“We never hear from satisfied customers, only ever from those with an apparent axe to grind.” It’s a familiar retort from many small business owners and one that will certainly resonate with a lot of Professional Builder readers. And, of course, with the explosion of social media in recent years bad news travels faster than ever before, damaging previously pristine reputations built up over many years and – in some extreme cases – putting the very existence of some businesses at risk.
Now no one is suggesting for one moment that all builders are exempt from genuine complaints. The very nature of the work itself, being in and around people’s homes, upsetting their daily routines, the unpredictability of the weather, unforeseen structural issues and delays to materials can all contribute to escalating problems, even amongst the most experienced and well-intentioned tradespeople. By then, of course, the damage has already been done, and across the nation local community Facebook pages are filling up with posts from disgruntled clients, some even going as far to name and shame businesses involved, so as to dissuade others from using their services in the future. Oh, for those simple days when good old-fashioned word of mouth, positive or bad went no further than near neighbours!
The biggest cause of all this angst, it would seem, is a lack of communication, where contractors have not responded to a customer request for a quotation or have failed to inform customers of delays to the working schedule that may have already been agreed. It is widely accepted that material and labour shortages and the Covid restrictions have caused issues with work being completed on schedule, both domestically and commercially.
Most customers are well aware of these issues and understand the need for a certain amount of flexibility. What they cannot accept, it transpires, is a lack of warning or communication about that fact. Obviously, these type of community Facebook pages do attract a few habitual “Moaning Minnies” and we have expressed on many occasions the emergence of the cowboy customer for whom the principal objective is to withhold bona fide payments by all means. The story is often very one-sided but, having said that, tradespeople need to understand in these days of twenty-four-hour social media interaction, it is so easy for a customer to air a gripe and create a potentially damaging impression of a company.
Ensuring you respond in a professional and articulate way to customers gives them much less ammunition if they are in the mood for a rant. And the value of a personal phone call or, where possible, a face-to-face interaction with customers should also never be underestimated.
Even more worryingly, perhaps, we are now seeing this over reliance on social media and digital outlets as a principal form of communication on an international level where the Prime Minister himself recently fell out spectacularly with France’s President Macron. The French leader was angered after Johnson reportedly tweeted a letter outlining a five-point plan to tackle the issue of Channel crossings before Macron had been privy to the plans beforehand. “I spoke two days ago with Prime Minister Johnson in a serious way. For my part I continue to do that, as I do with all countries and all leaders. We do not communicate from one leader to another on these crucial issues by tweets and letters that we make public,” lamented Macron. Say what you like about the French President, he certainly has a fair point on this occasion as the UK’s relationship with potential allies is further strained, all because of a lack of proper respectful communication at the highest levels.
Hopefully, the promise of high levels of demand for your skills from home improvers will last well into the New Year, so don’t let poor communication leave a black mark against what could be an especially profitable period for your business. It’s been more than twenty-five years since BT’s iconic “it’s good to talk” ads featured loud and large on our TV screens, but it’s fair to say that the message is certainly more apt today than ever before.
