KickStart: Analyze WHY a complaint/problem occurred and HOW to prevent the issue from happening again.
Outline
Introduction – We All Dislike Complaints
Let’s face it—no one likes getting a complaint from a homeowner. But what if those frustrating moments could actually help you improve customer service and strengthen your business? Instead of brushing off complaints or blaming the usual suspects, this article will show you how to dig deeper, ask the right questions, and use every issue as a valuable learning opportunity. Your next complaint could be the spark that tunes up your entire operation!
Learning to Appreciate Home Service Complaints
Normally when I train on my ‘Complaint Conversion’ techniques folks assume we’ll focus on ‘Converting Complainers into Cheerleaders‘. I call this the ‘Triple C’ and it IS very important!
However, when a homeowner complains (hopefully not very often) I suggest a much more important question to ask yourself…
“What can I change and/or implement to make sure this particular problem NEVER happens again?”
In other words, view any complaint as an Early Warning System to ‘tune up’ your company! To organize your Complaint Analysis Process (CAP) I suggest Rudyard Kipling’s famous “SIX HONEST SERVING-MEN”…
“I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.”
With apologies to Rudyard and his 120 year old poem let’s put these six words above to work on transforming your Home Service Business with your CAP. How? By asking yourself six introspective questions with every complaint and/or problem you face…
6 Honest Questions to Avoid Future Complaints
1- “WHO is responsible?”
Your employee Charlie? Sure, Charlie was onsite working so he’s the obvious, easy target. But were there ‘contributing factors’ and other employees involved? (There usually are.) So you should ask…
2- “WHY did this complaint occur?”
This is a sneaky question that will require some deep investigation and research.
WARNING: Please don’t take the easy way out with the old reliable, “Because my employee Charlie is an idiot, Steve!” I mean, WHO hired Charlie? (And WHO continues to put up with his idiocies?) Instead, continue along your introspective path with…
3- “WHEN did it happen?”
Now you’re diving deep into the messed up psyche of an unhappy client! Be afraid… very, very afraid!
Remember, the seeds for an unhappy client are usually sown long before your unsuspecting front-line worker makes a small mistake and the homeowner blows up! Therefore, you need to analyze your customer’s entire ‘service experience’ with the different employees they’ve interacted with during their transaction. (This is a whole new blog post!)
4- “WHERE should I focus first?”
Above all else you must FIRST convert this complaining customer into a delighted Cheerleader with my ‘Emotional Judo’ technique! This mission is so urgent because…
You can’t afford to get ‘bushwhacked’ online with a nasty, negative surprise 1-star Google review! (This is why I beg you to search out unhappy customers with an Immediate Quality Check Call!) After doing damage control with your client then much more importantly ask yourself…
5- “HOW can I make sure this particular problem never, ever happens again?”
Here’s your challenge…
I’m assuming Charlie isn’t the ‘sharpest tool in the shed’! After all, he (and the rest of your workers) have chosen YOU as their employer!
So your mission is to make any given task/project as simple, streamlined and (forgive me, Charlie!) “idiot proof” as possible. NOTE: This is yet another ‘whole different subject’! OR a HUGE help is simply hire better employees…
RESOURCE: You’ll get 100’s of new hiring ideas and systems in my 3-hour, online Hiring the Very Best! LIVE seminar. To learn more and/or easily register online click HERE.
6- “WHAT is my next step?”
Your most important “step”? Commit yourself to making sure there really is a “next step”! Your challenge? It’s so darn easy to blow off problems and/or difficult customers and order another margarita!
Heck, this even sounds appealing to work-obsessed me! But STOP!
Want to get off the excruciating “Road In-Between”? Then you must create a Critical Mass Business. (A company that will run with OR without you!) How do you achieve this wonderful business model? (Along with an even better life?) By obsessing on building a Business Infrastructure! How?
By constantly using one of Rudyard’s “SIX HONEST SERVING-MEN” to answer a not-so-simple question for all your worker’s routines: “How can I make it easier to ‘do it right’ than to ‘do it wrong’?” (We should talk about this… very soon!)
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Summary – Avoid Complaints? Impossible. Learn From Complaints? Always!
In the home services world, complaints are bound to happen—but they don’t have to be setbacks. When you treat each one as a chance to learn and grow, you not only fix the problem at hand but also lay the groundwork for a smoother, more reliable operation. Use every complaint as a tool to fine-tune your systems, train your team, and ultimately improve customer service across the board. A stronger business (and a lot less stress) starts with asking the right questions!