Pssst, want to know a secret? Of course you do, everyone likes to be let in on secrets! I am going to divulge the top three comments NOT to make to the home repair service technician if you want a bad situation to be pleasantly handled.

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First of all, what I am about to divulge, is advice for a more peaceful service experience in what can be a stressful time. In the service industry, we are taught that our customers’ requests are to be handled with care and professionalism. When a customer calls for service, they can be distraught or in a panic due to the need for a service technician, whether it is plumbing, electrical, heating or cooling. However, with this knowledge, some comments made by customers do get “under the skin” when a request for service is stressed as an emergency.

Tip #1 – Avoid the “procrastinator eye roll”

A service call is requested immediately, timing is urgent. Upon the arrival of the technician, the need for immediate service is qualified with statements of:

“It has been leaking for about 3 months, but I have company coming and need to get it fixed right a-way.”

“I made a temporary fix myself, but I am having a party in two days and need it fixed before then.”

“The yard drains haven’t worked right for about 2 years and there is a big storm coming in a couple of days, I need them fixed before it gets here.”

Service companies define emergencies as: the unexpected, unplanned necessary repair to preserve the functionality of your home and safety. Not the, “I gotta get this fixed so my guests don’t think negative of me.”

Tip #2 – Avoid the non-emergency, emergency “pshhh” (Yes, men make that sound too!)

You claim it is an emergency over the phone, but when the technician shows up you state, “Thank you for coming so quickly, it really isn’t that big of a deal.”

“It’s really not an emergency, I just wanted to get someone here now because I'm home.”

It’s really not that bad, I have another bathroom I can use, but it’s not “mine”, it’s the one my son/daughter/guests uses.”

You may not realize it, but you just interrupted the technician’s lunch or dinner because dispatch said it was, “an emergency” along with a horrible description of what you claim is happening. Technicians generally are empathetic to emergency calls and will try very hard to come to your aid as soon as humanly possible, sacrificing what they are doing to help you in your time of need. Claiming an emergency when it really is not, can lead to a bad service experience.

Tip #3 – Avoid the convenient scheduling; can’t be late demand "brush-off"

This is that service call scheduling that must be on a certain day and time due to:

Lunch with the girls cannot be rescheduled.

You have a shopping trip with friends planned and cannot miss it or change it.

Insist on Saturday service (at no added charge) so you don’t miss work, but it has to be done after 10am but before 12pm because you have errands and a tee time of 1pm.

By remembering these handy tips, you should be pleasantly, efficiently and considerately helped in your time of need. (Note: individual technician dispositions may vary; these tips are not a guarantee of polite service, but they can help)

Have a nice day! : )