Mr. Bane, I try real hard to please my customers but I still get about one complaint for every one hundred jobs that I do. How does this compare to the rest of the industry and how can I improve on it? No complaints have been of a serious nature but they are annoying me that I can't do better work.
No matter how conscientious you are, occasionally a problem will arise. Your complaint ratio is a little high, but I looked up your record and you've only been in the business a little over a year. Thinking of improving is a good sign, and as you gain experience you will. One complaint in every two hundred service calls is a pretty good batting average.
Most customers don't expect things to always be perfect. But if there's a problem they want to feel they were treated fairly. Listen to the complaint and act promptly. Make every effort to correct it or compensate them and learn from it. When the customer feels you've treated them fairly they're likely to become a repeat customer and refer others to you.
Be sure to ask for complaints. Too often we have a tendency to believe that "No news is good news!" Send a postage paid report card to residential customers and call your commercial accounts to be sure they are satisfied after every service call. Some people won't complain, they just take their business elsewhere next time.
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Please e-mail me at wfbane@baneclene.com.
