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Nexstar Coach’s Blog:

Get a Month Ahead

By Tom Merriott
June 30, 2014
Tom Merriott
Tom Merriott

A plague in the customer service aspect of most service businesses is that they are in a constant state of reacting to things that are already happening. We naturally gravitate toward putting out the fire that just popped up in front of us, which wouldn’t be a bad thing if we weren’t repeating this behavior month after month and year after year. So much time is devoted to fixing today’s problems that no thought or effort goes into looking ahead to possibly prevent future trouble.

At some point, we need to step off the treadmill and take a look at making our work lives easier.

For example: Most of the country is experiencing weather that affects their bottom line. It’s a hectic scramble to get the work done with the people at hand. Some of our team is on vacation, the holiday week is here, or we all feel like we are burning out. Sound familiar? All of these things can be planned for, and their impact greatly reduced if we put time and thought into them.

I bring this up because as a coach, I take the same calls year after year, about the same subjects, and I always start with the same questions:

1. Did this happen last year around this time?

2. What did you do differently?

The answer is usually something like “ummmm…”

This is what I’m talking about. We need to survive these hectic times, and at the very least, talk about what we could have done better once things slow down.

So make it a point to try and think at least one month ahead in your business. Someone look at a calendar and last year’s business and see what trouble might be headed your way. Then work through some ways to reduce the impact. 

Looking for quick answers on air conditioning, heating and refrigeration topics? Try Ask ACHR NEWS, our new smart AI search tool. Ask ACHR NEWS →

KEYWORDS: HVAC service contractor Leadership and HVACR service contractors

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Merriott

Tom Merriott is a business coach at Nexstar who focuses on call-center, dispatch and contractor communication process excellence. He brings years of call center and management experience from independent HVAC, plumbing and electrical contractors, as well as national home services providers. To learn more, visit nexstarnetwork.com, call 888-240-7827 or email membership@nexstarnetwork.com.

Recent Comments

Great article

Agree Completly

Butch Welsch

People who really want the job are the...

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