Contractors seem to have a love/hate relationship with warranty work. When a client calls for warranty work, it usually means something has gone wrong. An installation failed or a product underperformed. That’s the hate portion of it.
Something went wrong, and our tendency is to point fingers. Installers question the manufacturer. Manufacturers suggest it’s the installation method. The client often stands to the side and watches the bickering, worried about the solution but really wanting only one thing: fix the problem.
It doesn’t have to be that way, of course. Warranty work is actually the chance to make a great impression and show the quality of your customer service. As most customer service experts have said for a long time, the best time to improve a client’s perception of your company is when something goes wrong. The client is a bit miffed, concerned about the outcome and thinking poorly of you. How you handle that moment can turn a doubter into a fan for life that will result in referrals and increased business. But what do you need to do? Here are five things you should do when responding to a warranty call.
- Respond promptly. Nothing burns a client like a slow response to a problem.
- Listen. Let the client vent if he or she is angry. Don’t just jump in and try to solve the problem.
- Be conscientious. You have to work your schedule for repair around the client. It might make sense to do the repair during off working hours. The idea is to inconvenience the client as little as possible because they are already inconvenienced. Need an example how not to handle this? Think about the cable industry’s reputation for customer service.
- Be housebroken. The people doing the work should be reassuring, confident and competent. You don’t want someone showing up to do repairs who’s blasting loud music in a work environment. Many companies select specific employees for warranty work and make sure they are service oriented.
- Follow up. It’s not just about fixing the problem, but also making sure the customer is satisfied with the fix. Even if you do the repair in 24 hours, the customer may have an issue with something such as product packaging not disposed of correctly. You have to know immediately, so follow up immediately. And then again awhile later to make sure the repair is holding.
Companies with strong warranty service hit all those marks, and they do something else that may be equally important. They track the nature of their warranty calls, looking for patterns that suggest a larger problem. If you consistently get calls about leaks around skylights, for example, you need to change the way you’re installing skylights.
A feedback loop from the warranty department to the management team that is then communicated throughout the organization is essential to continually improving your level of service.
Great customer service starts at the moment you have contact with a client, whether it is face-to-face or a visit to your website. Warranty service and the end of the project is one of the best opportunities to develop a long-term relationship with a client, improve your service and grow your business.
