It's the Little Things

Last week we needed some repairs made to our septic system.  I called the company who performed the original installation, but since this was the second major problem we had in just over two years, I also called a different company to get a second opinion.

What transpired over the next several days showed me that no matter what services or products your business provides, poor organizational culture will damage your business. Here’s a summary of what happened.

Company 1 - When I finally reached someone (I had to call twice…) the person speculated about all the ways the problem might be my fault before agreeing to send someone out after I emailed them a photograph of the problem.

The employee who arrived at my house did so without tools (you need to borrow my shovel?) and worked without gloves (gross…). After trying to convince me to repair it myself, he admitted he doesn’t normally do the repairs, but rather drives the truck. He agreed to return to the shop, relay what he saw and follow up the next day.

I called the office the next day (they didn’t call me) and they suggested I call distributors about possible equipment warranties. The person I spoke with again began speculating on the cause of the problem – despite never having been onsite. Most of their responses focused on how others were responsible – the electrician, the health department, me..., but nothing about how the company might share some accountability, or how best to proceed. They promised to have the Company President come out to see the problem for himself.

I received a voicemail later that day from the President promising to “fix this mess” -  but no visit. The company emailed the next morning asking how we would like to proceed (You mean other than fixing the problem?!!). I replied that I had already hired another company to do the work. I’ve had no other response from them.

Company 2 – The person who answered the phone asked me a few questions to help diagnose the problem and scheduled someone to take a look. The employee who showed up diagnosed the problem, and offered additional guidance about replacement and warranty options. They also provided a written estimate for the repair.

They called the next day with the information about the available warranties and replacement options, and I scheduled them to perform the work. They arrived on time and fixed the problem (using their own tools…).

I understand that sometimes equipment breaks and projects don’t go how you may have hoped. But the difference between two companies illustrates an important point. Both companies would have purchased the same replacement parts from the same distributor, so there was essentially no difference in the product they provided.

But while Company 1 missed calls, deflected accountability, and arrived unprepared, Company 2 won the job, simply by being responsive and solving my problem. The disparity in customer service and professionalism between the two was incredible. 

There’s nothing new under the sun – in most cases your competitors can offer the same product or service as you do. What are you doing to differentiate yourself from them? Believe it or not, simple tasks like returning phone calls will move you automatically to the top tier in almost any industry. Listen to your clients, provide what your customers need. They’ll thank you for it.