Summer is a time for relaxing, enjoying the outdoors, spending time with family…wait, you’re in the trades? Not so fast. If summer for you means endless service calls and constant stress, then read on. Adrian Steel is here to help you overcome some of the all-too-real summertime struggles of your skilled trades business forecasting.
Minimize Equipment Fails
Update Fleet Vehicle Equipment
Basic vehicle maintenance is a no-brainer, but equipment breakdowns and deficiencies can be unpredictable and particularly harmful during the busy summer season. Equip your fleet with the latest tools and equipment to avoid unnecessary hiccups in productivity. Consider installing a ladder rack that drops the ladder to the tech for easy access and quickly adjusts to any size ladder, like Adrian Steel’s new Drop Down Ladder Rack.
Keep Additional Inventory On-Hand
Nothing stalls a service call like running out of something you need. Prevent unexpected delays by keeping additional inventory of the items you use most often in the summer months. You may also want to consider re-arranging your vehicles so these items are up front and center. Finally, make sure you have the proper storage for additional inventory, like Adrian Steel’s Freon tank racks for the insane number of AC installation and repairs you’ll perform this season.
People Matter
Champion Your Techs
Intense heat and long hours make this season especially tiring for your techs. Go the extra mile to acknowledge their struggle and show that you care. Take a moment to fill a cooler with water, sports drinks, and snacks and deliver it to the job site. While you’re there, offer to lend a hand! If that’s not possible, prepare these care packages in advance and pass them out at your morning service meeting. They’ll appreciate the effort.
Acknowledge and Encourage Family Time
The stress and long hours of the summer also affect the families that support your staff. A simple hand-written thank you note can turn feelings of resentment into feelings of respect and appreciation. Stress the importance of your employee’s work to the company and its customers and sympathize with the hardships of the busy season. Express your gratitude for their support they provide. Finally, include a gift card for an outdoor excursion the whole family can enjoy together.
Take Time to Rest
Everyone knows that a pitcher needs to rest his arm from time to time. The same rule applies to your employees. Yes, you need all hands on deck, but even the strongest tech needs time to rest and recoup. All work and no play can lead to mistakes, exhaustion, and burnout. An unexpected day or half-day off will benefit morale and productivity, as well as allowing your staff to return refreshed and ready to get back to work.
Sales & Marketing Still Matter
Fill Your Competitors’ Service Gaps
If you’re busy, chances are your competitors are, too. Continue your marketing efforts throughout the summer to capture customers that your competitors leave behind. The larger your customer base, the more business you’ll have in the off-season.
Upsell, Upsell, Upsell!
Upselling practically drops off the map in the summer as techs race from job to job. Why would a tech want to create any more work for themselves? If you’re like most, you have an incentive program in place, but is it enough when the workload demands quick turnaround and clean job completions? Instead, help your staff line up those jobs for the off-season. Choose an offer that can be redeemed by customers in the off-season, arm your staff with literature that explains the offer, and prep your employees with a brief sales script to introduce it. Ba da bing, ba da boom, done!
Get Organized!
Adrian Steel is the industry leader in cargo management solutions to organize and secure all of your tools and equipment. We’ll work with you to design an upfit as unique as your business. Contact us online or find your nearest distributor with our online distributor locator.
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