A black hole is eating my customers

[TechLady]

i get lots of no shows. i almost always go through the paranoia anxiety phase of maybe they heard something bad about me or they know that customer where the motherboard fried itself and they blamed me for it. after a few valium i realise it's probably more likely the problem magically corrected itself or they discovered they haven't got money this week or a friend fixed it for them or a dozen other possibilities. that's just the way of the business.

Ha ha, yes.

 

[Vicenarian]

you should never be on the phone more than 1-2minutes or they're just wasting your time. There was one guy on here that had a really good point about making friends with the customer asking them questions like 'how'd the damage happen' you can build some reputation and that technique works but I usually do that under 2 minutes. Anything above 2 minutes is a tire kicker looking for free advice. I stop the constant questions with 'I'd really love to tell you but without spending time with the computer it could be anything'. I throw out like 5 generic answers with no extended details. This way you're not giving them an answer but you ARE giving AN answer so they know you know something and might be willing to bring it in.

This.

 

[lan101]

you should never be on the phone more than 1-2minutes or they're just wasting your time. There was one guy on here that had a really good point about making friends with the customer asking them questions like 'how'd the damage happen' you can build some reputation and that technique works but I usually do that under 2 minutes. Anything above 2 minutes is a tire kicker looking for free advice. I stop the constant questions with 'I'd really love to tell you but without spending time with the computer it could be anything'. I throw out like 5 generic answers with no extended details. This way you're not giving them an answer but you ARE giving AN answer so they know you know something and might be willing to bring it in.

I used to make my techs take the calls when I'm in but lately I've been doing it because I'm 100x more skilled at making people comfortable to bring something in. My techs tend to bumble because some of them are young and I think that scares some people.

This is great advice. I used to spend way too much time when I first started because I had the time to do it. I guess depending on the situation, I'll usually talk for 5 minutes or so at the most and then I try to get it wrapped up. Especially if it's not a previous customer. To me even 5 minutes can seem like a long time, but I don't want them to think I'm trying to rush them away to quickly lol. I think most customers worth having though value your time so not too big of a deal.

 

[jmatt]

Here's the tell for me: the word "just". As soon as somebody says that, I know it's a dead conversation.

"I was just wondering..."

"I just want to know how to..."

"I just need a little help..."

It's code for "I just don't want to pay."

I have literally had people call me up to ask if I can explain to them how to "just" fix their problem without paying for service. Click.

 

[carrcomp]

Yeah, I get alot of those.

"How do I just fix this thing"

"You just need to pay us xxx"

"Oh .... goodbye then"

I'll never hang up or send them packing .... you never know who's already had that happen a few times.

IF you get someone like that ... you wind up making the sale anyway.

 

[untoldtech]

Here's the tell for me: the word "just". As soon as somebody says that, I know it's a dead conversation.

"I was just wondering..."

"I just want to know how to..."

"I just need a little help..."

It's code for "I just don't want to pay."

I have literally had people call me up to ask if I can explain to them how to "just" fix their problem without paying for service. Click.

lol, that is a keyword of tire kickers. I dont hang up on them though, you just side step them. Usually they'll be the ones to hang up or give up on trying to get free advice. When they come in trying to get you to 'just tell me X' I say "I'd love to help you but I have 5 computers that are due out today (even if I have nothing) that I'm in the middle of" "What I can do is take your computer in and get back to you in a few hours and let you know what I find. "We charge a 49.99 diag fee that goes towards the cost of any repairs."

This works wonders and immediately tells you whether they're there to get free advice or actually get something fixed. You don't have to be rude or anything it lets them politely know you're a repair shop not a free repair facility.

 

[mr m]

No one calls an electrician and asks how to wire a 3-way switch. No one calls a mechanic and asks how to replace a frozen brake caliper. But for some reason too many folks think it's cool to calls us.

When I started this biz, like most of you, I was naive and wasted too much time giving away the store. No more. Now I can smell them a mile away and act accordingly.

When I hear "I have to check with my wife/husband/magic 8 ball" I know I lost them. When they say " I have a quick question" they'll get a quick answer.

 

[Wheelie]

There is an easy way to circle the call around to either an appointment (if you go onsite) or a drop off (for shop repairs) in about 1 or 2 minutes. It is not that hard to do and I do it all the time. Play stupid about how to fix it by saying things like: "I am not sure why your PC is doing that. It could be 3 or 4 different things causing it to do that and I need to see the laptop to diagnose it. Once I do that I will call you back with a cost for parts and labor." If you chose not to repair it with us then the cost for diagnostics is $X.

This either gets you the business or prevents them from wasting your time ... all in under 2 minutes.

 

[red12049]

No one calls an electrician and asks how to wire a 3-way switch. No one calls a mechanic and asks how to replace a frozen brake caliper. But for some reason too many folks think it's cool to calls us.

When I started this biz, like most of you, I was naive and wasted too much time giving away the store. No more. Now I can smell them a mile away and act accordingly.

When I hear "I have to check with my wife/husband/magic 8 ball" I know I lost them. When they say " I have a quick question" they'll get a quick answer.

Out chosen industry taught them that. Name one manufacturer that does not offer free telephone support for the warranty period. Since they got that for free for six months or a year, why not continue to try and get free support?

A quick search of my memory does not come up with another product that offers that.

Rick

 

[frase]

I dont give quotes over the phone, I usually state I can give a free quote onsite once I look at the system, as can be a multitude of issues. This is my own approach and works, gets me to the client and then we can talk business