KickStart: Emergency service works has always been high-profit but also high-risk! Use these 7 tips to dramatically cut your problems in the winter ahead.
I’ve already dissed on handling after-hours emergency phone calls. (And I probably will again!) 🙄 However, once you’ve nailed the initial frazzled phone call, you must focus on executing out there in the field. No, do NOT kill the homeowner, you dummy…
Instead, when things get hectic your fragile systems fall apart and things get dropped. Over the years, I lived by these 7 rules when the weather got ugly and the emergency service calls (hopefully) rolled in:
1. Immediate Response: A trained, live person (NOT voice mail or a boring answering service) MUST pick up the phone 24-7. Plus you must have techs on call to respond quickly. (Our response time goal was less than one hour… 24-7!)
My solution? As the owner I handled the phone after-hours for years. (I’m not saying this was the smartest solution!) 🙄 When I was out of town our management team took phone calls. Then I paid rotating techs a cash bonus just to be available 24-7 for one week. (Translated? In town, with cell reception and not drunk!) This leads to…
2. Take Care of Your Techs: This 24-7 stuff inevitably disrupts employees’ lives. Money (lots of it) tends to smooth things over.
My solution? In addition to the rotating weekly cash bonus just for being available we also paid triple time (with a 4-hour minimum) for late-night callouts. Happy tech!
🗝️ ProTIP: This one comes straight from mail order maven L.L Bean: “I’ve learned if I pay a man 20% more than he can get elsewhere I’ll ATTRACT and keep employees that are 40% better!” So-very-true! 👍👍
3. Focus on Moment of Truths (MOT’s): Create positive, memorable interactions on the job. A reassuring smile and a clear explanation of what happens next will turn a traumatized homeowner into a loyal customer for life. (And not just for your emergency services!)
NOTE: I promise more on emergency services MOT’s in upcoming KickStarts!
4. Nail Down the Money: Don’t be a hero. BEFORE you start work verify exactly who will be paying for the work. Is it the homeowner? Is their insurance involved? Include In your office team’s Phone format the question: “Who will be responsible for payment of our emergency services?”
My solution? Your mental Early Warning Systems should go on high alert when the caller says, “I’m renting this place but go ahead and do it.” Don’t be the good guy here. At a minimum we required a texted authorization from the owner or property manager BEFORE we started restoring the loss.
🗝️ProTIP: Make sure you know if an email or texted authorization will hold up legally in your state BEFORE you start tearing out drywall or swapping expensive parts.
5. Cherry-Pick the “Sweet Spot” for YOU: You can’t do them all, so don’t try. Filter your calls for the most profitable and least problematic jobs. Let your competitors take the big, nightmare and/or complicated projects.
My solution? I quickly discovered trying to convert my techs into carpenters and painters on short notice was a DISASTER! So, I developed Strategic Partnerships in the trades we couldn’t cover in-house. Then we referred each other on jobs. Or you can pay strategic partners a referral fee. (5% or 10% is common.)
6. CYA (Cover Your Assets): Document your progress with extensive “before, during, and after” photos.
My solution? If you find pre-existing property damage do not depend only on photos. Instead, my techs were instructed to immediately stop work and call the homeowner over: “Mr. Smith, before I started working on this antique dresser, I wanted to make sure you had noticed this scratch…”
🗝️ ProTIP: Always ask permission before taking photos in clients’ homes. Explain that the photos are used to document job progress.
7. Show Some Gratitude: Always thank the homeowner for trusting you. And if a fellow residential contractor referred the job to you, send them a thank-you note and/or a gift card.
My solution? Most of my emergency service referrals came from the insurance industry. Insurance agents and adjusters are prohibited from taking gifts from vendors. However, the best “gift” you can give an agent or adjust is a delighted client that thanks them for referring your services!
🗝️ ProTIP: When the insured leaves you a 5-star review or even sends you a thank you note, be sure to include it in your thank you letter to your referring agent or adjuster. If you don’t toot your own horn 🥳 here… who will? 🤔
Cold weather chaos IS coming! Control the customer’s panic, create Cheerleaders, take care of your employees and you’ll look forward to winter! 😎
Next week: The silent increase-the-job trick your techs will actually use