How Should You Build a Service Call Completion SOP?
A Contractor University Member recently utilized the Ask-The-Expert Q&A feature within the member dashboard by submitting the following question and received the response below.
Contractor Question:
“What should a service call completion SOP include to ensure quality, document the work and protect the business?”
Contractor University Expert Response:
“I just want to say how important this question is, especially nowadays when so many companies have gotten away from following a defined process. Instead, they are focused on fixing what is broken today rather than solving the customer’s overall problem and creating a great experience. What you are asking should already be built into your Perfect Call Process—the standard operating procedure every frontline employee follows consistently on every service call.
I believe every department should have a documented, step-by-step process for every job. It should be written down, posted where everyone can see it, reviewed regularly and trained on every week. To me, this is non-negotiable.Our goal is to give every customer the same great experience every time we walk through their door, regardless of which technician they get. That level of consistency only happens when everyone follows the same process.
Because of that, I do not think simply handing technicians a close-out checklist will solve the problem of customer claims or missed items. Documentation is important, but it starts long before the technician begins packing up their tools. It starts with the very first interaction with the customer and continues throughout the entire visit. The close-out is simply the final step of a well-executed process, not the process itself.
There are also some excellent tools available today that can help reinforce consistency and provide strong documentation. Workflow platforms can help ensure technicians follow the process from start to finish, while photo, video and equipment documentation can protect both the customer and the company. Call-recording and coaching tools can also help improve technician communication, reinforce expectations and identify coaching opportunities.
The key is not simply having the tools. It is using them consistently and building a technician workflow that takes just three to five minutes at the end of every call to properly document the completed work.
A strong close-out process should confirm that the equipment is operating correctly, the work area is clean, all tools and materials have been collected, payment has been addressed and any remaining customer concerns have been resolved or handed off to the office for follow-up. Photos or video can also be useful, especially when the customer is not on site to review and accept the completed work in person.
The goal is to create a process that provides enough documentation to protect the business without making it so time-consuming that technicians stop following it. When the expectations are clear, practical and consistently reinforced, the documentation itself also helps ensure the crew completes the work to the company’s standards.”
Contractor University members can click here to log in to their member dashboard and submit a question through the Ask the Expert portal.
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