Outline
Introduction – Simple Pitfalls Can Be The Most Dangerous
Every service call is an opportunity to win — or lose — a lifelong customer. Unfortunately, many residential contractors unknowingly make customer experience mistakes that damage trust and cost them repeat business. From poor communication to careless behavior inside a client’s home, these small missteps can leave lasting negative impressions. Let’s explore how to avoid the most common customer experience mistakes that can derail your reputation and your bottom line.
Want to DRAMATICALLY increase your CSRs’ “booking ratio”?🤔 Then quickly train them with my interactive Converting the “How much do you charge…?” Caller! video course. One low price (Heck, you may cover it in your first “converted caller”!👍) quickly trains unlimited phone reps!💲Click HERE to learn more… 2025 Fall Special Offer 40% Off Lifetime Access
Make Home Service Efficiency Easy
Back in the day, I loved pulling up to a new residential customer. New people, a new job-site, and new challenges. (Say what you will, our home services industry is seldom boring!)👍
Sure, I always had a few butterflies too.🫢 Did the office give me an accurate work order? The right tools and materials? Will I be able to get to my next job on time? And most urgently- will this homeowner be a total idiot?😲
I also wanted to maximize my crew’s productivity. In fact, we organized our set-up and break-down routine so each trip from and to the truck was programmed efficiently. (If possible, carrying something both ways!) And yet…
Eliminate These Customer Experience Traps
There are things your staff should NOT bring into the clients home. Here’s a few of my residential customer experience mistakes to avoid……
1. NO sunglasses! Trust me- a homeowner does NOT want to open their door and be facing the Blues Brothers!😎 Plus sunglasses get set down and easily left. Another negative Moment of Truth!🚫
2. NO ringing cell phones! My preference would be NO personal cell phones on-site. But we all know how that would play with your average 20-something production worker!😬 So at the very least, cell phones silenced and NO answering them inside the customer’s home!
ProTIP: Require all employees to wear a wristwatch.⌚ Why? To keep your people from checking the time on their cell phone! After all, what ALWAYS happens while that tempting screen is open in in our hand?? “OOH, let me see how Charlie replied to my Facebook post! And my girlfriend just texted me…”🙄
3. NO lethargic, non-communicative, “Sad Sack” attitudes! Drill into your people that once they step foot onto the client’s property they are “on stage”. This means that your employee’s “audience”, the homeowner, will be watching their every move and interaction!
NOTE: Is this homeowner scrutiny “fair”? Not really. After all, the client hired your company to perform a (hopefully) clearly defined service. And yet customer satisfaction with ALL service transactions (not just residential services) is heavily influenced by how the client FEELS about the people performing the actual work! Ignore this principle at your peril!☠️
REMINDER: Want great attitudes on-site? Then learn how to “Hire the Very Best!” Click HERE to learn more…
Did you notice that word above, “interaction”? The trap here is to focus ONLY on the homeowner/employee relationship. (Which is of course essential!) And yet your customers are also observing the other interactions your worker has, both on and off the job.
Summary – Avoid Accidental Unhappy Customers
In the home services world, professionalism is judged by more than just technical skill — it’s defined by how customers feel after the job is done. Avoiding simple customer experience mistakes like poor etiquette, distractions, and negative attitudes can instantly set your business apart. Train your team to treat every client’s home like their own, and you’ll build loyalty, referrals, and long-term success.