Secrets of Customer Retention

by Colin Bates, President, Jan-Pro Central Ontario

I was honored to be asked to give a presentation on Customer Retention at the Jan-Pro National Convention 2009. In the middle of this fairly serious recession, I have been lucky in holding on to more of my customers than my peers who have been in the business for many more years. Here is a synopsis of what I shared with them.

Philosophy

Every aspect of what we do starts with our philosophy that we are more than a commercial cleaning business, we are really in the "customer satisfaction business". It's critical that everyone on the team understands and lives that culture. Our employees and Franchisees are also Customers which myself and my staff serve.

Recruiting
We are very particular about the people joining our team. We don't just grant a Franchise license to anyone who walks through the door; many candidates are turned away as they are more likely to be successful in an alternate opportunity. If we pick the wrong candidate up-front, the rest becomes very difficult.

We have found that past behaviors are the best indicators of future performance. So we ask:
• Have they run a business before?
• Have they worked independently and/or led a team?
• Have they interacted directly with Customers in the past?

Tools
Even the best people can't deliver great service without the tools to do the job properly. We have carefully selected the best equipment and supplies and ensure that we have in-house stock available at all times for:
• Chemicals
• Tools
• Vacuum Parts & Service
• Rental & Loaner equipment

Training
In our business, service quality is key.We've taken the framework of the Jan-Pro system and made it our own, we:
• ensure that everyone thoroughly embraces it
• reinforce it with regular training
• encourage feedback and participation in our program development

Rewarding Success
Whether they are employees or unit Franchises, recognizing and rewarding our best people is critical to customer satisfaction.

We look at Customer service ratings and Customer retention as the key drivers for advancement--more business, larger accounts, more complex sites and advanced business training.

Lastly, all of these aspects are interconnected. We monitor our results weekly.  If we are not getting the results we expect we change the approach, and if that doesn't work, we change it again...

Next Article:  11 Tips for Making Repeat Sales