Make Job Tickets Work for You – Part 3

Make Job Tickets Work for You – Part 3

Frank Blau
Contributing Writer

This will be the final article of our three-part series on job tickets. Remember, the whole point of this review is to show how you can turn a rather ho-hum part of your business, the job ticket, into a marketing tool. Another thing is, the job ticket under discussion here departs from the traditional forms which emphasize time and material price breakdowns. Flat rate contractors want no part of that.

The back cover of our job tickets is printed on heavy paper stock because it contains a coupon and postcard. It has three distinct sections, each removable via perforations.

1. A postage paid reply card inviting customers to evaluate our company and service.

2. A coupon for $5 off any future Blau PHC repair.

3. A detailed explanation of all the training and costs that go into providing high quality and professional PHC services. What you see below is the copy for this section. On the back side of the card is the headline “Facts About Service Costs,” the title of this brochure. We used to provide this to all customers as a separate brochure. Now it is an integral part of our job ticket.

The back side contains the front of the postcard with our mailing address, the “Facts About Service Costs” title and illustration, and also a separate column of text under the heading, “Good Service Doesn’t Just Happen.” This is basically an extension of the “Facts About Service Costs” message that points out the knowledge and skill of our employees and the capital investment required to run our business.

Good P.R.: We feel this is good P.R. not only for Blau Plumbing, but the entire industry. If every contractor would make the effort to explain the value he contributes for the money charged, we wouldn’t be the butt of jokes on the Tonight show.

I also think that every contractor should have a means for getting performance feedback from customers, like our postage-paid postcard. This keeps employees on their toes. Our feedback card asks customers to rate not only our field workers, but our phone representatives as well. Experience has shown that the replies tend to be overwhelmingly positive.

In addition to being a check on employees, feedback cards also tell the customer that you care about serving them well. It gives psychological boost that puts them in a frame of mine to call you again.

It is the “Facts About Service Costs” explanation that I think is most important. We PHC contractors always seem to complain that we don’t get the public respect we deserve, and how we are sick and tired of plumber jokes. Yet very few take the time to do anything positive to promote ourselves and our industry. This document does exactly that, with every customer we serve. Think of how much good we could do if every contractor would make the effort to do something similar.