I Don't Want To Complain But...

‘Your fitters were great, hard working and so tidy. The salesman was really helpful and never put me under any pressure to buy, your surveyor was brilliant checking every aspect of the contract through with me’.

So you’re delighted right?

Wrong!!

‘I feel that if I hadn’t rung to check up every week, that I would still be waiting for my windows now’

‘Each time I rang someone took a message and said they would get someone to ring me back, because they couldn’t confirm any details as he was on site or in a meeting’

Sound familiar?
The really sad thing about this conversation, apart from the fact that it happens so often, is that you did the really hard bit. They loved the fitters and the surveyor, they even liked the salesman!

But they didn’t feel valued. They didn’t get the impression that you were sat there waiting for their call. Which of course you weren’t, you were busy making sure the frames were ordered, the glass arrived intact; the right panel was supplied with the right stained glass in it.

And probably returning calls to other disgruntled customers who rang yesterday when the installation manager was out on site, again.

I had that problem, it used to happen all the time, but I solved it. I started sending out a letter when each new contract arrived from sales, thanking my new customer for their order and explaining how I was going to deal with their ‘Valued Order’ because that’s what it was, let me explain.

I live and used to manage a window company in a rural area of the country. So when we got an order from a new customer it was a golden opportunity for add on business and recommendations, I had the attitude that once they bought from us we had to perform, so they would provide us with more business in the future.

The problem is that it’s not enough just to perform; you have to let them know you are performing. And don’t get the impression that this is just about the future either; improving your communication with your ‘Valued Customer’ also improves your cash flow.

‘Oh I am sorry, I didn’t realise I had to pay the fitter when he finished, I will have to transfer the money from my...’

High interest savings account / Swiss bank account / business account / solicitors account when I have sold my other house…blah, blah.  Yes, I used to hear them all too.

But is this your own fault? I found that it was, at least partly. Most of us in business are guilty of making the assumption that our customers are business-like as well, the thing is most of them aren’t, most of them don’t even read the contract, until something goes wrong or they are unhappy with some aspect of the job. So when everything goes to plan paying for it gets forgotten, by them at least.

This is a simple problem to resolve though, communicate with them, at least send out an order acknowledgment letter, explaining that they have to have the funds available to pay once the products are fitted. If you are really on the case how about a fitting letter once you have confirmed the installation date.

‘Think of all those stamps’

I hear you cry. Think of all those cheques coming in with your fitting teams after each job is fitted, rather than having to pay for stamps on the reminders you send out each week, to the people who didn’t realise they had to pay.

But back to the original problem of being seen to be performing, once the customer receives the order acknowledgment letter they tend to  relax. For a start the letter thanks them for their deposit, so they are reassured that the salesman didn’t leave on the next plane for Brazil to spend their hard earned deposit on bottles of cachaca while dancing the samba in some bar.

But hopefully it also explains what will happen next, this will help to fill in the gaps left from the sales visit, after all you don’t want the salesman to have to explain about surveys, fitting dates, and paying on completion. These are kind of things that could raise objections that may prevent the sale from happening in the first place. And of course your salesman will probably be in a hurry,.. he won’t want to be late for that samba class will he?

But for many people the stamps are not the only problem, as in addition to all of the jobs you currently undertake I am advocating the production of 2 or 3 letters for each contract as well. You may see this as adding too much to your admin workload, as most companies I see tend to be somewhat understaffed anyway. We are in a very competitive industry and we have to control costs but we have to do this in the right way.


For example you wouldn’t send out your surveyor on a bicycle. Granted you would save money on fuel, road tax and the vehicle but you would be lucky to get one survey done a day.

The same goes for producing those letters. Did I get another office junior to do them for me? No my Finance director (not a man noted for his generosity) wouldn’t add another salary to the cost of the stamps. But he did agree to a one off purchase of the tool to do the job, so I could do it myself.