Successfully running a painting business depends significantly on your communication with clients. Not only is competition high, but many people also opt for a DIY approach for this project. With that in mind, how can you persuade potential clients to choose you over your competitors, or even over doing the painting themselves? The answer is simple; you must improve customer service in your painting business!
Is it easier said than done?
Taking care of customers is considered one of the most crucial parts of any business. If you are running a painting company, this might be even more true than for other industries. Since you are always closely communicating with them and often use word of mouth advertising, the slightest mistake can cost you a lot.
Nevertheless, to improve customer service in your painting business, you only need to pay attention to these aspects:
- work on your soft skills in communication
- understand the needs and demands of your customers
- know their financial limits
- provide information and answer all questions they have
- set the standards your clients expect
- utilize the latest technologies
Be a smooth talker
Communication is the most vital skill of any employee who works with people. Besides knowing how to talk, you also must practice “reading” your clients. A few wrong words can have a massive impact on your reputation. Learn how to recognize and address issues as soon as they appear.
Get to know your customers
Understanding customer needs and demands will greatly improve your painting business. This is no easy feat, but if you’ve successfully managed to tackle your communication skills, you should be able to understand your clients.
By knowing upfront what to expect, you can prepare for any situation. Furthermore, you can create packaged offers that specifically aim to satisfy your clients’ needs.
Set the correct price
No matter how good the quality of your service is, if the customers cannot pay for it, you won’t make any money. When talking about the cost of services, there are two different approaches.
- Set the price to what you think the service costs. Even if it’s more expensive, you wait for the customers who have enough money to pay, and don’t underprice your work.
- Align the price to your customers’ financial abilities. Provide exceptional service, nurture customer relations, and compensate for the lower price with a higher number of returning clients.
Both of these strategies are valid, but you have to see which one is more efficient. If you are looking for ways to improve customer service in your painting business, the second option might be a better choice.
Be completely transparent and provide answers to their questions
Most people don’t know much about painting a home, which colors to use, and what the process looks like. By providing useful information, customer service in your company will reach another level.
Besides just painting their homes, work closely with the clients to help them understand the process. If there is an issue, be completely transparent about it and try to solve it as quickly as possible.
Set high standards
Your clients deserve the best. If you set high standards and be consistent with keeping the bar from falling, results will come over time. Every business needs discipline, and clients will show more respect towards a company that knows what it wants and offers only quality service.
If you have high standards, your clients will have high expectations. Consequently, this approach may result in charging more after some time. It is a fact that people are ready to pay good money if they get a quality service in return.
Use new technologies to improve customer service in your painting business
The digitalization of the painting industry is setting new standards in customer experience. By using advanced technologies, you are allowing your company to tap into unknown waters. Using electronic communication channels like phones, tablets, computers, and other more advanced devices allows more flexibility. Another benefit is that you can have a custom-built software application that meets all your business’s needs. It becomes easy to build a loyalty program or even add a live chat option, so your customers have someone to talk to if needed.
Improving customer service made easy
As you can see, all of these ways to improve customer service in your painting business offer a specific benefit. With that in mind, you shouldn’t be only focusing on one or two strategies, but create a mix of useful approaches that will help you foster better communication with your clients.
Author bio:
Trevor West is a motivational speaker and a freelance blogger. He focuses on helping small businesses develop and push through difficult situations.