Building Customer Confidence in the Field Service Business

Everyone has to start somewhere in their field service career, and more often than not, this means going out to a customer’s home to do some good, old fashioned work. Depending on the customer, this can get stressful. As the tech on site, you have many responsibilities: examine the system, diagnose problems, come up with solutions, and, most importantly, show empathy for the customer. Customer communication will help you get to the bottom of the issue faster, and it can help ease your customer’s hangups, making it that much easier to provide an estimate for work. We’ve come up with some tips you can utilize to help you gain your customer’s confidence, thus building a healthy (and hopefully lasting) relationship. 

Be Professional

First impressions are important, and the first thing a new customer will notice is how you present yourself. Tuck in your shirt, make sure your hair isn’t a mess, and make sure your shoes aren’t dirty. Depending on your job, it can be hard to maintain cleanliness throughout the day, but this should still be something you strive for. 

Take the time to learn your customer’s name for the service visit. Doing so will help when it comes to communicating with them. They may have some general information for you regarding the service call, as well as some past information on the previous services they had done (you may not know this information if another company performed the service). 

Establishing Confidence in the Diagnosis of Issue

Take the time to get familiar with the customer’s issue before you get to the job site. This will help you look more professional and prepared for the job when you arrive. With this knowledge, you can face any questions they may have. Stumbling through a problem with your customer watching will create a bad impression of not only you, but your company as well. Don’t be afraid to solicit a second opinion from someone else on your team as well. If you have some doubt about something, then you can bet your customer will as well when you try to explain the issue.

Expressing Empathy for your Customer’s Issue

Techs commonly see the same issue over and over between different customers. However, keep in mind that even though you see the issue many times, your customer likely has not. To them, things will always seem more serious. If you act like you don’t care about your customer’s issue, then they will likely not care about you in return, and that just leads to negative interactions. If you take the time to show them you have empathy, they will feel more valued and understood in general. 

Avoid Confusing Language

It’s important that your customer understands the issue as hand, as well as any solutions you may offer them concerning the problem. Speaking in technical jargon may make sense to you, but to your customer this will only cause confusion. Explaining the situation (as well as any steps needed for the repair) in layman’s terms will help you avoid this issue. You can also supplement your recommendations for a given job with visual aids, such as diagrams, drawings, photos, etc. This will help communicate the issue to the customer. 

Use Standardized Service Protocols

To help ensure that all your customers have the same experience across the board with your business, establish standard procedure protocols for your techs to follow. If each tech that comes out to a residence does their own thing, your customer will feel confused. You want your customer to know and feel like any tech they get from your company will give them the same level of treatment. 

If you follow these helpful tips, you can not only build a great relationship with your customer, but they will be more open to other services you have to offer. Don't go full sales rep on your customer when talking about other services, but if you find other issues, you should let them know and give them options for fixing these. At the end of the day, you want your customers to feel confident in the work you do for them. Make sure they return when they need your services in the future. Repeat customers are the lifeblood of most any industry, so it’s important to make sure you take steps to help build your customer base the best you can.