If you get lost in the rant, a few questions are in bold at the bottom!
Hope everyone is enjoying their bank holiday weekend which sort of brings me to the subject... last week we cut a few lawns which should have been cut on Monday, the previous Friday. Most customers were delighted to see us as the grass is jumping out of the ground recently.
All bar 2 customers, one questioned why we were early and stated that their grass cut had increased from 30 to 33 pounds this year and now we aren't even waiting for the two weeks to be up before cutting. I think it was the ignorance and tone that really got to me. we cut the lawns either side of this client so it's desirable not to lose I think
The other customer called out the dates of the previous two cuts and wanted to know why we are early this time, again all in an ignorant manner, I tried multiple times to explain the genuine reason being that we were trying get them back into the routine which they were in and that the bad weather of late has almost pushed all of our work into one week and we were trying to free up some time for the bank holiday weekend as well. The customer concluded by telling us that we wouldn't be cutting it for 3 weeks this time around. This was after they had also received a selective weed treatment on their lawn which wasn't charged for (£20 per cut, the lawn is 5mx5m, nic grass with a few weeds on one part of it) a good paying job which for that reason would be desirable not to lose
both of these lawns if we went back in the dirary were cut on Friday the 15th, therefore actually gained the couple of days between that cut and the May Day bank holiday. They gained the extra few days because one of the guys had to go home shortly after starting their days work due to a genuine family emergency.
and just when I'm having a rant- I have one customer who the last two occasions hasn't been nessecarily rude but has quizzed me on why I was there on a Wednesday instead of a Tuesday and then the next time around i was quizzed as to why I was there on Tuesday instead of the Wednesday. Truth be told the job is a good half hour from me so I try to run it in when I would be past it doing other lawns in the area and the first time I had a hedge to do on the same run hence the reason for changing the calls a bit. It's a £30 call and costs me 45 mins on site when I am doing other calls in the area, no price increase for the last 5 years as I think it is priced fairly enough.
What I am wondering is,
I think it's perfectly fine to not call at the exact same time or on the exact same day given the costs are soaring and we are only passing on minimal price increases, if any in some instances, therefore the calls must be scheduled in whichever way is most suitable for the business, within reason I would take a week off a customer, literally a Monday call to a Friday is my max, if it was during the week a 2 day swing would be all I would go with.
am I being unreasonable?
how would you convey this to your customers in a laid back way?
I have always thought of handing out business terms with a few general house keeping bits on them or just a few pointers but wouldn't want it to look too straight laced, or indeed put across the point as though we are going to do what we please
has any one done this. Is there any key terms?
how would any of yous have dealt/ addressed the above issues?
we have gathered quite a few lawns up this year for our fortnightly schedule so I could probably afford to lose a few but I think it's never a good outlook to have in not going back as it would look huffy and unprofessional but the long and short of it is for all of it demand is outstripping supply and will continue to do so as we do a job that most people now just wouldn't entertain the thought of , and so could do without the hassle.
Thanks in advance
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Replies
did you fore warn them you would be visiting them earley because of the bank hollidays
i know it can be a nightmare when you get stoped because of the rain to keep every thing on scedual no doubt somone will come in and say they just keep cutting in the rain but in my experiance it dose not work verry well when the lawn is squelching underfoot
best thing is to have contact with them to tell them due to the wether you are running late and will get to them as soon as possable but not give a day
Unfortunately had similar experience Two small grass cutting jobs and at the end customers said get your diary to book next visit .
I don't feel it's possible for a business diary to revolve around the smaller jobs but customers see it differently
Sometimes I will do a blitz which makes a small overgrown garden viable 2 days work to bring it up to scratch but then involves minimal maintenance frequency perhaps 20 minutes tops it's just not viable for my business to revolve around it and set diary dates it can only work on a flexible arrangement and I explain to customer they don't have to be present as the garden is outdoors
I explained to one customer who told me they can't keep gardeners that a gardeners phone is always ringing this time of year and in order to meet demand a gardeners schedule has to flow smoothly so flexibility is a requirement and on ocassion compromise unless they want to employ me five days a week I can only fit the smaller jobs in as and when but fully understand if they want to dispense of my services .
I prefer not to have a contract with any domestic customer fearing it might lock me in to a situation I don't want to be in .
Customers understandably like to know when you're coming....... perhaps they want to discuss something, unlock gates, or I find that if they're old and on their own, they just like to see a face and someone to talk to......some just like a regular routine. I try and keep to the same day and roughly time............... if I'm running significantly late or need to change the day I phone or text them. Doesn't take a moment to pick up the phone and if it keepy the customers happy
Adam, we have a saying - The job would be ok without the customers!
After 40 years in the trade we've heard it all. Firstly with domestics we always make it clear that there is no set day and it will be around every 7 or 14 days, for weekly or fortnightly cuts, depending on weather work load etc. They either accept it at the outset or not.
I would not tolerate this s**t, walkaway saying that you aren't able to work for them anymore, you say you have plenty of work so why tolerate it?
To be honest, I'd hardly call it "sh**t"!! It really doesn't seem unreasonable to let a customer that you always visit on a specific day, advanced notice that you are changing the day for the coming visit and giving the reason. As I said, you only need to pick up the phone.
I usually look at it like so- By the time you make the call it would take a few minutes, multiply that across the 12 customers and all of a sudden we have lost enough time to do one of the jobs. I usually find, understandably, that you don't get everyone on the phone as week the first time you call. So you end up with an afternoon or morning pulling your phone out of your pocket at random intervals answering the return calls.
I think the bit that irks me generally is that no one gives off if you end up a few days too late but if you try to get those days back it can be hard to listen to.
generally speaking I find when I make arrangements with customers that's where small unforeseen things creep in and we end up running late, maybe one customer wants to talk about a job, then the next one wants a few small bushes cut, then there is a road closure and so it goes...
Like John F eluded to, I think flexibility is key and there should be a few days give and take without any hassle. Things can come up and we can get a new customer when we are doing a neighbour or a bit of damp weather can slow us down, therefore I like the flexibility to change things as suits best to maximise efficiency as much to keep as many clients happy as is possible, it just does not appeal to me to have to contact customers so regularly. I enphasise my service as hassle free, we come cut your grass and clear off when on our fortnightly round. We do have some customers who need a text the evening before as they don't like bank transfer and so like to leave the money out and also they keep their gates locked so just so they know to keep them open as well. I have a customer who contacted me to say he is having trees pruned tomorrow so if I could avoid calling tomorrow that would be great, so I will call on Tuesday. I'm all for working with customers but I just think it needs to be a two way street. I wasn't point blank rude to the man who told me to avoid calling tomorrow and tell him that his grass is Alex cut on a Monday so he should have booked his tree prune for another day!
All my customers are tech-savvy enough to do text messaging these days. It takes less than a minute to send a message that would probably avoid all the unnecessary aggro. Something simple like "Hi Mr. Smith, due to the Bank Holiday/weather, I would like to visit you eg. tomorrow instead of Wednesday, hopefully that's ok for you?...
You might still get the odd customer being a nuisance, but at least you have tried!
Some gated properties can be controlled from a customers work place or from abroad these days very tech savvy , usually i am trusted with a zapper or a code and visits rarely fluctuate ,same day , same time but flexibility between both parties is accepted and not neccessary to have to take a note to the teacher to explain why i cant call or vice versa .
Sometimes have had small jobs where i know the customer will kick off if i have to postpone due to unforseen circumstances and this has always seemed an unreasonable response to me even so i will make a call to advise them but i resent being treated like i am Ten years old i find it disrespectful but customers tend to react in unique ways according to their unique personality .
I do agree with Adam it does feel unprofessional to take offence and sulk but often it taints the relationship between customer and contractor and integrity is lost .
Biting my tongue at present with a couple of awkward customers whio i could replace tomorrow but trying to look at the positives nice gardens , good payers , easy parking , they fit in with nearby customer which makes the trip worth my while ,nice little town to grab a coffee and sit by the river for a short break .
I have learned to take it on the chin , not always some customers have being downright offensive and sometimes stress has made me over react .
Had one customer sadly no longer with us who would give constructive criticism where it was due but would balance it with positive praise , I have no problem with this in the slightest .
In my book reactions are normal I suppose its how we react to situations and i know there are times when i know i could have handled this better and customers i regret leaving also customers i deeply regret taking on in the first place .
This job can eat away at your mental wellbeing as it can become very stressful , Its being a constant struggle from the start .
As my GP told me always think ''self preservation '' and move on if you have to .
To sum up dropping toxic customers has become water off a ducks back i find it far too easy which at the same time worries me so i count to Ten and take a deep breath before reacting these days and remind myself i am in business providing a professional service and i am my own customer service helpline .
The customer is always right.....
I like to keep to a schedule where possible but like you say weather, holidays etc can throw a spanner into the works, Wednesday is terrible forecast in sunny Scarborough this week so I'll be trying to get a load of extra lawns cut the day before, my favourite is when they tell me the grass has hardly grown so don't bother this time , and the next time it comes around its raining so I then tell them I'll leave it until next time...
I have some clients (normally the commercial ones) that I do at any time that suits me. However I do have certain days I visit some domestic customers. If it needs changing for some reason, I just fire off a text the night before. It takes seconds and saves any misunderstanding. It works for me.
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