Service Attitude Shines

Below is a recent E-Mail we received from a customer regarding our “service attitude” and how we conduct ourselves in every aspect of our interactions with the insured.  We receive these comments almost weekly, but not always in writing like this.  As I write this note I have just had a phone conversation shared with me from one of our staff, from another small fire loss customer complementing our employees for their caring attitude as they inter acted with the owner who was also recently widowed.

As the owner I couldn’t be more proud and thankful for those that do the work day in and day out with such graciousness and compassion.

Owner

ABCO Inc.

Bill Wallis

Dear Michelle, Dave and all the great people at ABCO,

When we had our fire on April 22, I was upset and at a loss for what to do. When I talked to our insurance agent ( XXXX office) they told me to call you. That was the best advice I could have gotten. You were sympathetic and ready to lend a hand. You knew all the answers and were willing to take care of everything. I can't tell you what a relief it was to be able to hand the problem over to someone who knew what to do. You were true to your promises. You kept me informed about what to expect, who was coming, when they were coming. Dave checked in with me many times to make sure everything was going okay and that I was satisfied with how things were going. I felt you were an advocate for me with the insurance company (not that they were difficult, but you knew what they needed to know). I couldn't have had a better team helping us. We have lived in this house for 27 years, raised our children here, entertained many friends and family. Now as we look to down sizing, we will truly be able to enjoy our last year in our home.

Having a fire is not something I recommend to anyone, but if anyone is unfortunate enough to have one, I unconditionally recommend ABCO. Everyone was thorough, friendly, helpful and very professional.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Blessings to all of you as you continue to help others,

Susan XXXX

Claims Follow-up - Important for Keeping Renewals

We have all probably had someone at a restaurant ask us “How was your meal?” with varying degrees of sincerity!  I’m actually more convinced when the Manager stops by the table and asks how the food & service was, but usually it’s at a grand opening or a very expensive restaurant with the white linens.  Below is a conversation that I had with a waitress that illustrates how customer care throughout a restoration process affects policy renewals!

Recently I was approached by a waitress who was looking at the logo on my shirt and asked what ABCO did?  During my explanation of what we do, she began to share about a recent water loss she had in her home that was mitigated by a national competitor.  She shared about doors that had not been rehung after repeated calls to their office.  Most disturbing, were items that were charged for that were not required, however when she inquired about those charges they were quickly brushed off in a foggy/double talk.  The items in question were quickly rationalized away because they had done some very insignificant additional tasks that in their imagination resulted in a wash of costs as far as they were concerned.  I urged our waitress to share those concerns with her insurance agent and explained (THEY NEED TO KNOW!)

I would encourage you to have someone in your office assigned the task of following up with your insured to see they are being well taken care of by the adjuster and the contractor.  In the case of larger losses it would be great to check in on the progression of the work and feel the pulse of your insured and their satisfaction with the quality of work performed by the onsite crew & subcontractors.  These small consistent actions will make for an easier “policy renewal” when that time arrives.

“Keep us in the loop” are some of the sweetest words to our ears because we know you care as much about customer service as we do!  You are the kind of agency we want to SERVE and partner with.

Bill Wallis

Owner - ABCO Inc.  

Yearly Reflections

This is my first blog post which for a 62 year older businessman is quite a feet!!  This post will serve as a way for me to share over 45 years of business management experience and most of it in the cleaning and insurance restoration business.  So if you find any of this information useful please respond or add to it by sharing your thoughts.

Sometimes it is good to reflect back on our past year of business and evaluate how we did!

I found myself thinking about our company and what the customer’s feedback has told me about our services and employees.  With that frame of mind I was also reading an article about “Business Core Values” and how they determine  a corporate culture or a company’s “Personality”.  Whether your organization has them written or not ,they exist.  YOUR shared values define who you are as a company. They will also serve as a compass as you grow, help determine fit or no fit with future hires and become a part of the everyday interactions with staff and customers.

To make these shared values align with your organization, it should start with the leadership.  Owners and managers need to self-evaluate themselves to determine if behaviors reflect those core values.  Hold each other accountable and demonstrate those values by personal example.

If you don’t “LIVE IT” you probably don’t “BELIEVE IT”.  Ask yourself if the values are truly being reflected in the day-to-day operations of your business?

May we all give ourselves and our employees a “checkup” and take the “Pulse ”of our company’s “HEART BEAT”!

WISHING EACH OF YOU MUCH SUCCESS THIS NEW YEAR!