Focusing on customer experience drives customer loyalty and will do wonders for your bottom line.
As an owner of a pest control company, you are probably more than aware that good customer service is important for your business. When it comes down to it though, customer service is really about positive interactions with your clientele within each single transaction. You provide good customer service when you solve a problem, answer a question or respond to an issue.
Customer experience, on the other hand, is about your customers’ journey from the time they first encounter your brand, across the entire sales cycle, to the lasting impression you leave post-purchase. Focusing on customer experience pays off too. Research shows brands with superior customer experience bring in 5.7 times more revenue than their competitors who choose not to make it a priority.
So, what can you do to improve your customers’ experience? First, let’s take a look at three primary components to customer experience:
1. Discovery
This one is all about how your pest control company first contacts the customer in a relevant and meaningful way. Those first touch points could come via social media, a blog article, an advertisement or your website. Are you interacting with your audience and adding value through your content for readers before they’ve even become a customer?
2. Delivery
It’s important to deliver a seamless, consistent experience for all customers. What can you do to make your pest control company the easiest to do business with? It could be anything from having an automated payment system to an online appointment scheduler to automated text messages for appointment reminders. Think about attributes you appreciate in your preferred brands and how you can incorporate them into your business.
3. DNA
Create a customer-centric culture that becomes a core part of your business. A great customer experience is not just something you do–it’s who you are. Make it a part of your business DNA. You want every single employee working towards fostering a positive customer experience. If they are constantly problem solving with the customer in mind, it will translate to consistent customer satisfaction.
When you create positive interactions with your customers in each area of your business, it has a significant impact on your pest control company’s bottom line. Data shows more than 7 in 10 buying experiences depend on how customers feel they are being treated. As a result, strong customer relationships can mean the difference between making a sale or sending a prospect over to a competitor.
It’s not just prospective customers that matter either. Focusing on your existing customer base is just as important. You want to continuously strive to meet their needs, generating confidence in using your services and loyalty to your brand. Loyal customers are five times more likely to purchase from you again and four times more likely to refer a friend to your company.
Let’s take a look at some ways your pest control company can provide top-notch customer service so you’re creating a superior customer experience.
Capture Customer Feedback in Real Time
You can’t succeed without listening to your customers. The best way to find out how they feel about the service they receive from your pest control company is to ask them! You can do this through surveys, a widget on your website, emails, or face to face. One of the easiest ways to incorporate real time feedback is to simply have your technicians ask about customer satisfaction before leaving a job. If the customer expresses any dissatisfaction, this gives the technician the opportunity to resolve any issues right away.
Improve your Follow-up Process with Prospects and Existing Customers
When following up, consistency is important. Have a timeline and approach you use with all of your prospects and customers. One to two days after an appointment, thank them for their time or their business whether it’s through a phone call, text or email. Within 3-5 days of a quote for a prospect, follow up to see if they’ve made a decision–if they went with a competitor, ask what you can do to earn their business next time. Within 1-2 weeks of completing service for a customer, check in and make sure they’re still satisfied with the service they received and ask if they have any questions.
Boost Response Times
In the age of instant communication, people crave speedy responses. Self-serve tools on your website are a great way to let customers find information without straining company resources. If you utilize social media for your pest control company, make sure someone is monitoring comments and the direct messaging inboxes daily. Educate your employees on your expectations for response time to any incoming questions or resolving any issues.
Respond to Online Reviews
Regardless if the feedback is positive or negative, it’s important to respond to all customer comments you receive online about your pest control company within 24-48 hours. If the review is positive, thank the customer for their business and let them know you appreciate the review. If the feedback is negative, acknowledge the customer’s complaint. Take responsibility and provide an explanation if needed. Then take the discussion offline and work to make it right. If you turn a disgruntled customer into a satisfied customer, don’t be afraid to ask them to update their review!
Reward Friendly Technicians
As we mentioned earlier, to truly have a customer-centric culture, you need everyone in your company to be on board with your business values. That especially goes for your technicians out in the field since they’re the face of your pest control company. What better way to encourage friendly, customer-focused behavior than to recognize your employees that integrate it into their daily customer interactions. Perhaps you implement customer satisfaction surveys, rating service from 1-5, with 5 being the most satisfied. Each time a technician gets a 5 star rating, they get 10 points. When they reach 100 points, they get a gift card or some type of prize. Keep a leaderboard up in the office, so everyone can see how each person is performing and encourage friendly competition.
