Who Ya Gonna Call?
Who Ya Gonna Call: By John Loud
The other night, we had some friends over and were enjoying a great afternoon at the lake. My friend, Kirk, has a very successful veterinarian practice in the metro Atlanta area, so I took the opportunity to ask him, “What do you think has been the key to your success?” He answered with, “Two things. First, I give every single client my cell number so they can call, and second, I give them all a hug before they leave my office”.
Kirk treats all his clients, those with four legs and lots of fur AND their owners, with the utmost care. He takes it a step further by making himself available at any time if they have a concern or question.
The stress of having a sick pet can be immense. Being able to contact their veterinarian at any time provides great comfort to their owners. Pets are part of the family. Kirk wants to do everything he can to care for them and their owners.
I reflected on this and how it relates to our industry. Our customers entrust us with protecting their homes, their businesses and their families, the most important things in their lives.
That is quite a responsibility and I know we all want to get it right all the time. But guess what? We are human and sometimes, we may miss the mark. Our industry is primarily made up of two things: Technology and Humans, and neither are perfect.
I have made it a practice since the very early days of LOUD Security Systems to have my cell phone number and email right on our website. This is so that customers can reach out to me directly if they ever have an issue. People ask me all the time if I have two cell phones: one for family and friends and one for business on my website.
The answer is no. And thankfully I have an amazing team of professionals that work hard to ensure that every customer is satisfied so it is actually rare that customers reach out to me directly with a problem. But when they do, some seem shocked when I answer the phone, text them or call them back.
Making myself available to our customers also communicates a message to my employees: I have their backs. I am going to work with them, side by side, to make things right. Both Kirk and I have worked hard to build successful businesses, and I know you are on the same journey.
We believe being accessible to our customers is a key to our success. I have talked before about the good that I believe this can do for our industry. If we were to all make ourselves available to our customers so that they know that if they need to, they can go straight to the top.
It helps us stay in touch with our customers and understand where we have opportunities to improve. I hope you will all consider doing the same. I think you will see a lot of positivity come from such a small gesture.
Please know, that if I can ever help you with your involvement, engagement with ESA or something you are working through in your business or community, please do not hesitate to call and reach out to me directly.
