The Science of Customer Service

As restorers, we have to be skilled at many functional and practical things, such as how to extract water, where to position equipment, how to put up effective containment, and how to interpret our industry standards and guidelines. However, what is often forgotten is the other side of the business, which is sometimes the most important: customer service.

What is the impact and importance of first impressions? It can be the difference between getting the job or not. It can be the difference between an easy-to-handle customer and a difficult customer, and it can also mean whether or not they will refer you. First impressions are important; make them count.

What is customer service to you? When you are engaged to inspect a home, or you are doing a remediation job, these things might be routine to you, but you must remember that you are in someone’s home. It’s where they live, where they raise their family and where they keep their worldly possessions. What might be inconsequential to you might be paramount to them, so your actions, demeanor and how you communicate play a significant role in customer service.

As restorers, we go into many homes and see how a variety of people live, but it’s not our role to judge them. Sure, in our head we might be thinking, “That’s not how I would live,” but it’s not about you.

How can you demonstrate excellent customer service when you are on the job or merely doing another routine inspection? It’s the little things that make the difference. This can be anything from how you present yourself and if you’re showing up on time to addressing your customer with respect, speaking clearly and not talking down to them or confusing them with industry jargon.

The Three Cs

The Greeks refer to ethos, logos and pathos. Simply explained (because it’s not my intention to give you a complete history lesson), the ethos of communication is defined as the ethical part. Ethos revolves around the person you are and, more importantly, the person you are perceived to be. Logos refers to logic and reason, and pathos refers to the appeal to emotion. The ethos, pathos and logos that I have adopted in my company are: connect, commit and communicate. It’s simple, but it works.

Connect. You can connect with your customer at any level. It doesn’t need to be complicated, but the customer should feel like they can trust you. Every situation and customer is going to be different, so you need to find something that works, whether it’s complimenting their home, patting the dog or looking them in the eye and just saying, “Thank you for allowing me to inspect your home today.” Moreover, facial expressions and body language often speak louder than words, so keep those in check.

Commit. When you have secured the job, you need to commit to doing a good job. Commit to respecting their home; commit to respecting their possessions. Again, it’s simple but extremely important.

Communicate. Talk to your customer and make sure they understand what you are doing during your inspection. Little things like asking if it’s OK to open cupboards or go into rooms — don’t assume. When quoting a job for mold or turning up in the middle of the night for an emergency escape of liquid, make sure they understand what you will be doing and what is going to happen in the coming days. There is nothing worse for you as the restorer or the homeowner than when there is a silly misunderstanding and they won’t pay the bill because they thought you were going to do something that you had clearly stated you weren’t. Write things down, talk to them about what you’re doing, how you’re doing it and what those things mean.

Clarity is essential; it shortens the war by years and saves millions of lives. This also applies to written communication as well as oral. You must be articulate and clear.

Some of the things I do at Mold Rescue Pty Ltd include:

• Double check the time and date of the appointment.
• Put down a doormat and wipe my feet before entering the home.
• Ask permission to open cupboard doors or go into other areas of the house.
• Ask for permission to move furniture.
• If furniture is moved, I make the effort to put it back.
• Listen to the customer.
• Ask the customer about what’s important to them.

To ensure an excellent customer service experience, figure out what customer service means to you and how you can continuously improve on it.

Penny Tralau, CR, WLS, CMP, is the managing director of Mold Rescue Pty Ltd, based in Sydney.