Earlier this summer, a tornado hit my hometown, producing quite a bit of damage on the city’s south side. That also happens to be where my parents still live.
Fortunately, they were largely spared. While many of their neighbors suffered structural damage, their home somehow emerged unscathed. What didn’t make it through the storm OK, however, was their backyard.
It had been a nice, treed area with various paths winding around flower beds and other landscaping, all gradually built up over the two decades my parents have lived in the house. But the tornado destroyed all but a couple of trees. Everything else had either been snapped off or uprooted.
My parents spent a week doing cleanup with the help of some neighbors and friends. During the second week, they hired a professional tree service contractor to take care of the cleanup they couldn’t safely handle themselves.
The point of this long setup is to provide a lesson on customer service, particularly about not overlooking the little things that can really endear you to customers. My parents chose wisely with the tree service they hired. You can bet they’ll be recommending the company to others — that all-important word-of-mouth advertising so many rely on.
The company was a small, four-person outfit. The owner did an exceptional job listening to my mom’s needs. Because of how carefully the backyard had been landscaped over many years, the job wasn’t straightforward. It wasn’t as simple as getting equipment into the backyard and trimming, sawing and dragging tree debris out speedily. A more careful and deliberate approach was required. My mom wanted to preserve as much of the “old” yard as possible, and even to set aside some of the logs from downed trees for future landscaping ideas.
The crew did a great job listening and communicating, making sure my parents were satisfied while still doing what they needed to do to clean everything up and get the area safe again. They easily could’ve ignored my mom’s minor pleas in the name of just getting the necessary work done as quickly as possible.
Also, my mom — being who she is — made lunch for the crew the two days they worked. It ended up being a pricey lunch. As the company owner settled up at the end of the final day, lunch was something he mentioned as he knocked an hour off the time the crew had worked — equivalent to a $400 discount. At that hourly rate, it wasn’t a huge dent in the final invoice, but it was still a nice gesture that made a big impression on my mom.
These are little, basic things. But those little things are also some of the most vital things when it comes to customer relations. They can pay big dividends in terms of acquiring future business. My parents will rave endlessly to people about the great tree service they hired. Their neighbors hired a different contractor. Let’s just say that company might not be getting a glowing recommendation.
Enjoy this month’s issue.
