9 Tips for Attracting and Retaining Quality Service Technicians

As a service company, your future success depends on the quality and consistency of the work you’re doing now. If you were the only person completing jobs, that might not seem like such a big deal. But the reality is, as your business grows you’ll have to put more and more of the work in other people’s hands.

So you want them to be the right people: talented, skilled, honest, hardworking. Finding those employees is easier said than done. According to the USG and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index , 60% of contractors report having trouble finding skilled workers. (But hey- look who we're talking to. You're not surprised by this one bit, are you?)

What, exactly, are you looking for in a service tech? Sure, you want people with superior, industry-related skills, knowledge, education, and experience. But what else? Think about:

• Character
  
• Attitude
  
• Work ethic
  
• Personality
  
• Leadership skills
  
• Initiative

Develop a detailed position description based on these thoughts. Think through what your non-negotiables are, and make those clear in the job description. If you’re flexible about any of your requirements, say that, too.

Incidentally, it’s helpful to spend a good bit of time and energy narrowing down those non-negotiables. For example, you might think your ideal candidate “must have at least five years of experience.” But what if that guy is a bit cranky and set in his ways? What if he’s not especially coachable? Would it be better to sacrifice experience and instead hire a bright, enthusiastic, teachable kid straight out of tech school?

Here’s why this is important: A huge part of retaining quality service techs is hiring the right people to begin with. Defining your expectations from the get-go will help you avoid talking with mismatched applicants.

Start looking for help well in advance of your busiest season. When you’re slammed, other HVAC or plumbing companies likely are, as well. So get a jump start on the hiring process so you’re not the one left searching in a shallow talent pool.

Also, if you wait until your phones are ringing off the hook, you may feel desperate for help—which will lead to poor hiring decisions. To find the best service techs, you’ll need to have an “always on” hiring approach.

Newspaper ads are expensive and don’t have the reach they once did. So, get creative and think about where else your ideal techs may be looking and with whom they may be talking:

• Craigslist
  
• Social media
  
• Tech schools and community/junior colleges
  
• Job fairs
  
• Current employees
  
• Former employees (with whom you have a good relationship)
  
• Job posting sites such as Indeed , Monster , LinkedIn , and SimplyHired
  
• Job Corps

Although some shops try to “steal” techs from one another, and we don’t recommend that approach. After all, if an employee’s willing to be wooed away from one shop, they’ll likely be snatched away from yours at some point.

There aren’t many qualified service techs out there from which you can choose, which means people who are looking for jobs have multiple options. There’s a clear negative correlation between the length of a job application and the likelihood of an applicant completing it. Make your application process simple and easy to navigate; otherwise, the best candidates will move on before you even get their contact information.

Even if your shop is completely slammed and you need help right this minute, it’s important to take your time and engage in some conversations. You shouldn’t expect a paper application to tell you the whole story about a potential employee. Rather, have a face-to-face conversation to assess the “soft skills” mentioned above: personality, attitude, character, and so on.

Even so, most people are on their best behavior in an interview, so checking references is vital . By talking with previous employers, you’ll be able to fact-check when you’ve heard from the applicant and get a read on the person’s skills and abilities. To make your conversations with references as helpful as possible, consider asking them to rank your applicant on specific skills and traits. That will help you get more meaningful information than, “He was great to work with.”

Incidentally, it’s more difficult to teach character than skills. So trust your instincts and pass on an applicant who doesn’t seem like a good fit—even if they have the right credentials.

If your techs average 25 hours per week, don’t promise overtime. If you offer opportunities for advancement, say so. If your work culture is a bit unusual, say that too. Above all, don’t be coy about compensation. Tell them early in the process what they can expect for pay and benefits. Applicants who know what they’re getting into are more likely to stick around.

“You get what you pay for” applies to all sorts of things—including service technicians. So offer highly competitive wages. But don’t stop there. Highlight the other perks of working for your shop: family environment, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, competent management, recognition opportunities, and so on. Be the kind of shop you’d want to work for. (And guess what? These things do more than attract new talent to your team, they help you keep your existing help, too.)

Nothing irks high-caliber employees more than slackers. If you have under-performing employees, develop performance improvement plans. If those plans aren’t successful, find new help. If you’re able to attract—but can’t retain—talented service techs, you may have a management problem, not an employee problem.

If you want to grow your client base, you’ll need to offer outstanding customer service. And if you want to retain good techs, you’ll need to be the kind of boss people want to work for. Care about your techs as people not just as employees. Celebrate birthdays. Be generous with your atta-boy and atta-girl speeches. Be cautious about micro-management. Invest in your techs by providing education and advancement opportunities. Surprise and delight them, and they’ll stick around for the long haul.

I know we said 9 tips, but this one is just too good to leave off: if you really want to take your company to the next level, start focusing on growing your team's skills & commitment. Help them go to school. Invite your team's family over for cook-outs. Be generous with both pay and with benefits. You'll find that rather than looking for new techs every few months, you'll have a team that's committed to growing with you as your business grows. AND , it's cheaper to keep someone happy than hire someone new.

A great way to invest in your team's development? Focus on your development by becoming a stronger leader and better manager.

We help HVAC and plumbing companies get more business and grow their revenue. Need some ideas? Contact us today .