COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - One of the sessions at the International Service Leadership (ISL) meeting, a gathering of service technicians to exchange ideas, involved technicians from ISL-member companies sharing their ideas for making their jobs better. Some of the ideas included:

Scheduling future maintenance appointments while the technician is still at the customer's home or business, ensuring future work during slow times.

Keeping an office staffer on call 24 hours to be a "live" person on the phone instead of a message. Staff rotates daily to split up the workload.

Adding a special "hockey puck" to a secondary condensate pan, which would shut down equipment and sound an alarm in the event of a leakage problem.

Finding out personal information (freely dispensed by customer) and then following up later with a phone call or card to show concern over a pending surgery or special event, i.e., birthday or anniversary.

Carrying a list of add-on equipment that could easily be added to an existing replacement job while the technician is still in the building.

Leaving behind an imprinted plastic hose nozzle that customers can use to clean their condensing units - an inexpensive advertising specialty item.

Techs get playing cards every time they make an add-on sale. Cards are later combined to make winning hands and prizes are awarded.

Collect e-mail addresses from each customer, to be used for newsletters and announcements of upcoming specials.

Pictured above is Roger Grochmal (fifth from left, back row), NEWS contractor consultant and 2005 "Best Contractor to Work for" from the Canada region, who brought a large contingent of his staff to the ISL meeting.

Publication date: 05/29/2006