“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” There’s truth to that bit of wisdom, but it’s easy to forget in some cases. Take service contracts, for example. Lots of people don’t think they need them. Worse, they worry their investment won’t see returns. They think they’ll just get an occasional visit to tighten screws and tap on controllers.
It’s important to show your customers more benefit out of their service contracts. Get the top five resources that should be in your contracts (that you haven’t thought of).
1. Priority care
Regular maintenance should extend the life of devices; but hardware isn’t going to last forever, and problems will sometimes pop up. Make your service contracts a priority, by pushing their requests for emergency help to the top of the list. It’s a simple gesture that can mean the world to the building manager whose devices are offline.
2. Enhanced priority care
A service level agreement (SLA) is another great option for priority care. An SLA lays out how soon a customer can expect help in an emergency. Customers can even pre-pay for emergency calls, with credits that carry over and can be used anytime. This way, when disaster hits, your customers are covered.
3. Training, tips, and tricks
Some people are naturals at navigating building networks and diving into Wireshark files. They’re BACnet gurus, and can quickly cut through to a problem’s source. Not everyone is a veritable horse whisperer with building automation systems, though. That’s OK. Provide some training or tips and tricks to help clients better understand their systems. It’s not a replacement for maintenance, but will help them manage their building from day to day.
4. Online and remote support
Certain network issues warrant a service call, but some don’t. They might warrant online or remote support, instead. An increasing number of manufacturers are making that a part of their service offering. Provide how-to videos, articles, and FAQs, as well as remote support via chat, phone, email, or even social media — if they can fit their issue into 140 characters or less. If the problem is too big for online support, then local contractors can take over. Remote support is perfect for smaller organizations that can’t afford or don’t need regular on-site visits.
5. Budget awareness
Service contracts already appeal to customers’ budgets. It’s easier to plan around a contract than an emergency call. Why not sweeten the pot? Tailor contract offerings to customers’ needs, and edit the expensive excess. If they don’t need one feature, remove it or replace it.
These are just a few examples of resources that you could include in your service offerings. There are plenty more possibilities out there. Above all, your contracts should fit the needs of your customers. With robust, flexible solutions, you can build service options that create customer loyalty and longevity.
Get five tips to successfully sell service contracts.
