER 2012 94 most reasonable clients understand If someone wont sign a contract or change order it should be a red fag Email approvals are OK as long as the paper trail is clear about what theyre approving admit mistakes When you or your team make a mistake dont cover it up Own up to it and make it right quickly dont be penny wise and pound foolish You did everything right and the client expects additional work or plants Dont nickel and dime him Weigh the cost against the future damage to the relationship and make a value based decision If this is a reoccurring problem get to the root of it fix the person then the problem Address the emotional state of the client frst Once they believe you care theyre more interested in solutions drop abusive relationships Sometimes its best to move on when youre dealing with an unreasonable client At some point you have to determine whats good for the client and your company Effective service recovery doesnt happen accidentally Its a well thought out and executed process with the objective of delivering a positive experience to every client Hopefully these tips will help you avoid some clientrelated problems build your base of referrals and keep you from becoming famous on the news LM Thomas founder of Envisor Consulting has owned three of Atlantas most successful landscape companies Reach him at kenthomas@ envisorco com Avoid customer service problems