Simple Steps to Improve Technician Soft Skills
By: Matt Michel
Edited by John Zink
Good technical skills are an inherent requirement for a service technician. Yet often,
technicians fail not for the lack of an ability to turn a wrench, but because their soft skills
are weak.
Every service company owner can cite cases where he or she hired the world’s greatest
mechanic, who was also the world’s gruffest mechanic. He could fix just about anything,
but left a trail of incensed customers in his wake.
Conversely, there’s the All-American technician. Mechanically, he’s not a klutz, but he’s
far from the supertech he envisions himself. Oh, he’s confident. He misdiagnoses with
confidence. He makes the wrong repair with confidence. He swaps parts with
confidence.
Yet, his very confidence combined with his All-American appearance and good natured
attitude endear him to the customer. When there’s a callback, the homeowner may even
appear hesitant so as to avoid getting her favorite tech in trouble. Yet, eventually the
technical problem must be fixed or the homeowner will still get mad. But the
homeowner doesn’t get mad at the tech, she gets mad at you.
The complete technician has both technical skills and soft skills. Unfortunately, he’s a
rarity. Usually, they’re strong on one and weak on the other. In most technical
industries, they’re weak on soft skills.
Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do as an owner to improve the soft
skills and presentation of the repairs. Let’s start with grooming.
Start The Day Clean
Your technician may not be the best looking guy in the world, but he can still look his
best. When technicians engage the customer on your behalf, they should start the day
with a shower and shave and a clean uniform.
Handiwipes
Each truck should carry handiwipes. Before a technician walks to the door, he should
clean his hands. After he’s finished the work and before he starts on the paperwork, he
should clean his hands. Don’t present the homeowner with a dirty, smudged invoice or
work order.
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Deodorant
I mentioned the shower. Deodorant is also a must, especially in the summer. Some
people are more sensitive to smell than others. If your technicians work in an attic,
crawlspace, or outside, they will sweat. No one can do anything about that, but you can
try to keep it to a minimum.
No Aftershave
Because some people are more sensitive to odors, after shave (or perfume for women
technicians) should be kept for after work. While some like the smell, others are
bothered by it, especially if applied excessively.
Breath Spray
Breath spray should be in every truck. This is especially true if the technician smokes.
Haircuts
Grooming, of course, includes neat haircuts. The standards vary throughout the country.
What’s acceptable in California won’t cut it in Iowa. You need to set your own policy
and live it yourself. However, as a rule, shorter is better. It’s easier to keep clean and
looks better after a long day in the field. If you are going to accept longer hair, at least
insist that it’s clean, well groomed, and tied into a tight pony tail when on the job.
Jewelry
Jewelry is often a problem. Earrings especially have become popular these days. While
the acceptability of jewelry varies regionally, safety standards do not. If jewelry, whether
rings or necklaces, is likely to get entangled in machinery, do not allow it. Beyond
safety, it again comes down to the policies you choose for your company. As a rule, less
jewelry is better. Also, jewelry rules must apply equally to males and females.
Piercings
A recent phenomenon is piercing. While many people might grudgingly accept an
earring in some parts of the country, piercings still make them uncomfortable. If the
piercing is visible, it should go.
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Handling the Technicians
How do you handle it when a technician considers it more important to wear an earring
than to work at your company? If your policy is no jewelry, he can either take it off
while he’s on the clock or he can find a company that will accept it. You’re setting the
rules of work. By choosing to wear the earring, the technician is choosing to work
elsewhere.
Once when an installer working for me insisted on wearing an earring, I told him that I
was sorry to hear he wanted to quit. He looked at me funny and said he wasn’t quitting.
I informed him that the rule is “no jewelry” and by wearing the earring, he was saying he
didn’t want to work for us anymore. He stomped off in a huff. This was hard because
we were in the middle of a job and really needed this guy. Fortunately, he showed back
up a couple of hours later without the earring.
Does good grooming improve a technician’s soft skills? I think it does. You aren’t
supposed to judge a book by its cover, but everyone does. I used to do work for several
major consumer magazines. They tested as many as 30 different covers for an upcoming
issue to find which one was most intriguing and appealing. This company knew that
people judged their magazines and made purchase decisions based entirely on the cover.
If your technicians are well groomed, the stage is set for acceptance on the part of the
consumer. This is important because most consumers view service companies cynically.
They’ve become jaded. You need everything you can working in your favor. Good
grooming won’t make a technician a better mechanic, but it’s not all that difficult and it
will improve the odds that homeowners will accept him and his recommendations.
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Trucks
#1 Customers will notice if your truck is filthy.
No customer should be given the opportunity to say “If he keeps his truck like that,
what’s he going to do inside my home?”
#2 Repair body damage on your trucks as quickly as possible.
It may be expensive, but not as expensive as the sales calls being lost because of a beatup vehicle.
#3 Logos and decals.
Worn, faded, chipped or peeling logos, decals or paint will let a customer know just how
much care and attention to detail they can expect when you show up at their home.
Repaint as needed and reapply decals and logos before they look shabby.
#4 Park so the homeowner can see your truck when they come to the door.
Don’t park on their driveway, especially not if the vehicle is leaking oil or other fluids.
#5 Maintenance.
Replace the tires when they become worn. Change the oil regularly. A truck with your
company name and logo sitting broken down on the side of the road sends the wrong kind
of advertisement.
#6 Keep the interior clean.
If trash and fast-food bags fall out of the truck every time the tech opens the door, a
customer will see it and form a negative impression of the tech AND the company.
#7 Slow down.
Drive the speed limit. Drive friendly. Nobody will call the company who’s truck cut
them off in traffic the day before.
#8 Avoid “multitasking” while driving.
Techs who steer with their knees while talking on the radio and writing notes their
clipboard are asking for an accident. Pull over someplace safe.
#9 Inventory.
Clear out the old obsolete inventory from the truck bins. It is taking up valuable room
and adds to time wasted looking for the right materials.
#10 Keep the right inventory.
Keep track of what materials are being consumed on service calls. If an item is only used
on every 100th call, does it need to be on the truck? Which items in the truck inventory
need change for summer vs. winter calls? Carrying extras “just in case” can be a waste of
time, gas and working capital.
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20 COMMON SENSE TIPS ABOUT UNIFORMS
I was accompanying a territory manager on sales calls. One of the contractors we called
on, Mike, owned a small shop. As we pulled up to the shop, the TM explained that Mike
split time between the truck, the office (where he mostly got in the way), and sales calls.
I was immediately struck by the fact that Mike was wearing jeans and a plain white teeshirt.
My role on the sales call was to listen, learn, and not speak unless spoken to. I did my
best with Mike, but finally asked him what he wore when he called on customers.
Mike looked at me curiously, as though I was some time of idiot savant without the
genius of savant syndrome. “I wear what I’m wearing,” he said.
“Hmm,” I said, “Have you ever thought about a uniform?”
“This is my uniform,” Mike said. “Everyone wears a uniform, but I look different.”
“Different can be good or bad.”
“My customers expect it. They remember me as the guy wearing a tee-shirt. It’s how I
stand out. They like it,” he said proudly.
The TM wisely jumped in before I could ask Mike how he knew what his customers
thought. My guess is that he’d been down this road with Mike before and given up.
If this was the way Mike dressed (remember, he’s the guy who does the sales calls), I
shuddered to think what his technicians might look like. I had an image of a guy in a
Grateful Dead shirt.
After we left, I recommended that the TM line up a replacement because this guy was
going to be working for someone else in the not-so-distant future. Now, it wasn’t just
because of the tee-shirt that I made that prediction. There were other things Mike did that
left me less than confident of his ability to survive, but the tee-shirt was the first sign.
From it, I immediately and involuntarily formed an impression about Mike and fit him to
a stereotype.
Stereotypes are not always accurate. Mike could have been one heck of a businessperson
with an eccentricity about the tee-shirt. But once I formed an impression, it was rock
solid. He would have had to work to chip it away and change it. Once I formed an
impression, I would inevitably gloss over anything he did that countered the impression
and mentally pounce on anything that reinforced the impression.
Your customers stereotype you and your employees the same way.
impression they form?
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What is the
Everyone wears a uniform. It may be formal or informal, stated or unstated. Even with
today’s relaxed standards, you expect your banker to wear a suit. That’s a uniform. You
expect the banker to be in a suit. Anything less is a little unnerving. It shakes your
confidence.
People expect your field service personnel to be in uniform. At a minimum, they expect
a shirt that identifies the company. Fail to meet the expectations and the impression is
negative. You start in a hole. Exceed expectations and you start out ahead of the game.
Exceeding expectations does not mean “excessive.” Uniforms can be overdone. I may
want my banker and lawyer in suits. I don’t want others dressed similarly. For example,
I would head for the hills if I walked on the lot of a car dealer and a salesperson flashing
his pearly whites in an Armani suit strolled up.
Here are a few uniform tips. Hopefully you already know these and practice them. It’s
just common sense…
1. Wear a uniform
Make sure the company logo appears somewhere on the uniform. That helps make the
employee “official.” It reassures the customer. It’s the baseline expectation.
2. Consider variations on the old workshirt
While the standard workshirts are fine, there’s no rule that requires them. Consider
outfitting technicians in company polos. Consider button down collars in cooler weather.
Whatever you select, make sure it looks sharp, wears well, and is suitable for adding the
company logo.
3. Do not forget the pants
Lots of technicians like to wear jeans. Heck, most people like to wear them, but not
when meeting customers or suppliers. Lose the jeans. Wear a cotton poly blend that lasts
long and looks professional.
4. Shorts are okay… I guess
While I’m not sure I would like it, I know that more companies have gone to shorts
during the summer, especially in extremely hot locales like the desert southwest. UPS
and Fed Ex have gone a long way towards making shorts accepted. As long as they are
uniform shorts, they can work.
If you make the switch to shorts, the uniform effect is important. The shorts must not
only be uniform shorts, but worn uniformly by all technicians. Pick a date. Switch to
shorts on that date. Wear them through the summer. Pick another date. Switch back.
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5. Dark pants
Whether shorts or long pants, the pants should be dark for the simple reason that dark
hides dirt.
6. Dark socks
Your technicians can have great uniforms, look sharp, and then blow it with white socks.
When I see a tech with white socks, I think of Archie Bunker. For those too young to
know, that’s not an especially good association. Require dark socks.
7. Great shoes
Techs are on their feet all day. They want to wear comfortable shoes or boots. You want
them in comfortable shoes as well because they’ll have more energy and be more
pleasant at the end of a long day.
As their employer, you should also want them to wear safe shoes to minimize lost time
and expense due to injuries. The problem is quality footware that’s both safe and
comfortable is expensive.
Specify their footware. Help them buy it if needed, by taking a little from their check
each month. Oh, and make sure it’s dark.
8. Shirt color
There’s no rule that says the shirts need to match the company colors, but it’s a good
idea, especially if you’re outfitting them in company polos. It helps associate that color
with your company for the category.
It’s okay to be a little bold here. Use bright colors to stand out. And remember, you will
get sick of the color long before your customers. Stick with it. Be consistent.
9. Carry spares
There are times when technicians get dirty. It goes with the job. Rather than wear
something filthy or waste time driving home or to the shop, everyone should keep a spare
shirt in the truck.
10. Tee-shirts
There are times when tee-shirts are appropriate, such as when a plumber is digging a
ditch. Provide company tee-shirts with huge logos for those occasions. Why huge logos?
If they’re working outside, your employees become walking billboards. So make sure
the logo can be seen.
Kerry Prudhomme at Acadian Services in Louisiana decided to have fun with his teeshirts. They put a Superman logo on the front and “cleaner, better, faster” on the back.
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The technicians loved them and they got noticed. Customers asked Kerry if they could
get an Acadian tee-shirt.
11. Patches
If your technicians earn certifications, add patches or embroidery about the certifications
to their uniforms. Walk into an automotive service center and you will usually be
confronted with a wall full of framed ASE certificates. The auto shops display them
because they build credibility. Since customers seldom see the walls of an in-home
service company, the uniform (or truck) must carry the credibility of certification.
12. Only allow company caps
There’s nothing wrong with supporting the brands of equipment you carry, the local
supply house, or the local sports team, but not when it conflicts with your uniform. The
hat, if the tech wears one, should match the rest of the uniform.
13. Use company jackets
It’s tough to think about jackets and windbreakers this time of year, but the same rules
that apply to caps, apply to jackets. They should be company jackets that match the
uniform.
14. Make picture ID badges
You can buy low cost laminating machines at any office supply store. Buy an instant
camera, snap a picture, and laminate it on a clip on ID badge (the office supply stores sell
lamination blanks specifically for this purpose). The photo ID badge is a nice touch. It’s
reassuring to the customer. I’ve actually heard people comment on them in focus groups.
15. Use shoe covers
Shoe covers are getting old hat now, except that so few companies actually use them
they’re still a pleasant shock for homeowners. And remember, even though you provide
shoe covers, does not mean your technicians actually use them.
My guess is that the typical consumer has yet to encounter a service technician who used
shoe covers. Larry Taylor at Air Rite in Fort Worth told me that he buys a dark blue shoe
cover from Shubee, which allows reuse. He likes the Shubee covers because there’s antiskid spots added to the bottom.
Larry switched from white to dark blue because the blue allows reuse when the shoe
cover gets a smudge or scrape that doesn’t otherwise soil or dirty it. With the white, any
smudge shows up. With the blue, it doesn’t. Larry’s technicians get still more duty from
the shoe covers by turning them inside out and reusing them.
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16. Surgical gloves
Surgical gloves are cheap. They’re also a nice touch when work inside the home requires
coming in contact with the interior paint (e.g., adjusting or replacing a thermostat). If this
seems like show business, it is. It’s a way of demonstrating care and respect for your
customer’s home that is appreciated and makes you stand out. Little service touches like
this help justify higher prices.
The gloves can also represent a safety factor for your employees. Vikki Nicholas from
Bay Temperature Control, one of the leading experts on mold in the air conditioning
industry, says that they coach their technicians to NEVER touch anything they suspect
might be mold. When they suspect mold is present, they are to put on the gloves
immediately.
17. Carry a company tool rug
You can order small carpets customized with your company logo. Give one to each
technician to use when working inside. Instruct them to roll out the carpet and set the
tools on them. Again, this shows respect for the customer’s home. Besides, sometimes
the tool box is dirty on the bottom. Get the carpets laundered on a weekly basis.
18. Enforce neatness
I’ve known people who can wear a thousand dollar suit and look like a slob. You can
provide great looking uniforms, use shoe covers, tool rugs, and so on, but it’s all for
naught if the technician fails to keep the shirt tucked in.
19. Get employee input
While it’s true that it’s your company, your technicians have to wear the uniform. Give
them some input on the uniform decision and they will be more likely to willingly follow
the program without coercion. When you get a new hire, the older technicians will help
enforce the policy. Nothing beats peer pressure.
20. Your employees will follow your lead
If you want your employees to look sharp and to keep their shirts tucked in, you’ve got to
set the standard. If you don’t look good, why should they?
This, by the way, is what so unnerved me about Mike. I’ll be that Mike’s employees
looked worse than he did.
Oh, and I later heard that about a year after I accompanied the TM on the sales call, Mike
was wearing a uniform. Imagine that.
Well, actually it’s pretty easy to imagine. It was the uniform of a competitor whom Mike
went to work for after his business failed. This was probably a good thing. Nothing
against Mike, but he’s one of the people I think of when I give a speech and use the line,
“The service trades do not have a shortage of technicians. The service trades have a
surplus of owners.” But that’s another topic altogether.
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DID HE REALLY SAY THAT?
Why can’t she understand, the tech thought. He was frustrated. He was trying to explain
a problem to the homeowner, but this lady didn’t get it.
The tech knew he wasn’t the world’s most eloquent person, but what more was there to
say? He looked at his feet. The homeowner made him uncomfortable. She was getting
angry… at him! He started to explain it again, but why bother. She wasn’t going to
understand. His attempt to say more broke down into a mumble.
Didn’t she know that he had other calls to make? He couldn’t stand around all day
repeating the same thing over and over again. Why couldn’t she understand?
Finally, out of sheer frustration he said, “I don’t know what else you want me to say.
Look, I’ve really got to get going. I’ve got other calls. Why don’t you get your husband
and I’ll go over it with him?”
The moment he said it, he knew he did something else to tic her off. What, he wasn’t
sure, but she practically started foaming at the mouth as she stormed off.
Oh well, he thought. You just can’t figure some people.
And that was the last time anyone from the technician’s company set foot inside that
house. Within a few weeks, after the incensed homeowner had time to spread vitriol
about her experience over the neighborhood rumor mill, it became the last time anyone
from the technician’s company set foot inside any of the houses on that street, or the
street to the north, or the street to the south.
“You can’t believe how they treated me,” she said to an audience at the Tuesday night
neighborhood bunko game, “He wouldn’t look me in the eye. He kept muttering under
his breathe and then – you’re not going to believe this – and then he told me to get my
husband because it was too complicated for a woman to understand!”
“Nooo,” says her bunko partner, “Did he really say that?”
“I swear!”
Did she exaggerate and embellish the story? Absolutely. Did she misinterpret the
technician? No doubt about it. It is fair? Nope. Can anything be done to fix matters?
Not now. The company’s dead beyond resurrection in that neighborhood.
The technician never knew he did anything wrong. He knew things weren’t going well,
but was completely unaware of his own role. He didn’t know that when he looked to his
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feet the homeowner interpreted it as a sign of dishonesty. He didn’t know that his
anxiety to get to the next call was seen as a desire to flee the scene of a crime. He didn’t
know he was mumbling or that his uncertainty in communication was seen as a red flag
of deceit. He never would have imagined that his attempt to try and communicate with
the woman’s husband, with whom he hoped to find a common ground of knowledge for
an explanation was seen as a direct insult. He didn’t know and because he didn’t know
then, he won’t know in the future. Sometime in the next five, ten, twenty, or hundred
calls he will do the same thing all over again, poisoning yet another neighborhood for his
employer.
The technician would never claim to be a communicator. He’s not one. He’s a
technician. He works with his hands, not his voice. Yet, he does work with his voice.
His job does require good communication skills because his job requires that he interact
with people.
The scary part of this story is how many times it gets repeated. As silly as it sounds, I’m
convinced that one of the primary contributors to the poor image
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IT’S MORE THAN WORDS
Improving communication starts with awareness. It starts with understanding what goes
wrong. I don’t know the source, but I’ve seen it repeated often that only 7% of the
communication with another person is the words we use, 35% is the tone or voice quality,
and 58% is non-verbal.
Whoa! Only 7% is what’s actually said? Prove it!
Easy. Look at email. Email is devoid of tone and body language. Email is typically words
alone. Anyone who’s sent or received much email has probably been party to a case of
misunderstanding. Someone reads something into the email that wasn’t there and
certainly wasn’t intended.
Take the phrase:
"I'm going to have a talk with that guy on the jobsite."
Now, add to it. Say the same phrase, but add the following body language…









Grin
Scowl
Fold you arms
Put your arms behind your back and pace
Hold your hands to the side and up
Hold your arms in front of you, palms facing out
Scratch your head
Wink
Raise your eyebrows
It makes the message different each time. Now combine the body language with the tone.
Mix it all up and there’s nearly an infinite variety of meanings.
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PUTTING IT TO ACTION
So how can you make use of this? How can you help your technicians to improve their
communication skills? First, don’t expect miracles. Take small steps and take them
slowly.
1.
Look people in the eye.
Remember what your father said, “I don’t trust a man who won’t look me in the eye.”
Dad’s not the only person with that view. It’s ironic too, because the first thing every con
man learns is how to look you in the eye and lie sincerely.
2.
Stand up straight.
Right or wrong, people associate good posture with intelligence.
3.
Smile.
Smiles are disarming. People like people who smile.
4.
Pay attention.
When the customer is speaking, stop anything else you might be doing. and look at them
attentively. Even if you can hear them perfectly well while you’re filling out the invoice,
it seems as though you are not paying attention.
5.
Nod.
Every now and then, nod while the other person is speaking and say, “Um hum” or
something else to give them feedback that you are hearing what they’re saying.
6.
Repeat their questions.
When the customer makes a statement or asks a question, repeat it back in your own
words and get confirmation that you understand correctly.
7.
Illustrate.
When explaining something complex or difficult, it helps to illustrate what you’re saying.
This could be pointing at a component while explaining its operation and importance. It
could mean carrying a notepad so that you can make a quick sketch. Some people are
auditory learners. Others are more visual.
It’s true that technicians aren’t communicators, but they still have to communicate. They
may never become world class communicators, but they can strive to improve. So can all
of us.
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Source: Comanche Marketing. Reprinted by permission.
Free subscriptions are available at: www.serviceroundtable.com
-- click on the Comanche Marketing tab
Copyright © 2003 Matt Michel
This information is brought to you by the
PHCC Educational Foundation .
Visit the PHCC Educational Foundation’s Contractor Resource Center for
links to other articles: http://www.foundation.phccweb.org
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