Attention to detail makes a lasting impression on customers.(Editorial)

In the last issue of Floor Covering Installer, we ran an article by Jon Namba about how installers can survive the current economic situation by, among other things, improving their appearance and customer service skills. Little did I know then that I was about to discover this lesson for myself first hand; a few days after the article was finished, the floor in the laundry room of my house started to buckle as the result of a water leak from the washing machine. When I called my landlady to tell her, she told me she would have someone come to repair it immediately. Later, she called back to tell me to expect the installer to come at 8:00 a.m., so I had to wait for him to arrive. The next morning, I waited as instructed; after several hours, the "installer" in question finally arrived. In case you're wondering why I put that word in quotation marks, let me elaborate. The man standing in front of me looked more like the homeless people I see going through the trash bins in our neighborhood than a professional workman. The only sign I could see that indicated he was not in fact homeless was the rusty pickup truck in the driveway. Obviously, this guy hadn't read Jon's article!

Though I felt somewhat apprehensive about leaving this person alone in my home, I kept reminding myself that ...