Where are you focusing your efforts on improving the experience customers have when interacting with your restoration company? This experience is a critical factor that determines whether a person will buy again in the future, how they will respond in online reviews, and if they will refer friends and family in the future. While it’s important to improve the experience for your direct customers, don’t underestimate customer experience for the referring party as well.
Customer Experience for Loss Victims
Experiencing a loss or damage in the home can be an emotional time, which is why customer experience is more important than ever. Here are a few details that will shape the customer experience for loss victims:
- How the phone is answered: Does the customer receive empathy and an emotional connection?
- Response time: How long does it take for you to get to the location? Does the crew show up fully prepared to handle the job?
- First impressions: The initial interaction sets the tone for the customer relationship. How does the team present when arriving on the scene?
- Education about mitigation: While timely work is essential, it’s just as important to communicate with the customer about the mitigation steps and strategies.
- Access and comfort: What should the customer expect while the drying is taking place? Discuss the potential interruptions that could impact daily activities and lifestyle.
- Insurance communication: When appropriate, the communication between your restoration company and the insurance adjuster/agent can affect customer experience.
- Transparency: Proactive communication about invoicing, work requirements, and insurance payments will play a role in the customer’s experience through the project.
As you are optimizing the customer experience, consider the most important touchpoints you have with each person along the way. A loss victim forms an opinion about your company before they call, during the first interactions, throughout the cleanup project, and when the job is complete.
Customer Experience for the Referring Party
Additionally, it’s smart to optimize the experience offered for the referring party. This customer experience is shaped by:
- Extra benefits offered beyond the basic “vendor relationship”
- How the phone is answered
- Empathy showed to the referred customer
- How responsive the team is in handling the situation?
- Ongoing communication throughout the project
- Being proactive in making it a livable home whenever possible
- Thanking the referring party for the referral
- Creating such a great experience that they are willing to send referrals again in the future
Ultimately, much of the customer service for the referring party is based on how their customers are treated. If you are proactive in providing quality customer experience for the loss victims, then it increases the likelihood that the referring party will be satisfied by the experience as well.
Tips for Optimizing Customer Experience
Are you looking for ways to improve business systems so you can easily optimize customer experience? Download our free guide: Customer Service is the New Branding. We share a detailed list and guidelines to help with boosting customer experience for both loss victims and the referring business contacts.