Your BSC customer service skills are the key to success. Here are 7 of the most essential for anyone in the industry.
Have you heard the story about the building service contractor who couldn’t keep clients? The company’s work was impeccable. Every task was completed on time and to specifications. Rates were reasonable, and they used the newest equipment and technology. So why would clients abandon them at the first opportunity? Their BSC customer service skills were nonexistent.
The team grumbled at service requests, failed to return emails and calls, got annoyed at building employees for interrupting them, and rarely felt a need to address complaints or questions. No surprise, then, that no one wanted to work with them.
That may not sound like your company, but you might also be surprised to find out how common some of these issues are. They aren’t usually so obvious or extreme. But little by little, cracks in customer service can grow until you’re left with a shrinking list of clients and unhappy employees.
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7 Essential BSC customer service skills to put in place today
As a building service contractor, you’re responsible for anything from landscaping to maintenance to cleaning. You’ve likely expanded your role and knowledge by taking courses on disinfecting for Covid-19 or LEED certification. One thing that’s integral to success, however, gets regularly overlooked is your BSC customer service skills.
Good customer service is essential to building a solid business with satisfied clients and loyal employees. So, what are some of the building blocks of BSC customer service skills?
1. Be Nice. Call it the Golden Rule. Call it treating your customers like your friends. Most of your customers mean well. They may have questions or want to understand your process. And yes, sometimes they are just oblivious. That’s a great opportunity to share and educate people about what you do. You don’t have to put on a fake smile or be unrealistically nice. Just approach your customers and clients as you would when you help a neighbor with a flat tire or fallen tree limb, or heavy moving box. As a bonus, they’ll almost always treat you well in return.
2. Be Patient. Right along with being nice is being patient. Remember, most people are doing their best and aren’t out to make your job more difficult. It can take some work to step back and understand that your customers may be frustrated or just having a bad day. A little patience can go a long way in lowering the temperature and working through things in a way that leaves everyone satisfied.
3. Be a Good Listener. You can’t solve every issue a customer has. But sometimes, just listening openly to someone can be all it takes to turn a situation around.
4. Stay Organized. An important part of customer service is getting the job done right, and keeping your team organized is the best way to prioritize and handle tasks and emergencies. Good organization means you have the correct number of people on the schedule for a given location, the tools and supplies you need to do the work, and a checklist for maintenance and repair orders. It means you anticipate and take care of issues before they’re apparent to other people in the building. In other words, an organized team means your customers don’t have to worry about anything. By the way, if you need help getting organized with anything from schedules to inventory, be sure to check out Janitorial Manager’s software. It offers you a streamlined way to handle everything from work orders to time tracking to inventory management.
5. Communicate. Communication is at the core of good BSC customer service. You can probably imagine plenty of situations where communication is vital, such as a building issue that needs immediate attention. But it’s more than just emergencies that require excellent communication. You have to look at the entire picture. Is your team easy to reach with questions? Do you regularly update the facility manager or occupants of any projects or work that your team is doing outside of what is normal on a day-to-day basis?
6. Be Proactive. Somewhat in line with communication is taking the initiative to explore ways to make the environment better for everyone. Are there steps you can take or changes you can implement that will make the space more comfortable for people or improve the efficiency of the building? Did you find a good deal on paint and know everyone would love to change the color of that drab, grey wall, so it’s not so drab? Take some time to anticipate what your customers might like and find solutions before an inconvenience becomes a problem.
7. Do Great Work. It can’t be stated enough that BSC customer service skills also include performing at the highest level. Certainly, that’s not the only factor in providing good service, but it all adds up.
Put quality work together with excellent customer service, and your BSC team will be unstoppable.
Increase the efficiency of your team, reduce your costs, and improve results. With Janitorial Manager, all this and more isn’t just a dream; it’s your new reality. Learn more today with a free discovery call!