Wouldn’t it be grand if fixing an issue was all that was expected of you as a plumbing technician or HVAC technician? Obviously, it would be, and just as obvious, it’s not. Your responsibilities extend far beyond the source of the service call. There’s also the human element of the customer relationship experience that needs to go as smoothly as your service work. Your comfort level working with customers will dictate how each visit goes. So, if you’d prefer fewer hard days on the job and more positive customer feedback, your best move is to enroll in soft skills training.
A technician’s path to success includes soft skills.
Your abilities as a plumbing technician or HVAC technician to diagnose and repair issues will get you a job, but to thrive, you’ll need additional talents. We call these soft skills, and they are the tools that will help you win favor with customers.
Like all seasoned technicians, you’ll come to understand that your duties often encompass repairs, customer service, and onsite sales/marketing. The plumbing technician or HVAC technician is are literally the face of the company walking into a customer’s home. How you interact with customers, listen to their input and respond to their cues will directly affect your success—and your company’s success. For some technicians, the ability to put customers at ease and earn their confidence comes naturally. For most technicians, developing these skills requires training. Fortunately, your company is a part of the Nexstar Network. That gives you access to online vocational training from NexTech Academy. With our soft skills training, you’ll quickly understand what to do, what not to do and how to create a phenomenal customer experience. Beyond the hows and whys of plumbing and HVAC serving, NexTech Academy trains you on how to improve personal interaction to build high-quality relationships each time you are in the field. Just as important, you’ll also improve relationships with management, co-workers, and fellow technicians.
The right approach creates a better experience for everyone.
Plumbing and HVAC technicians grow accustomed to being inside people’s homes every day. But for the customer, having a complete stranger in their home can cause some level of discomfort. Couple the customer’s stranger anxiety with a technician who has yet to develop their soft skills and the experience can be quite tense. However, employing the right mixture of soft skills by understanding social cues, personality traits, and body language will go along way in making a customer feel safe and comfortable. With training from NexTech Academy, it won’t be long until you will be ready to remove the discomfort from almost any customer situation.
Make a customer’s worst day better.
As a plumbing or HVAC technician, you’ll find there is no shortage of things that can escalate customer emotions in a negative way during a service visit. For many service repair calls, you’ll be walking into a tense situation. Something critical to the customer’s everyday life is not working, causing a disruption throughout the home. This disruption could also be causing (or already caused) significant damage to the home. Plus, the homeowner knows there will be unbudgeted costs, headaches, and unwanted stress in having the issue fixed. From here, things can grow worse. Service costs might be higher than expected, repairs could be delayed due to parts availability, warranty coverage might not cover what the customer hoped and on and on and on. In a sense, with every service call you make, you run the risk of walking smack dab into the middle of someone’s worst day. Your ability to enter the home, create rapport, listen to the customer, and respond appropriately can position you as a hero rather than another part of the problem.
These tools don’t come from a hardware store.
Among the soft skills and traits, you will come to hone with online vocational training from NexTech Academy is adaptability, decision making, time management, and conflict resolution. We could also add conflict avoidance if you employ these traits right off the bat. By learning, understanding and putting these and other soft skills into practice you will go a long way to alleviating customer worries. You will also come to find that the more comfortable you can make a customer feel, the more they are willing to trust your opinion, work and allow you to do what’s needed.
Impress more than the customer.
With NexTech Academy, the process of enhancing your soft skills doesn’t include some new-age self-improvement classes. Our vocational training offers easy to adopt practices that improve your rapport with others. We’re not going to change who you are, but we will arm you with assets to better handle human interactions so your work life is easier, more efficient and more profitable. It’s a win all around. Your boss will see improved customer comments regarding your work. Customers will come to trust and respect you. Plus, co-worker collaboration will go smoother.
Get Started on HVAC or Plumbing Technician Training
The same great training now costs less. Put NexTech Academy vocational training programs for Plumbing technicians and HVAC technicians to work for you by visiting our vocational training program page or by calling (651) 426-2000.
