The best time to deal with a problem is before it occurs.
The key is preventive problem management through anticipation.
While evaluating the present quality of your service, look ahead at the future needs of each client and for potential problems.
Just as we recommend for our clients to practice preventive maintenance for their landscape, so must we practice preventive maintenance in the service we provide to them.
Some suggestions for problem prevention are:
- Assume that your clients know little or nothing about our service. Educate them continuously about what you are doing. (For example: Send out seasonal newsletters to clients who will need to anticipate potential problems due to the change of seasons.) Send regular communication mail or E-Mail about topics your clients can use.
- Take pictures of potential problems on your client’s property. Go over them while making the appropriate recommendations. Always present possible problems with ready solutions. You can attach these photos to an E-Mail and alert your client to a situation quickly.
- Develop your front-line people to pay special attention to site details. Teach them to report problems or likely problems immediately to their supervisor. Utilize the Landscape Management Report and have a process of daily review of these reports. In addition, have a dry erase message board for posting issues observed by the crews.
- Call your client before they call you. Regularly make suggestions about how our service can improve the appearance of, and investment in their property.
When a problem does arise:
Always stay on offense. Act, don’t react. Take an offensive, not a defensive role.
Keep the line of access short and simple. Minimize the number of people a client has to go through to get their problem solved.
Have solutions ready. Keep a list of the most common problems you run into, and have a system ready for solving them.
“Live and manage by this simple principle: Don’t get caught by surprise.”
Be Well, Do Good Work, and Keep In Touch.
Fred Haskett
To Learn More Contact Fred at TrueWinds Consulting
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