How To Win Plumbing & HVAC Customers Over The Phone
Ryan Redding • September 16, 2020
Plumbing and HVAC contractors waste a ton of money on marketing in all kinds of obvious ways. Among other things, they buy stupid-expensive websites that doesn’t convert, they fork over ungodly amounts of money to fancy advertising firms that won’t (can’t) show them any return on their investment, and they somehow manage to display their Facebook ads halfway across the country instead of in their own communities.
But here’s the most expensive mistake home services businesses make when it comes to marketing: They spend all kinds of time, energy, and money to get leads—and then they have no earthly idea how to turn those leads into loyal, paying customers. That’s especially true when it comes to phone calls.
Now listen, friends: According to research, the next step for the vast majority of customers who find you online is to pick up the phone to call you. And what happens at that point is critical. Studies
show:
- 90% of customers decide whether or not to do business with a company based on their customer service.
- 73% of customers become loyal to companies with great customer service reps.
- 77% of people would recommend a company to someone else based on just one positive experience.
The bottom line is, if your team has killer phone skills, your home services business will grow.
So let’s talk about how to develop those skills.
9 Tips to Win Home Services Customers Over the Phone
Actually answer the phone.
I know that seems ridiculously obvious, but it’s honestly astounding how many home services businesses treat their voicemail like their call center. Don’t do that. In fact, “leave a message” is among the top five things you should never, ever say to a customer.
- During your listed business hours, a live person should answer every call.
- Pick up by the third ring.
- No matter what kind of day you’re having, answer the phone enthusiastically and warmly.
- Speak clearly and at an unhurried pace, so callers know you have time to care for them.
- Include the name of your company in your greeting, so people know they’ve dialed correctly: “Good morning, Better Plumbing! This is Jack. How can I help you today?”
- If you do miss a call, return it immediately.
- Avoid putting people on hold. Customers hate that. If you have no choice, ask permission: “May I put you on a hold for a brief moment?” will be much better received than, “Hold on a sec.”
- Consider using a chatbot to make it even easier for customers to reach you.
Sit up straight and smile.
If a customer walked into your shop, I’m guessing you wouldn’t slouch, scowl, and mumble. So answer the phone as if you’re on a video call. Sitting up straight (or standing) naturally boosts the enthusiasm in your voice, and smiling adds warmth and friendliness to your tone. You want your customers to feel like you’re glad they called—not like they’re a burden.
Use active and reflective listening.
As a plumbing or HVAC contractor, I know you’ve heard everything, which means nothing feels like much of a big deal or worthy of long, drawn-out explanations. But for your customer who’s never experienced a flooded basement or a quitter furnace, their situation truly is a big deal.
They’re likely quite worried about how much money they’re about to spend, and they want to feel heard and understood.
So, although you’ve heard similar stories 1,754 times from other customers, give your undivided attention to your caller in the moment. Truly listen.
- Let your caller know you’re listening by using what’s “verbal nods”: ahh, yeah, uh huh.
- Allow your caller to finish what they’re saying. Don’t interrupt or assume you understand their problem.
- Repeat back what they’ve just said to check your understanding: “OK, so no matter where you set your thermostat, your furnace just isn’t running. Is that right?” or “You keep finding puddles under your kitchen sink, but there’s no obvious leak. Do I have that right?”
- If you actually don’t understand what the caller is describing, ask clarifying questions.
Show empathy.
Chances are, the person on the other end of the phone is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, and they need a fast resolution to their problem. If you can drum up and display some genuine care and concern for their situation, you begin to establish trust. And if customers get the sense you’re trustworthy, they’re more likely to schedule that service call.
So how, exactly, do you show empathy over the phone? It’s easier than you think!
- Truly listen to what the caller’s saying.
- Put yourself in the caller’s shoes, and imagine how you’d feel in their situation.
- Use your words and tone of voice to convey that you get them.
For example:
- “I can imagine how frustrating it’d be to come home to a freezing cold house!”
- “Ugh. This is definitely not how you expected your day to go, I bet. I’m so sorry this is happening!”
- “Yeah, I’d be angry if my new water heater wasn’t working, too! We need to figure this out!”
Ask for the sale.
You lose 100% of sales you don’t ask for. So confidently
ask for it. Don’t overthink it!
Something as simple as this works like a charm: “We can absolutely fix that problem! I can have someone at your house by 4 pm today. Can I go ahead and book that for you?”
By the way, if you can’t set a service call as quickly as you (or the customer) would like, find a way to be helpful in the meantime: “We can get Max out there first thing in the morning. For now, let’s walk through a couple of things to keep the problem from getting worse. That way you won’t have to worry about it all night!”
To give you a real-world example, we actually work with HVAC companies who will run a window air conditioner to the customer ASAP until they can dispatch a service or install tech to complete the job. As you probably would expect, their customers can't stop
bragging about this company to their friends & neighbors.
End calls well.
If you’re busy, you may be tempted to get off the call quick so you can get to the next one. But your goal is to WOW callers with your mad customer service skillz. (Do the kids still say, “Skillz”?)
You don’t have to make a bunch of small talk, but be sure to end the call as warmly and positively as you began it. “Thanks for calling Better Plumbing, Jan. Is there anything else I can do for you? We’ll get you taken care of! Have a great afternoon.”
Follow up.
It costs five times as much to get new customers than it does to keep your current ones. So, it’s worth calling your customers after you serve them to make sure they’re happy.
These calls don’t have to be long and drawn-out, and yes, you can leave a message. Think simple, friendly, and quick:
“Hi, Jan, Jack from Better Plumbing here. Just wanted to follow-up and say thanks again for having us out to work on that pesky leak under your sink. If your experience was anything less than a 10 out of 10, we’d love to make it right. Otherwise, give us a holler if you need anything in the future or if you’d like to know about the preventive maintenance special we have going on. Take care!”
Apologize.
If a current customer calls to complain about a disappointing experience with your shop, listen and apologize. Avoid the temptation to defend yourself or your techs and don’t get into an argument—even if the caller is 100% wrong.
In a calm, cool, collected voice, simply respond, “I’m so sorry. That’s definitely not the level of customer service we expect from our team. I can see how frustrating that would be! Let’s talk about how to make this right.”
Train your entire team.
Share these tips with everyone at your shop, not just the people officially responsible for managing calls. It’s important to have consistently high quality customer service, and one of these days, “Casey from the warehouse” may have to pick up the phone. You want him to be every bit as friendly and helpful as “Sue in the office.”
Also, don’t assume things are going well. Listen in from time to time. Ask your customer service reps what questions are stumping them and what’s frustrating about their work. The happier they are, the better they’ll treat callers, and the more sales you’ll make.
Customer service is marketing is customer service.
I focus a lot on getting you the leads you deserve—but I go beyond SEO and Google Ads, and I’d love to help you grow your business! It’s easy to get started:
- Let’s talk. Tell us about your shop: your customers, your competitors, your current revenue, and how much money you want to make.
- Get your free digital assessment. We'll take a look at all of your marketing to see what is—and isn't—working for you.
- Implement your customized strategy. We'll put together a custom marketing plan that will help you reach your goals. You don’t have to figure it out all out on your own!
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We've got give-a-damn for days.
When my team talks with new clients, we hear a ton of frustration, overwhelm, and general fed-up-ness.
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Maybe you've been trying to figure out all this marketing stuff on your own OR you've handed a crap-ton of money to an "expert" for no apparent reason.
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Ryan Redding
CEO Levergy
Author of The Book on Digital Marketing for Plumbing and HVAC Contractors
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