- Sep 5, 2007
- 39,447
- 20,237
- 113
- Real Name
- Robert Allen,Jr.
- Business Location
- United States
Many members here on Truckmountforums realise that it is the "little things" that separate us from our competitors. This is known in many industries as Moments of Truth. What we want to focus on is positive Moments of Truth. (PMOT's) What is the definition for MOT? A moment of truth is when an interaction occurs between a customer and the service provider that can leave a lasting positive or negative impression on a customer.
Daily I remind my techs that it is our privilege to have our customers business,not the other way around. Moments of truth in carpet cleaning, for example, will undoubtedly include (but not be limited to) booking the job,your personal and van appearance,arrival,walk through,cleaning experience,relating to client add ons and diverse services,interaction with home owners children and pets, and much more.
Through the years I have seen,met and noticed online that many cleaning service providers are delusional. They think they are doing a good quality job with PMOT's but sadly in reality they are not. Perhaps they lack training or desire. Regardless,understanding the moments of truth that are important to our organisation's customers is the key to understanding what good customer service really is. How important is it? It can be the difference between success and failure. Yes there will be some who are exceptions to the rule but this is rare. They can be negative and still make money. But they will never be truly successful until they understand and fully implement PMOT's.
Now an owner operator can track his results by examining a master list like the one we are creating here. This is important because the O/O may think he is doing great but in reality he may not be. Let me give you an example. Recently I was called to do a pest control for a move out. Upon arrival I noticed the carpets were cleaned by the lines in the carpet. It actually looked very good. We had offered her carpet cleaning when she booked the pest job but said her real estate company said she had to use someone else to clean the carpets. Now this client was about 30 and very attractive. Now why would I mention she was attractive? Well let me explain.
While writing up the pest report I engaged her in light freindly conversation (PMOT
) and asked who the carpet cleaner was. When she told me I wasn't surprised. This guy had worked for me about 15 years ago and did good work. When he worked for me many clients said he was very "good looking". True he may have been but listen to what she said next. "Rob I am a model and have model friends. I was thinking when I saw him without a ring that I may set him up with one of my girl friends. But then he opened his mouth he was so negative that I was really turned off. I was looking forward to him finishing and leaving.". WOW! What a "negative moment of truth!
Well needless to say this client is now a lifetime client of mine because I implemented tons of PMOT's and was very meticulous about not introducing any negative MOT's. Actually this is how I treat every client in the same manner. It is my privilege to serve them and I am always looking for ways to exceed the clients expectations. Remember I said earlier little things,PMOT's, separate us from our competition. Think I'm wrong? Think again. Did you know in golf that only one stroke or two average separates those making millions and those making thousands on the Professional Golf Tour? So just a couple of things can be the difference of whether you lose a client to a competitor of keep them for a life time. So we need to take this seriously. Very seriously.
Multi-truck owners have a harder time tracking PMOT's because surveys are not a good way of mapping them. Surveys are not a good way to track PMOT's for two reasons. First,most are poorly designed and do not address PMOT's because there are too many variables and people involved such as those answering the phone and service technician for example. Also the questions are too vague. For example,they may ask "How was your cleaning? Well the cleaning may have been good but like negative experience mentioned above the tech may have been negative. So the answer is misleading. Secondly they condition the clients to give a favorable response even if they were only 70% or happier overall according to research. 70% does not cut it for us. That to me is failing. I want 100% customer satisfaction and PMOT's have a direct bearing on this. Relying on surveys is risky at best!
The best way to map PMOT's is to know as many PMOT's as possible and have your finger on the pulse of your company. You must understand it is the "experience" that must be measured. People continue do business with people because of their good experience,feeling or vibe they got from your whole company. Surveys can't address this. Only you can. Well you may thinking well if she didn't like me then she would say so. Not so fast Sparky! In this present society many don't complain because they don't want confrontation or imagine a technician may retaliate. These are violent times we live in. Many people are guarded and rightfully so. Rather they just move on to the next company while you remain oblivious. Not good!
Determining, at each moment of truth, for each segment of the cleaning company experience, what impacts on the customer's perception and memory of the service is the key to providing good service while building lifetime clients. Research at Harvard asked what impacts on the Moment of Truth? There were three personal factors that impact on perception of your service. The personal factors are;
The level of concern shown for the individual customer
The level of friendliness shown towards the customer
The level of civility shown towards the customer.
Showing genuine concern for your clients feelings and fine furnishings are the "game changers". If you get it right clients are more likely to be genuinely satisfied and return to your service for perhaps the rest of their life. I know that is my goal. I drill this into my techs every day. 100% customer satisfaction is job number one. Especially in this internet age. We better be delivering PMOT's or the internet along with non-returning clients may do us in and rightfully so. If your service and your attitude suck then you don't deserve to be in business. And believe me when I say,there are cleaners right behind you waiting for you to drop your guard who will deliver tons of PMOT's!
So don't be delusional. What you think may be good enough is may NOT be good enough. Therefore you need to implement as many PMOT's as you possibly can. Especially in this sour economy. To do so you may need to know as many PMOT's as possible. But where can we view a complete list of PMOT's? Right here in this thread. I know of many but would like members to aid in creating a master list. So please feel free to post them and I will edit this until we have a nice complete list.
I'll start. One pet peeve of mine is when we use a clients garden hose spigot and we un-hook there garden hose. Some do not not take the time to hook back up their hose. This is trifling to me. That is a NMOT. Hooking it back up is a PMOT! This may seem like just a little thing but a lot of little things add up to be a big thing in business especially in your bank account!!!
Rob Allen
Truckmountforums
Answering Phone
Answer before 4th ring
Smile when answering phone.
Introduce yourself on the phone.
Before leaving office
Pay attn to personal appearance and truck appearance.
Clean shirts/pants/vehicle
Make sure truck stocked & have all necessary tools are clean and shining
Introduction at Door
Knock before ringing bells to not disturb sleeping children
Stand back approx 3 ft
Be confident but not cocky
Don't stare in windows
Introduce yourself,shake males hand
Smile & look customer in eye
Give free spotter & business card
Ask is it ok to park in driveway-NO oil leaks if so put something under it
Ask for a tour of home
Put shoe covers on
Wipe feet before entering if no shoe covers
Treat dogs and children kindly without over doing it
Lightly sincerely compliment them on decor or yard
Walk Through
Ask questions and listen carefully
Sample questions;
How long since last been cleaned?
Any spots & stains want me to pay special attn to?
Are there any pets loose?
How old is your carpet?
Assure client that you are the right person for the job!
Then ask is it ok for us to get started?
Setting up
Use corner guards
Door guard for in-climate weather
Don't lay tools where trip may occur
Run hoses on hard surface,never grass and bushes to avoid damaging/burning
Close doors behind you
Cleaning
Prevacuum cleaner should look and SMELL good- Couple drops of deodoriser on bag.
Clean sample dirty area,write initials of show difference.
LIGHTLY explain your cleaning process-avoid over technical terms
Point out non-responding permanent stains and offer repair solutions
Place air movers to speed dry
Turn off lights upon exiting rooms
Use tabs/blocks explain to client when they can be removed
Wipe water drips up immediately
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Daily I remind my techs that it is our privilege to have our customers business,not the other way around. Moments of truth in carpet cleaning, for example, will undoubtedly include (but not be limited to) booking the job,your personal and van appearance,arrival,walk through,cleaning experience,relating to client add ons and diverse services,interaction with home owners children and pets, and much more.
Through the years I have seen,met and noticed online that many cleaning service providers are delusional. They think they are doing a good quality job with PMOT's but sadly in reality they are not. Perhaps they lack training or desire. Regardless,understanding the moments of truth that are important to our organisation's customers is the key to understanding what good customer service really is. How important is it? It can be the difference between success and failure. Yes there will be some who are exceptions to the rule but this is rare. They can be negative and still make money. But they will never be truly successful until they understand and fully implement PMOT's.
Now an owner operator can track his results by examining a master list like the one we are creating here. This is important because the O/O may think he is doing great but in reality he may not be. Let me give you an example. Recently I was called to do a pest control for a move out. Upon arrival I noticed the carpets were cleaned by the lines in the carpet. It actually looked very good. We had offered her carpet cleaning when she booked the pest job but said her real estate company said she had to use someone else to clean the carpets. Now this client was about 30 and very attractive. Now why would I mention she was attractive? Well let me explain.
While writing up the pest report I engaged her in light freindly conversation (PMOT
) and asked who the carpet cleaner was. When she told me I wasn't surprised. This guy had worked for me about 15 years ago and did good work. When he worked for me many clients said he was very "good looking". True he may have been but listen to what she said next. "Rob I am a model and have model friends. I was thinking when I saw him without a ring that I may set him up with one of my girl friends. But then he opened his mouth he was so negative that I was really turned off. I was looking forward to him finishing and leaving.". WOW! What a "negative moment of truth!Well needless to say this client is now a lifetime client of mine because I implemented tons of PMOT's and was very meticulous about not introducing any negative MOT's. Actually this is how I treat every client in the same manner. It is my privilege to serve them and I am always looking for ways to exceed the clients expectations. Remember I said earlier little things,PMOT's, separate us from our competition. Think I'm wrong? Think again. Did you know in golf that only one stroke or two average separates those making millions and those making thousands on the Professional Golf Tour? So just a couple of things can be the difference of whether you lose a client to a competitor of keep them for a life time. So we need to take this seriously. Very seriously.
Multi-truck owners have a harder time tracking PMOT's because surveys are not a good way of mapping them. Surveys are not a good way to track PMOT's for two reasons. First,most are poorly designed and do not address PMOT's because there are too many variables and people involved such as those answering the phone and service technician for example. Also the questions are too vague. For example,they may ask "How was your cleaning? Well the cleaning may have been good but like negative experience mentioned above the tech may have been negative. So the answer is misleading. Secondly they condition the clients to give a favorable response even if they were only 70% or happier overall according to research. 70% does not cut it for us. That to me is failing. I want 100% customer satisfaction and PMOT's have a direct bearing on this. Relying on surveys is risky at best!
The best way to map PMOT's is to know as many PMOT's as possible and have your finger on the pulse of your company. You must understand it is the "experience" that must be measured. People continue do business with people because of their good experience,feeling or vibe they got from your whole company. Surveys can't address this. Only you can. Well you may thinking well if she didn't like me then she would say so. Not so fast Sparky! In this present society many don't complain because they don't want confrontation or imagine a technician may retaliate. These are violent times we live in. Many people are guarded and rightfully so. Rather they just move on to the next company while you remain oblivious. Not good!
Determining, at each moment of truth, for each segment of the cleaning company experience, what impacts on the customer's perception and memory of the service is the key to providing good service while building lifetime clients. Research at Harvard asked what impacts on the Moment of Truth? There were three personal factors that impact on perception of your service. The personal factors are;
The level of concern shown for the individual customer
The level of friendliness shown towards the customer
The level of civility shown towards the customer.
Showing genuine concern for your clients feelings and fine furnishings are the "game changers". If you get it right clients are more likely to be genuinely satisfied and return to your service for perhaps the rest of their life. I know that is my goal. I drill this into my techs every day. 100% customer satisfaction is job number one. Especially in this internet age. We better be delivering PMOT's or the internet along with non-returning clients may do us in and rightfully so. If your service and your attitude suck then you don't deserve to be in business. And believe me when I say,there are cleaners right behind you waiting for you to drop your guard who will deliver tons of PMOT's!
So don't be delusional. What you think may be good enough is may NOT be good enough. Therefore you need to implement as many PMOT's as you possibly can. Especially in this sour economy. To do so you may need to know as many PMOT's as possible. But where can we view a complete list of PMOT's? Right here in this thread. I know of many but would like members to aid in creating a master list. So please feel free to post them and I will edit this until we have a nice complete list.
I'll start. One pet peeve of mine is when we use a clients garden hose spigot and we un-hook there garden hose. Some do not not take the time to hook back up their hose. This is trifling to me. That is a NMOT. Hooking it back up is a PMOT! This may seem like just a little thing but a lot of little things add up to be a big thing in business especially in your bank account!!!
Rob Allen
Truckmountforums
Answering Phone
Answer before 4th ring
Smile when answering phone.
Introduce yourself on the phone.
Before leaving office
Pay attn to personal appearance and truck appearance.
Clean shirts/pants/vehicle
Make sure truck stocked & have all necessary tools are clean and shining
Introduction at Door
Knock before ringing bells to not disturb sleeping children
Stand back approx 3 ft
Be confident but not cocky
Don't stare in windows
Introduce yourself,shake males hand
Smile & look customer in eye
Give free spotter & business card
Ask is it ok to park in driveway-NO oil leaks if so put something under it
Ask for a tour of home
Put shoe covers on
Wipe feet before entering if no shoe covers
Treat dogs and children kindly without over doing it
Lightly sincerely compliment them on decor or yard
Walk Through
Ask questions and listen carefully
Sample questions;
How long since last been cleaned?
Any spots & stains want me to pay special attn to?
Are there any pets loose?
How old is your carpet?
Assure client that you are the right person for the job!
Then ask is it ok for us to get started?
Setting up
Use corner guards
Door guard for in-climate weather
Don't lay tools where trip may occur
Run hoses on hard surface,never grass and bushes to avoid damaging/burning
Close doors behind you
Cleaning
Prevacuum cleaner should look and SMELL good- Couple drops of deodoriser on bag.
Clean sample dirty area,write initials of show difference.
LIGHTLY explain your cleaning process-avoid over technical terms
Point out non-responding permanent stains and offer repair solutions
Place air movers to speed dry
Turn off lights upon exiting rooms
Use tabs/blocks explain to client when they can be removed
Wipe water drips up immediately
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86)
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89)
90) We really appreciate having you as a customer!
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