What is the best way to make a great first impression? That’s an easy question, and the answer is just as simple: appearance. 

How you, your fellow plumbing crew and your work vehicles look sets a great first impression for any customers. You may be the best plumber in the area, but that won’t matter if you show up to a customer’s property the first time with ripped up jeans, torn T-shirt, and looking like you haven’t showered in days. 

I know it wouldn’t instill confidence in me if I saw you showing up looking like that. Thankfully most companies that I’ve dealt with — either at my property doing work or talking to them for stories for this magazine — are very professional with their appearances. I’ve heard horror stories from others, though. 

START WITH UNIFORMS

One easy way to make sure you and your team are looking professional is by having uniforms. Many plumbing companies these days have uniforms. The uniforms don’t have to be anything special, they could just be simple T-shirts with your company’s logo and name on them. They’re not very expensive and double as great branding and advertising tools for your company.

Uniforms also provide extra security for your customer as they are a way for the customer to ensure they are allowing someone from your company to enter their property and not just some random person that could be there for other reasons. 

Speaking of uniforms, make sure you and your team have extra uniforms and that they are getting cleaned regularly. One idea here is having a specific person at the office that is responsible for uniform collection and cleaning, or hiring a uniform cleaning company to do that for you.

COMMUNICATION IS IMPORTANT

So you have the uniforms all handled, but there are other ways to make a great first impression with customers. A big one is how you interact with that potential customer or current customer. This starts with that initial phone call from them and then at their property doing the work. 

First of all, be polite and respectful to them. If they are calling in on the phone, make sure that you are being clear and loud enough for them to hear. Many of them are calling in because of a plumbing emergency and are already stressed, don’t make it worse for them by blowing them off. Treat them like you’d want to be treated. 

At their homes, be upfront with them on costs and what you are going to be doing to fix the issue. Again, at their home, speak to them kindly and respectfully. You are in their home, after all. When it’s time to give them the invoice, walk them through it when you hand it to them and explain any charges that might not be self-explanatory. 

THE EXPERIENCE

The customer experience should be top-notch. That is what you and your team are striving to achieve every time a customer calls for work to be done. Make sure they are happy they called you when the job is all said and done.

If they aren’t happy, they aren’t passing along your company name or information to their friends and family and you’re losing potential customers. 

How do you make your customers’ experiences with your company stand out? Tell me about them by emailing me at editor@plumbermag.com.

Enjoy this issue!