Communication for Skilled workers

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Communication for Skilled workers
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Practical Example

• Eddie Comfort Contractor (ECC)
• John Merry service engineer at ECC- has just
  returned from his holidays.
• During his holidays in Greece he had regular
  contact with service engineer Fred on the beach.
  Fred works for a different contractor. He was
  very enthusiastic about his company and the
  contact with his clients. His enthusiasm has
  infected John!

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John wonders For whom do I actually work?

• The Contractor
• For his boss who employs him and pays him for the
  work he carries out
• For the people who work there
• The client
• For the client for whom he solves problems,
  installs new systems and whom he occasionally
  advises
• Because I enjoy my work
• Fun at work and with colleagues
• Satisfied clients
• Achieve objectives for my boss

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How can John Merry develop better client contact?

• Good preparation
• Personal presentation
• Know what makes a client tick
• Be prepared for unforseen situations
• Have an answer to the clients questions
• Be critical when it comes to the quality you have
  delivered

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Eddie Comfort Contractor (ECC)

• ICC was founded by Eddie Comfort senior and in 40
  years has grown from a one-man business to an
  electrical contractor employing 10 specialised
  engineers in the field of technical engineering.
• The company has its seat in .and they work for
  the consumer and the small non-residential
  building companies the area.  
• What does ECC offer its clients?
• the installation and maintenance of various
  types of electrical equipment
• cut-to-size service contracts that fit the
  clients needs
• 24-hour service
• a show room
• environmentally awareness (sustainability)
• attention to the clients needs
• clear and understandable offers
• high quality is guaranteed owing to the
  joint-trade organisation membership
• How can you be certain that we deliver quality
  work?
• ECC can count 2,700 regional household
  companies among its clients
• we will gladly bring you into contact with
  one of our clients in your neighbourhood
• Contact?
• Should you like to know more or if you would like
  to make an appointment, do not hesitate and give
  us a call. Our number is Ask for Eddie Comfort.
  Or go to our website www.eddiecomfort.eu. You
  are also more than welcome to our show room.

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Checklist client visit preparations (work slip)

• technical failure
• Maintenance
• Installation

• client details
• client number
• Name
• Address
• Postal code
• Town
• Daytime telephone
• Evening telephone
• Fax
• E-mail
• New client?
• Guarantee
• Maintenance contract

Appointment Date Time
Equipment data Details of technical failure
client history Replaced parts Necessary
parts Special tools
Details
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Practical example 1

• A client is upset because John Merry turned up
  late for an appointment
• What should John do?
• Who sometimes finds himself in a situation like
  this?
• What would you do in a situation like this?
• In what ways could he deal with the dissatisfied
  client?
• Listen
• Delegate the complaint to the office
• What could he do to prevent this from happening
  in future?
• Timely inform the client that he wont be able to
  make the appointment
• Let the office make a new appointment well in
  advance

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Practical example 1

• John Merry listens to the client. Once the client
  has finished speaking, he offers his apologies
  and calmly explains the reason for his delay. Try
  to be honest here. Never blame someone else. In
  most cases, the client will have some sympathy
  for the situation.
• Once John Merry has done the job he came to do,
  he says good-bye to the client and promises that
  he will do his best to be in time for future
  appointments.
• Back in the car, he realises that it would have
  been better to inform the client beforehand about
  him not being able to arrive at the agreed time,
  and to have asked the client if this would be a
  problem. Should a later time have been
  inconvenient to the client then a new appointment
  could have been made. He also notes down on the
  Client-visit Checklist what has occured.

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Client follow up Checklist

• Solution after consultation with client
• Give quote
• Safety
• technical failure/Service contract
• Energy Performance Advice
• Send information
• Company
• Products and services
• Order parts
• Draw up service contract
• Schedule Energy Performance Advice
• Complaint explanation
• Other, viz
• Execution
• Who? (name employee) .
• Date of action..
• How?
• Visit

Client details Client number Name Address Post
al code Town Daytime telephone Evening
telephone

• Unable to immediately solve problem
• Problem bigger than expected
• Nature of problem
• Time needed for solution
• Temporary solution
• Client is absent
• New appointment

• Action (undertaken)
• Action (still to be undertaken)
• Activities carried out
• Referral

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Situation 2

• John Merry is working on safety repairs. He
  notices that the infrared sensors will soon need
  to be replaced.
• What do you think John will do?
• What does he do?
• Nothing, just finishes the job. Sensors are not
  my department
• He informs the client. Nothing more
• He informs the client and indicates what should
  be done!
• He leaves a company brochure behind
• He informs his boss. There is a good chance that
  the company will be asked to install new safety!

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Practical example 2

• John Merry informs the client that the sensors
  will soon
• need to be replaced. He says something about the
• various options available in the current field of
  safety
• and leaves a company brochure behind. John tells
  the
• client that systems are becoming more and more
  durable.
• Has the client for, instance, ever considered
  adopting a
• different type of safety system? In addition, he
  hands
• the client a business card, so that the client
  can consider
• his options and can contact the company. John
  then
• arranges with the client that the company will
  contact him
• in two weeks time to inquire whether the client
  is
• interested in making an appointment.

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Practical example 2 (contin.)

• After saying goodbye, John Merry returns to his
  car and
• takes out the Client-visit Checklist. He makes
  a note of how he informed the client about the
  fact that the safety needs to be replaced, how he
  left information behind and the follow-up
  appointment that was made.
• On his return to the office, he makes sure that
  his colleague Hans van Schie of the internal
  staff is informed and that the checklist is filed
  with the other information about Mr. Van Velzen.
  There is a good chance that an order for the
  installation of a new central-heating system will
  come in.

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Client follow up checklist

• Solution after consultation with client
• Give quote
• Safety
• technical failure/Service contract
• Energy Performance Advice
• Send information
• Company
• Products and services
• Order parts
• Draw up service contract
• Schedule Energy Performance Advice
• Complaint explanation
• Other, viz
• Execution
• Who? (name employee) .
• Date of action..
• How?
• Visit
• By telephone

Client information Client number Name Address P
ostal code Town Daytime telephone Evening
telephone

• Problem could not be immediately solved
• Problem bigger than expected
• Nature of problem
• Time needed for solution
• Temporary solution
• Client is absent
• New appointment

• Action (undertaken)
• Action (to be undertaken
• Activities carried out
• Referral

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Practical example 3

• A client indicates that he is looking into a new
  safety installation
• What does this mean?
• What would you do?
• What does John Merry do?
• John Merry listens to what the client has to say
• John hands over his companys business card with
  the promise that his colleague will contact the
  client for an appointment and leaves some basic
  information behind
• John makes a note on the work slip that the
  client should be called back for an appointment
• As soon as he is in the car, he rings his
  colleague to inform him

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Client follow up checklist

• Solution after consultation with client
• Give quote
• Safety
• technical failure/Service contract
• Energy Performance Advice
• Send information
• Company
• Products and services
• Order parts
• Draw up service contract
• Schedule Energy Performance Advice
• Complaint explanation
• Other, viz
• Execution
• Who? (name employee) .
• Date of action..
• How?
• Visit
• By telephone

Client information Client number Name Address P
ostal code Town Daytime telephone Evening
telephone

• Problem could not be immediately solved
• Problem bigger than expected
• Nature of problem
• Time needed for solution
• Temporary solution
• Client is absent
• New appointment

• Action (undertaken)
• Action (to be undertaken
• Activities carried out
• Referral

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Practical example 3

• John listens to the client and tries to find out
  something
• about the clients wishes. He then informs the
  client
• about the various options. For this he uses
  product
• information and leaves a brochure and his
  business card
• behind. John informs the client that
  installations are
• becoming more and more durable. Has the client
  for
• instance ever considered adopting a different
  type of
• safety system?
• The client indicates that he would appreciate for
  someone
• to visit him for more in-depth advice. On
  leaving, John
• and the client arrange that Johns colleague will
  contact
• him for an appointment. He notes down the
  clients
• daytime telephone number. He then notes all this
  down
• on the client-visit checklist.

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Practical example 3 (contin.)

• John immediately informs his colleague from his
  car.
• This is a potentially big business opportunity.
  His
• colleague immediately makes a note to contact the
• client. John Merry will give him the completed
  checklist
• on his return to the office.

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Practical example 4

• John Merry is carrying out maintenance work for a
• client. This client has not entered into a
  service
• contract. John Merry senses that the client is
• interested in the service contract.
• What would you do in such a case?

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Practical example 4 (contin.)

• What does John do?
• John Merry first finishes the maintenance work.
  Afterwards he informs the client about what
  maintenance work he has done.
• He then asks the client whether he has ever
  thought about entering into a maintenance
  contract.
• When the answer is yes
• Explain the different maintenance contracts
• Arrange that a contract will be drawn up and
  send, note on work slip
• John Merry informs his colleague
• When the answer is no (1)
• Client is not interested but is not immediately
  opposed either
• John informs the client about the advantages of a
  service contract and leaves some information
  behind
• Arranges with the client that the company will
  get in touch to learn whether the client is
  interested and makes a note on the work slip
• When the answer is no (2)
• The client is not interested why not?
• John informs his colleague. It is important that
  there will be a follow up. Take
  action yourself!

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Practical example 4

• John Merry carries out maintenance work for a
  client
• without a service contract. Afterwards he asks
  the client if
• he has ever considered entering into a service
  contract.
• The client tells John that he has thought about
  it, but that
• he feels that such a contract would be
  unprofitable. He
• would however like to know more about the
  possibilities.
• John informs the client about the advantages and
  also
• gives him some information about the various
  service
• contracts and hands him his business card. He
  arranges
• with the client that he will be contacted in two
  weeks.
• John Merry returns to his car and fills in the
  details on the
• Client-visit Follow Up Check List.

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Practical example 4 (contin.)

• When he returns to the office he passes on the
  information
• to his colleague. He adds that it is important
  that this
• contact receives a follow up, for although the
  client
• indicated that he considers a service contract to
  be
• unprofitable, John still has the feeling that the
  client is
• interested. John then adds the form to the
  clients
• file.

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Client follow up checklist

• Solution after consultation with client
• Give quote
• Safety
• technical failure/Service contract
• Energy Performance Advice
• Send information
• Company
• Products and services
• Order parts
• Draw up service contract
• Schedule Energy Performance Advice
• Complaint explanation
• Other, viz
• Execution
• Who? (name employee) .
• Date of action..
• How?
• Visit
• By telephone

Client information Client number Name Address P
ostal code Town Daytime telephone Evening
telephone

• Problem could not be immediately solved
• Problem bigger than expected
• Nature of problem
• Time needed for solution
• Temporary solution
• Client is absent
• New appointment

• Action (undertaken)
• Action (to be undertaken
• Activities carried out
• Referral

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Service contracts

• Service contract A
• maintenance service/checkup once every two years
• 24-hour service, 7 days a week
• no call out fee in case of technical failure
• terminable annually
• rate

• Service contract B
• maintenance service/checkup once every two years
• 24-hour service, 7 days a week
• no call out fee in case of tech. failure
• no labour costs in case of tech. failure
• terminable annually
• rate

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Service contracts

• Service contract C
• maintenance service/checkup once every two years
• 24-hour service, 7 days a week
• no call out fee in case of tech. failure
• no labour costs in case of tech. failure
• No costs of materials in case of tech. failure
• terminable annualy
• rate

• Service contract D
• maintenance service/checkup once every year
• 24-hour service, 7 days a week
• no call out fee in case of tech. failure
• no labour costs in case of tech. failure
• no costs of material in case of tech. Failure
• terminable annually
• rate