Summer is the busiest season for service businesses. And just as teams adjust to the faster pace, hurricane season comes along. Hurricanes aren’t nice to think about but service businesses must prepare for them. The Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project team predicts an “extremely active” Atlantic hurricane season for 2024. They forecast 23 named storms and 11 hurricanes – five of them deemed as major.
Prepare your business for call surge. Be the contractor that’s ready to help this hurricane season
Hurricanes are an unfortunate reality for millions of Americans. They cause major damage to property and equipment. As frightening as hurricanes are, hurricane call surges tend to be highly profitable periods for home service businesses. The rise in demand can help your business grow fast in a matter of months. But it takes preparation to make that happen.
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How to manage call surges
1. Forecast what a sudden surge in calls might look like.
Call surges can happen in minutes. And if you don’t plan for them, it’s too late. All you can do is take as many calls as possible and accept you’re going to miss many. Look at previous data for your calls and talk to other local business owners in related industries. See what a call surge will look like, and then you will have a better idea of what you’re preparing for.
2. Plan for who will answer calls.
A laid-back approach can work during the quieter months. But it will fall apart and lead to low response rates during a call surge. You need to prepare a robust system of protocols prior to hurricane call surges to ensure you’re able to respond to as many opportunities as possible. That starts with identifying who in your team will answer calls. After all, you can’t expect everyone in your company to field calls during a call surge; some will actually need to be out in the field working.
3. Review your customer journey.
It’s easy to overlook the customer journey as teams grow and systems change. That’s why it’s so important to take a step back to consider the customer experience. Focus on reviewing and understanding your customer journey before the call surges start. That way, you can implement the most effective process for efficiently fielding calls and winning new work.
4. Define what the perfect phone call looks like.
First impressions are a big deal for every business – even in high-stress situations for your customers. While many people will simply be looking for someone to come out and get the work done, they’re also looking for a calm, professional response from a competent professional. Emotions can run high during Hurricane Season, which makes the phone call even more important. There’s an art to answering the phone. Callers should feel welcomed and cared for when they contact you.
5. Create a fool-proof process to action after phone calls.
You can capture a lot of customer information on phone calls. But what you do after the call that can make or break your sales rate. You need to efficiently transfer that information to the right people in your team so everyone’s on the same page. A smooth system allows team members to focus on the job at hand. That includes giving your team accurate information so they can follow up quickly and win the job before a competitor steps in.
6. Train your team
You’ve spent time thinking through and setting up processes, now make sure everyone’s on the same page. That requires open communication and a clear game plan followed by team training sessions. Winning people over can often be the hardest part of instituting new ways of working. That’s especially true when they already have their own ways of doing things. Lay out an action plan for how you’ll introduce new processes and discuss these with team leaders before taking any action. Welcome feedback and be open to adjustment based on their observations.
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Get insights on how to action each step and more – download the How to Manage Call Surges ebook.