Dean (@bigwindowfitter) and myself were talking the other day, mostly about work and bits and bats about installation companies. We got onto the subject of presentation and how it important it was if you are an installation business, even if you’re a fitter or labourer. So, that got me thinking about this post. The most important things to consider if you’re an installation company in the window and door industry.
1. Presentation
While we’re on the subject of presentation, I might as well open with that one.
It really is key to present yourselves smartly as a company in all areas. That means everything from slick sales people, a clean showroom, clean reps cars and even clean fitters! I know it’s almost a tradition for fitters to have their arm pits on their t-shirts waterproofed by silicone. But you would be surprised how much of a difference it makes in front of the customers when clean workmen and women turn up to their house.
Yes being clean and tidy makes the world of difference. Especially when it comes to what sales people and trades people wear. For some sales teams, suits are the answer, they are for us. Customers regularly comments on how well dressed we are – it’s good for business too. For larger companies with more than one office, branded work wear is a good bet too, but it has to be quality apparel, not cheap material, it shows!
2. Get your customer service right
Again, it might sound like a rather simple point to make here, but customer service is absolutely key to success in our industry.
We as an industry get slammed for poor customer service, so when a customer gets good service, there is an increased positive experience for the end user. So, return your phone call when you say you will and sort out that dropped door out now, it will do you more favours than you think.
3. Be on time…for everything!
Time keeping, its one the biggest bugbears for many customers. If you say you are going to turn up on time, then turn up on time!
There is nothing worse than making plans for someone to come to your home, then be left waiting for them, with your day’s plans slowly going south. Being on time for a customer is one of the best ways to make a great first impression. We make a big effort at our place to turn up almost to the minute. When you knock at your potential new customer’s door at bang on the time agreed, they’re almost surprised at how accurate your time keeping is!
Good time keeping is key for every other area of your installation business. Surveyors, installers and service engineers should all turn up at the time that has been agreed. No doubt your customer’s day is planned around them, so don’t muck that up for them!
4. Rock solid contracts that protects both parties
Please, if you’re a sales rep and you continue to write down prices on random bits of scrappy paper and call them “quotes”, stop! Not only is it immeasurably unprofessional and does you no favours, but with all the new consumer protection laws and EU directives, it leaves your company wide open to attack.
It really doesn’t take that much effort to submit a professional, typed out quote stating the work proposed, with the latest T’s and C’s to make sure that both the customer and your company are protected.
5. Get your fitters right
You can have the best windows and doors in the world, but if you use poor fitters, then your product becomes just as useless as the worst windows and doors.
Getting qualified, attentive, professional installers is vital. Not only are they one of the most important cogs in your business, as they actually fit the product your sales reps sell, but they’re quite often the last faces of the company they may see. They need to leave the customer feeling satisfied that a good job has been done, that they’re happy and of course, most importantly, they pay you the final bill!
There are of course other major factors to consider whilst running an installations business:
- good quality marketing that gets across the points you want to make and your company’s USPs
- a great showroom helps a ton when trying to seal a sale or help generate that image of high quality
- being clean when on site fitting, leaving a messy home after you’ve done your work is a big no no!
As always I welcome your thoughts on this post and anything else you want to talk about. All comments welcome in the section below.
