How do I get a great star rating?
Your Service Central star rating is an average rating out of 5 stars, based on the ratings given to you by each of your previous customers. A high star rating is important because not only does it convince your customers to use your services, but it also influences your position in the Service Central directory.
The best way to get great feedback is to give great service, and deliver quality workmanship and market-related quotes. Sounds easy? It is!
Expectations of a Service Central customer
Service Central customers are the same as all other customers in terms of needs, but the Service Central promise dictates:
- You must call within 24 hours of accepting the job
- You must be appropriately registered, licenced and insured
- You must adhere to the Service Central Code of Conduct
Looking to get great results? Here are 5 simple tips you can start on straight away.
1. Know who is boss. You are in business to service customer needs. Let it be communicated that it is YOUR privilege to have been placed on their shopping list.
2. Listen. Identifying the three most important things to your customer will provide clarity and focus. Concentrate on what the customer is really saying. This in turn will help you provide the solution they are looking for.
3. Anticipate needs. Customers don't buy services. They buy good feelings and solutions to problems. The more you know your customers, the better you become at anticipating their needs.
4. Treat your potential customers as individuals. Always use their name and find ways to compliment them, but be sincere. It creates good feeling and trust.
5. Give more than expected. Consider the following:
- What can you provide that your competition cannot?
- How can you follow-up and demonstrate gratitude even when they don't buy?
- What can you give a customer that is totally unexpected?
Then, if it doesn’t go well, and you receive a customer’s complaint (either online or directly), you need to take steps to address their concerns!
- Address any negative comments directly: Follow up with these customers with great customer service - apologise, explain, and compensate if necessary. If their complaint was caused by an issue beyond your control, don't be afraid to explain this to them and clarify the situation. The goal here is to provide good customer service and keep your customer happy, and any improvements in their online rating is an extra benefit.
- Respond online: Posting a good response online helps to reduce the impact of any low star ratings, but is another form of contacting the customer - if Service Central has an email address on file for them, they'll be notified of the comment.
- Review the cause: Every complaint or low rating is cause for a review - if you're getting complaints that your quotes are too high, check your prices against your colleagues. If you're getting complaints that no one called them, check your communication processes. Comments on the quality of your work especially need to be reviewed, perhaps by asking another skilled business to come and give a second opinion on the quality of the work. The result is good either way - you'll find out how to improve, or your customer will have the confidence that the job is in fact the best it could be!
- Get more good feedback to balance out the bad: Target happy customers from the past to post feedback online - if they've given Service Central their email address, you'll be able to use the system to ask them for a rating.
- Ask for a re-rating: Use the Service Central system to send a request to the customer to re-rate your business - especially useful after you've chatted with them directly and addressed their concerns.
What doesn't work? Service Central has seen it all - here's a few tips on what NOT to do.
- Contacting the customer when you're angry: Even if you don't say the words "I'm pissed off" your customers will still sense it if you call while you're angry. Take a few hours to calm down, sleep on it, talk to a colleague or friend for some perspective.
- Taking it personally: Business is business, and complaining customers are a fact of life. Hear them out and be reasonable - it's not a personal attack, much as it might feel like one!
- Arguing online: Using the online forum when you're angry is never a great idea - try posting a reply when you've had time to calm down.
- Sending angry emails: Don't send it until you've re-read it!
- Texting apologies: SMS's are for updates, reminders, and basic admin - not for customer service. An SMS is a tool to use in customer service, but not a tool to use in a disagreement.
At the end of the day, your star rating is part of the impression that your business makes on your Service Central customers, and you want your online profile to be the best that it can be to win the most work!
