Recently we were asked to submit our expression of interest for a large job in our region. Part of the documents we had to submit was a ‘doorstep policy’. When I asked for further clarification on what this might be, I was told; “A doorstep policy is your standard introduction requirement your staff would use when they meet the customer.”
As we did not have one, I decided I would have a brainstorming session with the team at our Monday morning toolbox meeting. I saw it as a great opportunity to get very clear on how we can all be committed to providing a consistent and quality service to all our customers.
I also saw the opportunity to make it more than a meet and greet policy. I wanted our doorstep policy to give guidance to all our employees on how to behave before they get there, when they get there, while they are there, and when they leave a customer’s property. All these parts make up ‘moments of truth’ for a customer.
A ‘moment of truth’ is a point or an event, in a customer’s journey with you where your business can either live or die. In other words when a customer phones your business to ask for help, in that one phone call, your customer will either feel yes, they can help me, or no, I am never phoning them again. If you get past that moment of truth, you may then need to go to site to provide them with a quote. How you turn up, what you look like, how you behave, and what you say, all add up to a moment of truth.
Let’s say your customer accepts the quote, the job is scheduled, and your team turn up to site. Your customer might go through several moments of truth while your team are there. If your customer has a negative moment of truth, you can be sure they will tell all their friends and family about it. A negative moment of truth will also determine how happy they are to pay your bill. Of course, if it is a positive experience, they will keep coming back and recommend your business to others.
This is where a doorstep policy can be gold. Our policy covers everything, from the use of customer’s facilities, such as asking if its okay to use the toilet, to acceptable language to use – no swearing, no gossiping, no shouting. It covers what you should do if you need to shift any furniture, where to park, how to leave the site at the end of the day, and what considerations need to be made as far as noise and the occupants needs.
Having a doorstep policy means you have rules and expectations. Your staff are bound to follow these rules as a condition of their employment, and if for whatever reason they break these rules you are more able to act. If you do not have rules or guidelines, how are they to know what you expect.
If you would like to know more about our doorstep policy, I am happy to have a chat and share with you what our team has put together.
