Customer Service

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If I had to tell you about one lesson I learned from my dad that I still use in Wisler Plumbing and Air today, it would be the devil is in the details. Honestly, it makes sense that I would learn that from him. My dad is very detail-oriented, and that’s especially true when it comes to his work.

Years ago, I went on a home visit with my dad, and we were putting in a water treatment system. Now, being the highly urgent person I am, I was frustrated because we were already on the second trip to that home, and we still didn’t have what we needed. We had to make yet another trip.

But was that a problem for my dad? Not really. He knew that, while it was taking longer than it should have, we were delivering quality work to that customer. And there wasn’t any point that I recall him being tempted by the easy shortcuts that presented themselves.

How That Carries Over Today…

I’ll admit that there are times that we aren’t as detail-oriented now as he was then. However, that same mentality is still deeply woven into the structure of who we are now and how we operate.

We’re systematic with how we do things and complete our work to ensure that the outcome is perfect.

And sometimes, it’s painful– Having to go back and follow through with something. A lot of times, we may even lose profitability doing that. But we bear with it because it’s worth it, and it’s what we need to do to ensure we’re around for the long run.

At the end of the day, it’s hard to express how grateful I am that my dad taught us that lesson and gave us the necessary mindset to deliver quality work to our customers – without cutting corners.

I know that in the future, we’ll be able to ingrain the same lesson into the people that lead Wisler Plumbing and Air after us.

If you want plumbing and air help that doesn’t cut corners and always ensures the job is done right, give Wisler Plumbing and Air a call at (540) 483 – 9382.

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The residential home services industry is a business of solutions. No homeowner or entrepreneur calls you unless they have a problem they think you can fix.

That’s why it’s crucial to stand behind your work.

Standing behind your work is about delivering quality results that solve whatever it is your customer is facing.

A leaky pipe? We got you covered.

A faulty heating unit? We’ll get it fixed.

Unfortunately, not all residential home service providers step their game. Most of them, as evidenced by a revolving joke in the industry, offers a concrete guarantee on their work. This means all they guarantee is leaving the concrete of your driveway.

Customers don’t want that. Customers want results, and that’s why businesses should stand behind their work.

What Does Standing Behind Our Work Mean?

Standing behind your work means producing a fantastic job and making sure you deliver on all your promises. But what HVAC, plumbing, roofing, and other home services don’t know is that it’s also about ownership.

Not every service that a business renders is 100% guaranteed to last as expected or work as desired. Various services and distinct products have their respective expectancies. If the unfortunate does happen, customers shouldn’t carry the burden of the defective product or workmanship issue.

Standing behind our work is a foundational principle that Wisler Plumbing and Air lives by. That means if we did a bad job, we own up to it and take immediate action.

Standing Behind Our Work: Doing More Than What’s Required

There are times when clients hit us up for a service on one aspect, but upon inspection, they’re dealing with a bigger problem entirely. As a professional, I hold it high enough to bring it to my customer’s attention and give them options to deal with it.

Here’s an example:

Our team was working on a copper pipe because our clients had poor water quality. While inspecting their plumbing, we noticed their copper pipe is thin. We did what we had to do, we patched a hole.

But we didn’t stop there and simply left them with a “concrete guarantee.”

As a professional service provider, we had to notify them that issues like thin pipes are time bombs waiting to explode. They’ll open up doors to new and bigger problems. That’s on us if it happens, and it probably will if we don’t do anything about it.

We notify clients and explain the depth of the problem if left unsolved, and then we offer our solutions. While we can’t force people to do things, bringing it to their attention gives some kind of “backbone” to our claim that we stand behind our work.

A Good Time Can’t Hide a Bad Problem

Businesses are all about building relationships. Agreed. However, a good customer relationship will never mask a second-rate, low-grade, and jerry-built service.

Our team can be nicer than they already are. They can go out there, have an awesome time with customers, build a great brand image and act super professional. But once they leave, one thought lingers over a client’s mind:

Is the problem fixed?

If the issue resurfaces, all that good time is thrown out the window.

Businesses must remember that clients didn’t simply call us to build relationships. Relationships are great, but no more than icing on the cake. At the core of the service is to do the job right.

Longevity and quality work — that’s what they want.

Think of it this way. We all have that well-meaning non-expert friend or cousin that’s willing to get down and dirty to help us with plumbing problems. But would you have them do this work? Probably not. So, relationships come second to quality work.

How Do We Stand Behind Our Work when Our Work Fails?

Again, it all boils down to accountability. There’s nothing wrong with eating humble pie if we have to. It’s about stepping up and taking ownership of the mishap.

Being nice is a nice plus, but it’s never quite enough. It’s our duty to deliver great results, meet, if not exceed expectations, and make sure their problems are dealt with.

That’s what we promise.

If you need any work on your plumbing, heating, and air conditioning, call Whistler Plumbing and Air at 540-483-9382.

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You can’t expect to grow your business without receiving feedback. That’s why “We Value Feedback” is number fifteen on our Big 20. At Wisler, we’re all about growth, and not just in the size of our organization. We care about the development of our people and strive to get better at what we do every day.

Like any other organization, we are far from perfect. We have our failures. We may have blind spots: things we may not know, understand fully or are naive about as a company. Valuing feedback from both our customers and employees allows us to improve.

How We Serve Concerned Customers

Whenever we come across a concerned customer, we only have three goals in mind. We start by gaining an understanding, then work on a resolution and receive feedback.

1.   Try to Understand the Concern

This first step requires active listening and reflection. The main question that comes to mind is, “Where did we drop the ball?” Maybe the situation was a result of miscommunication.

Or, it could be that we didn’t follow through on our level of expectation when it comes to serving our customers. No matter the reason, understanding the concern is the only way we can figure out how to resolve it.

2.   Resolve the Concern

Resolving the customer’s concern is when we put action behind the understanding. We take accountability for what we did wrong in the situation, and take the steps necessary to satisfy the customer. Making our customers happy is our main priority.

3.   Receive Feedback

This last step is probably the most important and requires humility. Of course, it’s not fun to listen to negative feedback. But, the ultimate goal here is to answer the question, “How do we keep this from happening again?” Receiving feedback with a growth mindset will allow you to grow and learn from your mistakes.

The good news is that you can also receive positive feedback. At Wisler, we celebrate both because they give insight into what we’re doing right, and what we could do better.

Employee Feedback

Employee feedback is just as valuable as customer feedback. We schedule 1-on-1 meetings with each employee every month. We discuss their feelings about accounting, their pay, and their work-life balance. We also encourage feedback to understand the employee experience from their perspective.

We strive to provide the best platform and place to work for our employees. Making the necessary changes to grow allows our team members to serve customers at the highest level. If you’re in need of plumbing or air conditioning services, call Wisler Plumbing & Air at (540) 483-9382.

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Number four on our Big 20 list is “Neat Appearance”. For as long as I can remember, my dad cared about his appearance. I rarely saw my dad with his shirttail untucked, or with clothes that had holes in them. He was always clean-shaven, wore a belt, and always had his hair combed. And it didn’t matter whether he was working around the house or just woke up. He always got dressed and presented himself well.

I remember when I was a little kid, my dad had a hairbrush that was almost like a weapon. He was rarely around Monday through Saturday because he was working. But on Sundays, he would generally help us get ready whether we were going to church or somewhere else. And I can remember that hairbrush. That thing hurt, but it was very consistent—we always brushed our hair before we went out.

The Wisler Experience

As a professional, appearance is of the utmost importance. It’s the first impression you present to your customers. The goal of any organization should be to present yourself in the best way possible. Here at Wisler Plumbing & Air, we prioritize neat appearance.

We need to present ourselves as trustworthy professionals so that is what customers see when we enter their homes. That means hair combed, clean-shaven, neat clothes, shirttails tucked, clean shoes and belts on. All of those things matter and it’s a standard that was set early on in this organization.

Now, sometimes our technicians get dirtier than we’d like as far as presentation goes. But, I always remind our technicians that how someone dresses isn’t really a judge of their character. You can have the best person in the world morally, but they don’t dress very well. And you can have a very clean-cut person that dresses in a three-piece suit, but they’re the biggest criminal around.

A Fact of Life

However, the fact of life is that people are judged by how they look and how they present themselves. When we walk up to a client’s home, or we’re out in public, that really sets the impression in people’s minds. Like it or not, I think that’s our reality and as professionals, we have that responsibility.

There was an advertising professional that talked about an experience on an airline, for example. Imagine taking your seat and discovering the tray table didn’t work, or the pilot walking in with his tie loose and his shirt untucked. It’d probably make you scratch your head and wonder how well they were taking care of their engines.

There’s always that level of consistency and expectation. So when people call Wisler Plumbing & Air, they know what to expect and they know the experience is going to be consistent across all their visits. If you need any plumbing or HVAC services, give us a call at (540) 483-9382.