KickStart: Set up (and enforce) routine systems to make sure your trucks are stocked and sparkling at every service call! Here’s how to do it…
Like me, when you first started your residential services business, you probably agonized over the big stuff…
You lost sleep over naming the company, designing the perfect logo, and when to hire your first employee. And good for you! 👍
These were huge decisions that set the trajectory for the rest of your life. They deserved deep reflections. However, I finally learned what I should obsess over…
The “Devil is always in the details” of your client’s perception of your company! For example…
Your marketing may be totally dialed-in, but if your company lurches up to a home in a filthy, beat-up van? You’ve lost the homeowner’s trust (and their 5-star review) before your tech even rings the doorbell!
🗝️ Every home service provider’s #1 obsession should be transforming the everyday residential services they perform into a 5-star review machine. This means that…
The Moments of Truth (MOT) in a service call start the second your vehicle pulls up to the house. If your client sees a “rolling dumpster”, they subconsciously assume your techs will treat their home with this same level of disrespect! 😮
Establishing clear service van appearance standards isn’t just about stroking your own ego—your focus 1) sets the emotional stage and 2) helps your team be proud of their job and the work they do. 👍👍
🗝️ Ensuring that your trucks always look their very best is an essential part of Service Engineering your residential services operation!
😁 Steve’s ridiculously simple ProTIP: Carry a can of tire foam in the cab of every truck. Seriously. After lunch or while pumping gas you or your tech should wipe down the tires. With the right routine all four tires will take less than 60 seconds!
The result? Even if the van collects road dust during the morning route, shiny black tires “trick the eye”. This hack makes your entire rig look fresh, clean, and professional which creates 100’s of great MOT’s every day!
But don’t stop now! If you want to create fanatically loyal, “raving fan” Cheerleader clients, implement a mandatory daily and weekly maintenance routine:
The 5-Minute Daily Cab Clear-Out: No fast-food wrappers or empty energy drinks on the dash. At the end of every shift, the cab gets completely “de-trashified”. (Is this even a word?) 🤷♀️
The Weekly Wash: Make a nightly truck rinse down (or if needed a full-bore scrubbing) mandatory. HINT: Set up a fleet account at a local wash so your guys have zero excuses.
Tool Triage: An organized back-of-the-van shows homeowners that your techs are “OCD meticulous”. If your tech opens the back doors and a tangled mess of PVC pipe, tools and Jim Beam bottles😮 tumble out, your client will silently freak out!
ProTIP: As you add trucks, make sure each one is set up exactly the same. As in each toolbox, chemical, piece of equipment is placed and secured EXACTLY the same.
🗝️ Your goal here? Every tech can immediately find every item in every truck… while blindfolded!
Critical Mass ProTIP: As my home services company grew into a Critical Mass Business, I loaded less and less on my techs so they could focus on their #1 job- get us more ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews! Soooo…
I hired a sharp, responsible high school kid (Yes, they are out there! 🤔) to come in five nights a week and do all the above tasks. Charlie followed a routine checklist for each service van. The result? My techs were greeted with sparkling clean, restocked trucks every morning!
The Bonus for me? Inevitably all these truck cleaning/restocking tasks pushed my complaining techs into overtime pay. Now Charlie gratefully did a much better job… at less than 1/3 the pay! BINGO! 😁
NEVER FORGET: First impressions are lasting impressions. Sure, your big start-up business decisions carry a lot of weight, but requiring simple, daily “Presentation Procedures” from your team pays off big-time! 😎
Next Week - Stop the Revolving Door: How to Keep Your Best Techs Forever!
