As a glazier, the quality of your customer service could be the deciding factor between you and another company when your potential clients are looking for work to be done. Being able to offer the best customer service within the industry not only sets you apart from competitors but helps to build strong and lasting relationships with clients and customers, which ultimately turns into word-of-mouth and further work.
If you’re in need of a few simple ways to improve your customer service or some guidance on where to start, we’ve put together a quick guide on simple ways to step-up your customer service as a glazier to help you get started.
Make Sure That You’re Covered
First things first, you need to make sure that you, your business and your customers are covered by insurance, in the case of any emergencies, accidents or claims. Investing in the right Public Liability Insurance for glaziers is vital for ensuring that not only is your business protected financially in the event of an accident or claim, but that your clients have peace of mind and protection too.
At Ashburnham Insurance, we provide comprehensive coverage through public liability insurance, offering policies across all walks of glazier life – double glazing installers, commercial or residential window fitters, and more. In the event of accidental damage or injury to the public during your work, an insurance policy can provide legal and financial support during claims.
Improve Waiting Times For Estimates
Not every job is a simple cut-and-dry one, and estimates can take a little longer to put together if you need to calculate materials and other extra costs. However, if you can cut down the wait times for estimates as much as possible, this could set you apart from other businesses. Putting together quotes and estimates for the work quickly will help capture the attention of customers looking to get their glazing repaired or completed quickly, but will also offer a sense of professionalism and dedication to the job for those that may still only be seeking quotes. It can be the difference between winning a job, or not.
Stay In Touch
Communication is a must in all businesses and the glazing industry is no exception. Maintaining contact and staying in touch before, during and after the job is a must for good and substantial customer service. Clients like to know what’s going on and what to expect, so being able to offer them answers to the questions they have, sometimes even before the questions are asked, can make a huge difference to the overall customer experience. This is particularly important after the job is completed too.
Checking in with any advice or showing that you are willing to remain invested in remedying any issues that may arise can create a better relationship with the customer, and keep you at the top of their list the next time they need work done. A follow up call a few weeks after the work is done to check everything is running smoothly and they are satisfied is a great place to start, as well as periodic emails with offers or even just greetings on special holidays, can make a huge difference.
Have Alternative Plans In Place
Always be ready with a plan B! Mistakes happen and plans can change, so having contingency plans ready and raring to go, and being open and honest with your clients about it, can make all the difference when it comes to customer service. This can be anything from alternate suppliers if something is out of stock or delayed, to completely different ways of completing the job, particularly if the job is complicated or highly detailed.
However, not every issue or hiccup can be easily solved in the blink of an eye, which is where policies can come into place – cover every eventuality with a policy or procedure that can be handed to your client in writing, providing them with details and an expected delay time to give them a clearer understanding of what to expect.
Have a Quick Response Time
Customers hate being kept waiting for answers, and so making sure you have a fast response time is crucial to good customer service. Picking up the phone when it rings when you can, answering emails as quickly as possible and even checking in on your social media regularly can be great ways to speed up the response time, but not every glazier has the time. If you find yourself struggling to keep up with responding to customers, you could consider hiring someone for administration purposes or limiting your contact avenues to just one or two options (e.g. phone and email).
Listen To Customers And Fix Your Mistakes
Your customers are and will always be your harshest critics, but that also means they are the best source of feedback when it comes to the work you’re doing and any mistakes that you have made. Being open to listening to this feedback and changing things to fix any mistakes you’re making is a valuable skill that not every business owner or self-employed glazier has. While there’s no disputing that you have the training needed to do the job, customers can give you a unique perspective into the work and how it’s being conducted that you may not have thought of before.
For more information about glazier insurance and how it can help protect you and your clients, feel free to get in touch with a member of our friendly team, or apply for a quote, today.