Making a Big Impact

By Thad Plumley

I received a text in the morning from a window blinds installer I scheduled after one of the blinds in our house broke.

After Brent introduced himself and his company, the message ended with: “Checking to see that 11:45 still works for you for our appointment today.”

I’ve gotten emails from service people on their way to my house, but they usually say just that—I’m on my way. This was different. The tone made it seem like Brent wanted to make sure the appointment wouldn’t inconvenience me.

I must admit I ate it up. Man, I love good customer service.

The morning text was the second I received about the broken blind. The first thanked me for scheduling the work, mentioned that Brent would be coming, and that he was looking forward to seeing me. As you would expect, I also got the “I’m on my way” text shortly before Brent’s arrival.

The great customer service continued in my house. The repair was happening to a blind that was purchased six years earlier, so as he was coming through the door, Brent said, “Hi, it’s good to see you again, Thad. It’s been a while.”

As you know, it’s the little things in life. Let me just say hearing a repair person address you by name is a little thing that is awesome. Immediately, I was at ease.

As he took off his shoes, Brent showed the type of in-depth customer information kept in his company’s files. He looked at my wife and me, smiled, and said, “If I remember right, you’re crazy cat people like my wife and I.”

We laughed, agreed, and on cue, our newest little guy, Leo, walked into the room and rubbed Brent’s legs. Brent leaned down, rubbed Leo’s head, and asked for his story. Only after my wife gave him the details did Brent finally ask to see the problem blind.

The repair was made, and Brent then took the time to show us what happened and gave us tips on preventing it from happening again.

He then asked us if we had any questions. I told him we were likely getting new windows installed and did he have advice regarding the blinds and this potential installation.

Brent didn’t just give advice, he again took his customer service to another level. He got out a screwdriver and walked me through taking the blinds down and putting them up so I could assist the window installer if there were issues.

The cherry on top was, “If the blinds get put back up after the new windows are installed and it seems like there are some issues, just call me. I’ll come out and take care of them.”

The customer service when the blinds were initially installed was amazing. Having this unfold years later convinced me this is the company I will use the rest of my life.

Your goal should be to be the water well company people around you use forever. It’s lofty but go for it.

The feature story “Closing the Sale Begins Before You Ask for It”  has smart advice on communicating with customers too. Please consider adding as many of the tips as possible.

They may not seem like much but remember it’s the little things that sometimes make the biggest impact.

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Thad Plumley is the editor of WWJ and the director of publications for the National Ground Water Association. He can be reached at tplumley@ngwa.org, or (800) 551-7379, ext. 1594.