At last count, Neal DiSanti had more than 70 reviews for his Aire Serv® of N. Dallas Metroplex franchise on Angie’s List®. From maintenance to replacement leads, DiSanti claims that the reviews have been pivotal to gaining new customers driving sales.
Before opening his Aire Serv franchise, however, DiSanti admits that his previous company had flat-lined. As a general maintenance company, he was using similar systems to the Aire Serv worldclass frontline service system and understood the importance of creating value in the customer experience. However, increasing prices and managing a team were new concepts to him.
“My old business had hit a point and wasn’t growing,” said DiSanti. “It was a big eye-opener to discover how I wasn’t charging enough. I thought, ‘How can I charge that!,’ but realized we’re worth it. There’s a reason why we charge more and the consumer understands that because we educate them on the value. Of course, I had to educate myself too.”
After opening his Aire Serv franchise in January 2009, DiSanti began building up a team that could deliver exceptional service to his specifications. However, this didn’t happen overnight.
“I went through four or five guys before I found the Home Comfort Designer I have now. It was new for me to hand over the reins of running my own leads to a salesperson, but it didn’t take long to see the benefits,” added DiSanti. “I also went through several technicians before I found the right person. Additionally, I outsource my installation crew, whom are dedicated to their role in presenting all of the Aire Serv systems, the Code of Values and providing superior service to the customers.”
Whether using his own team or subcontractors, DiSanti visited job sites for every replacement job before he was confident they followed the Aire Serv system without taking short-cuts.
“Now, my lead Home Comfort Designer works with the customer and spot-checks the crews for me, which allows me to work on the business and not in it,” said DiSanti. “The customers are also confirming that my teams are working to our high standards by commenting to me and leaving reviews online about their attention to detail and overall experience.”
To garner so many accolades, the technicians begin by exceeding the customer’s expectations. According to DiSanti, going “above and beyond the call of duty” has helped the customer “not mind” taking a few minutes to write a review.
Once the service is delivered and the technicians and installation teams inform the customer that they will receive a request for Angie’s List to leave behind a review, the customer is contacted shortly after by Angie’s List.
“The key is to go out there, do your job as intended by following the Aire Serv system and address the customer’s needs. If we don’t know the answer to a question, we find out and get back with them later,” said DiSanti.
He also commented that he received a call from an Angie’s List subscriber to ask why he had “all the reviews” and “nothing negative. You can’t possibly keep everyone happy.” DiSanti told the subscriber that he can’t keep everyone happy, but that when mistakes do happen, they work to ensure the “customer is 100 percent satisfied, as promised, no matter what it takes to do so.”
“We had a negative review shortly after that subscriber contacted me unfortunately,” added DiSanti. “But it didn’t hurt me. We made the problem right and the customer updated their review about how we corrected the situation. Having negative reviews proves you’re human. The key is to fix it and take care of the problem.”
From proper branding and following the world class frontline service system to making each customer experience a success, DiSanti advises all HVAC contractors to focus on gaining customer reviews online.