Most service-based companies have high goals for customer relationships. Green industry professionals might have an edge on understanding how to really build something that lasts. Developing a strong customer relationship takes a lot of the same things that cultivating a healthy plant does, including plenty of time and effort, right from the start.<\/p>\n
The first meeting with a new client is all about finding common ground and education, says Laura Harrigan, director of customer service and sales, Nature- Works, Walpole, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love making connections. Understanding what\u2019s at the heart and soul of what a customer wants and cares about and then connecting that to my knowledge of horticulture and design and making suggestions for them that are super personal,\u201d she says. \u201cI really try to understand what they care about and what would bring them joy, whether that\u2019s a plant material or an aesthetic look or feel.\u201d<\/p>\n
James Tolentino, owner of Imperial Landscaping, Winston Salem, North Carolina, says he tries to be very informative and realistic about the services his team can provide to establish options and set expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t try to sell them something that we can\u2019t deliver on,\u201d Tolentino says.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people have expectations that beautiful lawns are grown overnight, and I try to impress on them that that just isn\u2019t how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starting from a place of education gives the relationship the chance to develop based on trust, he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m realistic and honest with them,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s the skeleton of the relationship, it\u2019s truthfulness, and offering what they\u2019re seeking in a realistic timeframe.\u201d<\/p>\n
For John Bell, operations manager, Quiet Village, St. Louis, good customer service has its roots in company culture. Training on how to listen to people and take action on their wants and needs are great techniques, but client retention comes from the company\u2019s values, he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hire people that have the same value systems as we do, and we train on those systems and make decisions on them,\u201d Bell says. \u201cIt\u2019s baked into everything we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the first notes in Quiet Village\u2019s value system is to \u201clove on the customer,\u201d Bell says. \u201cWe do whatever we can to get the client to a \u2018yes\u2019 situation when we\u2019re listening to them. We\u2019re taking care of their needs. We go the extra mile.\u201d<\/p>\n
That can mean taking on difficult tasks that a client asks for \u201cwith joy in our hearts,\u201d he says. It\u2019s about meeting the client\u2019s needs where they are that day. It takes understanding that every client is going to have a different perspective based on the stresses or other inputs they\u2019re dealing with that day and having empathy.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s upset, irrational client who won\u2019t pay anything for a service is going to be tomorrow\u2019s exuberant, loving client who\u2019s going to spend 10 grand, right?\u201d says Bell. \u201cWe just have to love on them in whatever mood they\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harrigan encourages her team to \u201cmake it personal, whatever it is you\u2019re doing for the client. That\u2019s what makes those relationships.\u201d For a recent customer whose mother had died, Harrigan asked if she could plant an Alice Oakleaf hydrangea, which shares its name with the client\u2019s parent. Nature- Works installed the plants at their own cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re there, and they\u2019re thriving in a place that I think reminds her of her mom,\u201d Harrigan says. \u201cWe try to do really personal, meaningful things like that for our clients a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tolentino takes the time to look over the client\u2019s property while talking with them. Walking the yard gives him the chance to listen to what parts of the lawn the customer is most concerned about while also doing his own evaluation, he says. It also allows him to organically introduce different levels of service and related prices to the conversation, so the client feels like they\u2019re receiving a personalized package.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can tell them what I think their needs are and give them a real explanation of why they need them,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Bell thinks of the sales team as consultants who get a call from a customer because there\u2019s a problem, or they have a dream they\u2019d like to build.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe take the approach that we\u2019re going to go out there and see if it\u2019s in our wheelhouse,\u201d he says. If it is, \u201cThen we\u2019re the professionals who are going to teach the client what we think the best solution is, or what certain things would work in this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harrigan says taking that first walk around the customer\u2019s property is where you\u2019re able to learn what parts of the property the client values, and what they\u2019d rather see changed, on top of your own insights. If the client doesn\u2019t have much to work with on their property, Harrigan suggests they look to neighboring yards for inspiration.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou give them something to react to, and you learn from that,\u201d she says. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s a process by which the client also learns what they really like and want. They might not be able to articulate that quickly, but by questioning you can get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting to the heart of the actual problem the client is trying to solve might take time, but it establishes your expertise and professionalism, says Harrigan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more consultative you can be and the more you can bring ideas, I think that\u2019s always really appreciated by the clients,\u201d she says. \u201cThen they start to turn to you more and more, and you become the go-to problem-solver.\u201d<\/p>\n
When a customer has an issue, Harrigan\u2019s account managers try to take care of it immediately or make a quick call to her to brainstorm the best solution, she says. Each week, the company has a team meeting, and there\u2019s always time set aside to discuss what she prefers to call \u201ctricky situations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quiet Village also doesn\u2019t use terms like \u201cproblem customer\u201d when dealing with someone who\u2019s upset, says Bell. Instead, they say that a client is \u201cat risk,\u201d similar to a new lead, because they\u2019re at risk of going to another company. A technique that he uses to work with a customer who calls with a complaint is to have them explain the problem to him three times in full, maybe asking for a repeat to make some notes. By the third time, the customer realizes that Bell is actually taking the time to listen to them, and even the most angry customer begins to calm down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey start realizing, \u2018This person is listening to me. And I was not expecting that,\u2019\u201d Bell says. That\u2019s the point when the caller will actually tell you what can be done to solve the problem. Once that solution is provided, make sure to follow through and make the customer a partner in the process by showing your efforts.<\/p>\n
Part of going the extra mile for customers involves taking as little time as possible to make the right decisions for the job, says Bell. Part of his job is to make sure his team uses their time efficiently, and to do that, he hires and trains people who use as little of his own time as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to push the decision for a job as close to the people who are actually doing the work and as close to the client as possible,\u201d Bell says. \u201cThat\u2019s part of the client relationship. Instead of having the client having to ask the crew leader, who has to ask an account manager, who has to ask somebody else, we want the crew leader to be able to answer those questions and install that bush or fix that sprinkler head.\u201d<\/p>\n
To do that, it means that leadership often acts more like support staff than direct overseers, he says. Crew members could be afraid to make those decisions because they could get in trouble for the wrong call. So Quiet Village has a rule that as long as they\u2019re trying to \u201clove\u201d on the customer, no one will get in trouble for a decision made.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if it\u2019s the wrong decision, we will come and debrief on it and help change our decision parameters for the future,\u201d he says. \u201cBut people are free to make mistakes as long as they\u2019re honestly trying to do right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bell looks at his crew leaders as people who have a lot of direct, professional experience with the projects and who love the job, which often makes them the best person to make the right call on a job site, whether it\u2019s adding another plant or fixing a sprinkler head. Afterward, the account manager can catch up with the client and determine the next steps.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can make that call because they\u2019re constantly speaking with their clients. They know the homeowner, they have the relationship,\u201d he says. \u201cWe equip all of our crews with the tools and implements where they can make those decisions right there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout the summer, Tolentino makes it a point to remain available to his customers. Each customer has his direct cell phone number and can contact him as needed for concerns, he says. Usually those questions can be handled quickly over the phone, or an appointment can be set up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI develop that closeness in a relationship, as I\u2019m being accessible,\u201d he says. \u201cThey can always call me. A lot of my customers choose to text me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Account managers at NatureWorks have a regular visit schedule that varies depending on the landscape\u2019s sophistication and the client\u2019s involvement level, says Harrigan. When they visit the property, they make it a point not only to drop a quick note detailing any issues that they\u2019ll be taking care of on the next visit, but also a positive point such as the flowers blooming.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes clients don\u2019t see things as they\u2019re happening,\u201d she says. \u201cIf they have a huge property, they might not notice something way out in the back.\u201d<\/p>\n
The continued physical time spent on the property helps give the customer confidence in the work that\u2019s being done, she says.<\/p>\n
Tolentino stays in communication with the client throughout the season to evaluate where the property stands and what he\u2019d like to do going forward, he says. That gives him the chance to talk about other services he can offer such as aeration or other treatments, which is an easier sell with customers who are already buying from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to retain their business,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m trying to make sure that I can keep the customers that I\u2019ve already got.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though Tolentino is the main point of contact for his customers, he trains his team to be able to respond to customer needs and be knowledgeable about the project. \u201cThey\u2019re the first contact between the customer and the company when they\u2019re out there,\u201d he says. \u201cI need to make sure they know what they\u2019re doing and that they\u2019re always exuding that sense of positiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harrigan\u2019s research found that 50% of the company\u2019s new clients came from referrals from the existing portfolio. That led to the development of the \u201cSurprise and Delight\u201d initiative, in which a budget is set aside and is available to the entire staff to find a way to add something special to the property.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea is that when you\u2019re on the property, whether you\u2019re mowing, gardening, whatever it is, pick up your head and look beyond the scope of the task you are there to do and see what else the property could benefit from. And just do it,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s been awesome, because we\u2019ve come up with some incredibly creative things and really impactful things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company has a form that allows employees to submit the projects they\u2019ve completed and developed a reward system around it that includes gift certificates and monetary rewards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve made a big deal out of it, because our best clients come from our current clients,\u201d she says. \u201cWe look to create what we call raving fans. And it makes people feel good at the end of the day to come up with something that has an impact directly for the client. It\u2019s so much more rewarding when the work you\u2019re doing, you feel like it\u2019s appreciated by someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Encourage a healthy customer relationship by making it personal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3358,"parent":0,"template":"","main-categories":[50],"class_list":["post-3357","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","main-categories-business-development"],"yoast_head":"\n