It happens too often. You’ve set the schedule, optimized routes, sent out your technicians, and the dreaded call comes in. Your customer has cancelled. Not only are last minute cancellations inconvenient, they cost money. Use these tips to stop the cancellations and keep your business running smooth.
1. Send Automated Appointment Reminders
The truth is customers get busy too. They have a lot going on, and it’s easy to forget about an appointment. One of the best ways to prevent customer cancellations is to send them a simple reminder.
Automated reminders are best since they free you from having to manually send updates to customers and even your technicians and office staff.
2. Customize Notifications
You know that the service industry is about catering to customers needs. This includes how they wish to be notified. Asking your customers how they want to be contacted shows them that you care about their needs, and helps prevent miscommunications. Have a
platform set up so customers can select their preferred method of contact, whether is be text, email or phone call. This will ensure that they get the message every time.
3. Create a Good Rapport with Customers
Customers love feeling appreciated and cared for. When scheduling an appointment, be very attentive to your customer’s needs. It’s important that they feel comfortable with the time and date of the service. From the first interaction to the completion of the service, every interaction should be a pleasant experience for the customer. This will also help reduce future cancellations, as
happy customers will remain customers long term.
4. Be Punctual
Obviously your time is valuable, but so is are your customers’. Many field service customers become frustrated when a service person or technician is continuously running behind schedule. It is important to be mindful of a customers time and ensure that schedules are adhered to. Large service windows can also cause many customers to shy away from scheduling an appointment. Sending an
“on the way” text or providing a quick call helps tremendously and is appreciated by many customers.
5. Get Further Insight
So, you’ve automated reminders, provide excellent customer service and make sure your calls are efficient, but you still have cancellations. Every business is different, and it’s possible there’s another issue you just aren’t catching. Hiring a consultant to evaluate your business is an efficient and easy way to get more answers. A professional can provide outside insight to reduce cancellations and improve the customer experience. Another way to get insight is to look at your staff’s productivity and getting a pulse on customer satisfaction. Field service software that comes with reporting can help automate many of this.
Reducing cancellations is one of the best things you can do for your service business. So, use these tips to increase your bottom line and keep customers coming back again and again.
Ready to reduce cancellations with automated notifications?
In mHelpDesk, you can send email reminders to your customers about their appointments and improve your customer show rates and reduce cancellations. Schedule a
free demo of mHelpDesk today!
Last modified: December 17, 2018
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