What is the ultimate compliment?

Techman

Hi John! Thats easy! The customer calls, again , for more work. Have a Good Day.

John R. Hall

For a job well done

What do you consider the ultimate compliment for doing a good job for your customer? Is it a referral? A thank you call or letter? Add-on work? A batch of cookies? I'd like some ideas for a future column. I have my own opinion but I'll share that later.

Thanks!

lchmb

I like

I personally like when the customer shakes my hand and say's thank you for an excellent job.

singh

Final payment.

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Wayco Wayne_2

The referal

is the best compliment. I've been in business for 19 years and have not had to advertise for the last 16. Most people can tell if they are being treated well and if the work is being done correctly, even if they have no technical knowledge. There are too many service companies that help themselves and not their customers. People can tell that too. Quite often I get a small note with the words "Thanks" at the bottom, (along with the payment). People know, and the small note makes me feel good. WW

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Christian Egli_2

Give me a kiss

They proposition you for betrothal... And that's when you become married to your job.

Don't they do that on Desperate Housewives? I didn't know whether you're only considering serious proposals.

Ragu_4

The Best

Is when they name their first born child after me. Sorry, just kidding!

The best for me is when we go a little bit past the customer/contractor relationship and I can stop by to say hello and have coffee whenever I'm in their neighborhood, even years later.

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hr

I can't believe it was only 25 K

to install radiant in this new 3000 square foot slab on grade home of mine. I'm going to tell all my neighbors and friends

hot rod

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ed wallace

compliments

when customer comes on heating help.com and post pictures of the job vand gives a big thank you

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Mike C_3

hmm

I think it's when they say thank you and say that looks very nice don't put a cover on all that work!!
I try so hard to make things look nice (still make our own manifolds and controls) and a lot of people like to cover it up and forget about it!!

Al Corelli

Fanatical Refferrals.

When they call you up at 9pm and tell you that you MUST come over to their neighbors, mother's, cousin's house NOW to get them on your schedule to replace "that thing" in the basement that is making their loved ones spend so much on fuel.

When you save someone 50% on their heating bills, they can be very fanatical.

We've had this happen with three customers already.
I love my job.

Al Letellier_9

compliments

A simple WOW from the customer when they see our work does it for me. Of course, all the others too, especially the final payment and referrals...but I really like it when customer calls and says: "you said I might save 30%. Well for your information, it was more like 60%. Thank you for being so wrong !!!

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Mad Dog_2

Highly-enthusiastic referrals...................................

One of my trademark sayings: "when you expect excellence..........AND your willing to pay for it."
Some of our happiest clients have referred us to friends and neighbors using this phrase. We encourage it because EVERYONE wants high quality work and service BUT not everyone is willing to pay for it. This keeps the better clients coming to us with realistic expectations. Mad Dog

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Bill Nye_2

Trust

I think it is when they trust you with the key to their house and tell you to fix what ever needs to be fixed " we trust you"

Or when you get invited to sit down for lunch or dinner with their family. It goes beyond money.

When I was a service tech , the hand written note of praise or the phone call to the office for outstanding service was always a compliment

Wayco Wayne_2

Bill!

Yes I forgot about the keys. The pleasure of having a small business is the personel touch that is allowed. I have a small ring of keys that customers insist I keep in case of emergency. That is the ultimate compliment. Although I did get a kiss on the cheek in church yesterday from a lady whose A/C I rescued last week. It made me smile WW

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Maine Ken

An invite to Christmas dinner when the customer knew your family was away!!!!

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Weezbo

So...

YOU!! did that Work!!!!!!!!??!!!! ))

ya just gotta love it:)

Glen

A personal connection

is the best. It's not about the job or the cash or added work or the referral. I have many clients from other parts of the country - its about when you pass through their town and can stop for tea - our children can play - and the adults chat about all things - other than the boiler in the basement.

Mitch_4

here is a backhanded compliment that is different

but made me feel fantastic. I was the prefered service guy (I did only service) for 75% of our client base. Liked the manager, refused better offers because of the relationship I had established with the clients and management of that branch.

New office manager, didn't like me, and made an "example" of me. Took me 20 minutes to get another job with the competitor that was wooing me for a bit. He ran an ad in the paper saying I had joined his team. The old place lost enough customers that htey eventually closed..

and all because I was not there...

that was a great compliment...icing on the cake because I won my wrongful dismissal suit, and got a good bit of cash to boot..

Like the song says "how do ya like me now?"

That was the best indirect compliment EVER!!

Gene_2

Best Compliment

When the other trades leave what they are doing to come down, stare at the piping work, and say they have never seen anything like it before!

I got a $700.00 tip one time. The customer said I took good care of him and his wife without complaining and keeping in good cheer no matter what their questions or difficulties with the job!!

Of course sharing a beer with an appreciative customer at the end of a long day goes a long way too!


Darin

Dave Larsen_2

x-mas card

Fixed a very prominant lady"s heat on chrismas day years ago..............she sent me a thank you card every year until she finally passed away three years ago. I'll never forget her, and don't mind those "holiday calls" to this day because of her.

Glenn Harrison_2

A BIG Hug when I condemned a furnace

One of the first calls I did last fall for my new boss was a series of cleanings for a property management company, that owns a bunch of strip malls, and some older houses turned into 2 flat rentals.

I went to one property where a lovely older lady was renting the first floor. I found a very old Milwaukee furnace that had started out as an oil burner and was converted to gas many years ago. I did a thorough inspection of this furnace as the owner had not had it cleaned in a while. I found huge cracks in the second pass of the HX going from the flue connector to the bottom corners of the chamber (2 cracks about a foot long each and quite sepparated. I shut down the furnace immediatly, and informed the owner, who aggreed to replace the furnace the next day. I then went upstairs and told the tennant what was going on. She then hugged me for probably a minute, while shedding a few tears. I was honestly quite supprised at her reaction, to say the least, especially considering I was forced to leave her without heat for the night.

Once she calmed down and gathered herself, she told me of her live story in the house, how her, her husband, and her mentally challenged daughter had lived there for 17 years, and how her husband had died there a couple of years ago, and she stayed with her daughter using his Social Security and funds from Illinois Gov't Housing. She had been begging the owner for years to have the unit checked for safety reasons, and the last couple of years she had begged for a new furnace as her gas bills were getting so high she could not afford them much longer and would have been forced to move soon from the place she and her daughter had called home for so long. She then thanked me endlessly for potentially saving her life, heath, and her home since she would be able to afford the gas bills with the new 80% furnace we installed.

The next day we installed the furnace, which obviously took up substanially less room than the old Low Boy that was down there. She came down near the end and was overjoyed at how nice the furnace and sheet metal looked and how much extra room there was now. When we were all done I went up to show her a few things, and say goodbye, and she again gave me a tear filled hug for a minute, and thanked me again for probaly ten minutes. I walked away with a couple of tears of joy and pride myself, still amazed at how happy this lovely lady was because I had condemed her furnace.

Larry Weingarten

Twice...

...clients have told me they would trust me with their life. I hope they weren't joking :~P

Yours, Larry

Supply House Rick

The best is...

The next order! Of course my perspective is from the other side of the counter...

Rick

bobbyg_2

From a wholesaler viewpoint, I have enjoyed great relationships with some great contractors. I have gotten to know these guys, their families, and even some of their customers. It truly is a pleasure.

Also, sometimes I get a chance to meet the contractors customer while in the radiant heating design process. A year or so after the house is complete I will happen to run into them somewhere. They beam and smile and tell me how great their heating system is and how low their utility bill is compared to their smaller previous home.

I enjoy just meeting the customers, but their comments gives me great joy and satisfaction as well!

Unknown

my compliment....

My compliments from customer are when they ask me to return to their place to do more work or improvement.... Just finisihed one customer yesterday and came home with a phone message from another long time customer wanting the kitchen work done now...

ScottMP

I guess my favorite is

when at a social event and a customer tells everyone around " This guy is the best, my house has never been so warm ".

Actually the one I get the most is " You have the nicest people working for you, really, I have no problem having them in my home ".

Scott

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Unknown

As a trainer

that the same companies keep sending their techs to me for training. We have a policy that if your time on the job does not decrease and your call backs also decrease we will refund all your money. We have yet to refund any money, I guess we must be doing domething right.