To serve as the voice of the pest control industry, protecting the livelihood of pest management professionals while fostering education, promoting professionalism, raising ethical standards, enhancing environmental stewardship, improving public health and quality of life.
Create Memorable Customer Experiences to Boost Your Business
Mark L. Hendrickson, Wingra Group
Service is a pretty big thing these days. It’s right up there with quality and value. I was thinking about customer service recently, after purchasing footwear from the online retailer Zappos. When I placed the order I was informed that I would receive my new sandals in 5-6 days. “Yeah, okay, pretty standard,” I thought. A few hours later I received an email from them with this message: “We have given your order high priority status at no extra cost to you. You should receive your order in about 2 days.”
Upon reading this I thought “Wow, that’s great” and in the future I ordered from Zappos again. I figured that maybe they did this for all customers, but it stuck with me and made me feel special.
This is an example of the little details that customers recall even more than the product or service they purchased. The key component above was that I was getting something extra at “no extra cost to me.” Here are four ways to go above and beyond good customer service and boost customer loyalty for your pest control business.
1) Pay attention. Encourage all members of your staff — technicians, office staff and others — to be masters of detail. This means being aware of the tiny details and little pieces of information they can observe about a customer or the setting in which they need pest control services. And then brainstorm about ways to give customers more than they expect, at no extra charge. Maybe this means offering a free inspection with a service call. Use your imagination and rely on the ideas of those on your team.
2) Recognize your customer. Greeting your customers by name means a great deal to them and adds much to their experience of doing business with you. This is particularly important in matters of pest control where they may be extremely anxious about regaining control of the situation.
3) Make it Personal. During her high school years, my youngest daughter and I went to breakfast before school at Monte’s Blue Plate Diner every Friday. Didn’t even need to order. As soon as we walked in the door they began preparing our breakfast. Experiences such as this add value and instill customer loyalty. Think about this: is there anything you and your technicians can do to ensure that your customers know that you not only are paying attention to their pest control needs, but that you remember them and their preferences?
4) Show Your Appreciation. Do you do anything to show your customers that you appreciate their business? After all, there are other pest control operators they could contact. Feeling appreciated is something we all enjoy as a customer. You could offer a free check-up or inspection. One of the easiest and often overlooked ways to demonstrate your appreciation is with a handwritten note of thanks. In the current era of electronic communications, this really stands out today.
The little extras in service don’t cost much and they go a long way in influencing the way customers think about you and whether they might refer you to friends and associates. Always remember this: pest control companies are likely to employ the same strategies, use the same formulations, the same bait stations. It is the little things that will make you stand out, keep people talking about you, and earn more business.
Mark L. Hendrickson, Wingra Group
If you were unable to obtain the web site domain name you wanted with the popular .com extension, now may be your chance. Occasionally, a new domain extension becomes available and .co is the new one you can reserve at domain registrars. Registrars are offering .co in what they refer to as a “landrush” marketing campaign.
Why consider a .co extension? “Co” is recognized as an abbreviation for “company” which means it’s relevant for small businesses. The “co” registry is wide open, unlike “com” in which you really have to be creative to create a domain that’s memorable, and relevant to your operation.
Do you really need a .co extension? If you have a good domain under .com, probably not. If you’ve always desired a better domain name, give it a try. Just remember that with a new domain there are many things you have to change or update: truck signage, letterhead, advertising, business cards, invoices, forms, and much more. Get more information at any of the domain registrars including godaddy.com, register.com, and networksolutions.com.
Mark L. Hendrickson is President of The Wingra Group, a Madison-based marketing and business development company. He can be reached at wingra1@gmail.com.