Thanks to home renovations over the past six years or so, I have made a lot of calls unrelated to my career to contractors and service providers across a span of trades — multiple homebuilders, a plumber, a cement mason, a well driller, a septic pumper, an HVAC specialist, an excavator and everything in between.
Over the years, my perspective of those I call for any service has changed. I have always been extremely polite and respectful, treating them as people and not just something I need, but the more of you I talk to for this magazine, the more I truly appreciate what it takes to be a small-business owner and that respect has grown immensely.
Please tell me if I’m wrong, but I feel it is harder for contractors to please customers now compared to 15 years ago. We live in a world of instant gratification. People have access to unlimited information in their pockets that they can reach for and search in a matter of seconds. So when a contractor can’t immediately satisfy their request, instead of thinking about the actual person on the other side of the phone, it is dubbed “bad customer service,” and they find someone else. That makes a tough job even harder. It’s a lot easier for people to think about their immediate needs and not the actual people that work every day to accommodate them. The saying, “Well, it’s their job,” is used too loosely.
Behind the business
I recently contacted a potential source for a profile story and the subject showed interest. We emailed back and forth a few times and one of my emails asked, “Is there a time tomorrow that would work for you for a short call?”
He responded, “Hi Tim, I am sorry this is graduation week, and I have a daughter graduating, and 11 people at the house.” But then he proceeded to offer, “Can you do an 8:30 a.m. EST tomorrow?” I believe his apology was directed at the fact that he was very busy, so the time may not be ideal, or that it took him a while to respond to my request. I’m not entirely sure, either way, there was no need to be sorry.
This small interaction was such a good reminder that behind every business owner is a family, friends, hobbies and a life outside of their company.
It must be tremendously hard to balance it all, and I respect the heck out of every one of you doing it successfully. I’m not even a potential customer, yet this person took the time to not only answer me, but find a break in the chaos at home to sit down and talk to me on the phone.
A relatable balance
I understand that success as a business owner comes with long hours and complete dedication, and that it’s easy for me as someone on the outside of ownership to say that creating a balance between work and play is important. But it is.
I’m not going to tell you how to run your business or how to spend your time, but I urge you to put yourself first once in a while. If you are transparent with your customers, the good customers will understand.
Anyone who has read through my columns since I took over as editor knows that I value communication almost above all else in business. I expect contractors I contact to communicate with me, and I do the same with people I work with. With that, I respect and I understand when someone tells me that what I am asking for just isn’t in the cards because they are booked up or it’s something outside their expertise, or if they have a family vacation planned and they are leaving their work phone at home.
That person’s simple share of his busy week was relatable and made it very easy to humanize him, and there’s a lesson in that. I’m not saying share your personal life with clients, but honest answers that are identifiable go a long way.
Do what you can for your customers always and be perfectly honest about what you can achieve and the timeline you can realistically achieve it by. If they aren’t happy with that and move on, don’t let it bring you down. Stay positive and stay true to what matters most: taking care of your family, your staff and your business. And know that most of us respect and acknowledge the difficulty of what you do each and every day.
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