Dealing with Difficult Customers
Any portable toilet rental company in Toledo, OH has had to deal with a difficult customer or two over the years. Although a business tries to make everyone happy, there will always be customers who are impossible to please. Some are even rude or unpleasant to the staff, who don’t deserve the harassment. Here’s what to do to manage and work with difficult customers, depending on the situation.
When your clients refuse to pay on time
Late or non-paying clients are not only frustrating, but they also cut into your business’s bottom line. You need them to pay you so you can pay your employees. When a customer refuses to pay on time, you’re stuck chasing them down to collect.
The best way to deal with clients like these is to develop a system for doing so. For example, late notices should be sent out as soon as payments are a day or two past due. You can let them know that if they fail to pay by a certain date, their portable toilets will be removed from the premises. If all else fails, have your attorney send them a letter demanding payment. Eventually, you might decide to pursue collections or other legal processes to get your payment.
When your clients make it impossible to do your job
Sometimes customers block access to your units and then wonder why you didn’t empty the tanks. If this is their first time renting portable toilets, they may not realize that your trucks need a lot of extra room to service the rentals. Start by notifying them that there’s a problem. Then tag the unit and follow up to let them know why one or all of the portable toilets were not cleaned and emptied.
When your clients complain about the service or toilet cleanliness
Customers do have the right to complain about a lack of cleanliness, which is a good opportunity to streamline or revamp your process. However, if they’re perpetual complainers, you’ll find yourself spending a lot of extra time fielding their calls and trying to make them happy. If you’re dealing with someone who calls more than once a week to complain, it’s time to create a special system for chronic complainants.
First, you can offer them solutions like sharing your company cleaning checklists with them, so they can see what you do. If that doesn’t help, set up a meeting with them to discuss the problem—but tell them you won’t be able to field daily calls anymore. Finally, discuss the issues with your staff to make sure that they’re not the problem. If none of these approaches solves the issue, it might be time to let them go.
When your clients think they’re entitled to something for free
Some clients want to get service charges removed or think they’re entitled to “extras” for free. Remind them that the fee schedule is not flexible.
Ace Diversified Services offers portable toilet rentals in Toledo, OH. Call today to schedule a rental.
Categorised in: Porta Potty Rental