Best Practices for Effective and Efficient Complaint Handling for Plumbing Contractors

One of the most unpleasant parts of any contracting job or business is dealing with complaints. Rather than treating them as an ugly necessity, there are many ways to minimize the confrontation and friction of a complaint, and turn it into a positive result for both the business and customer. 

How to Handle Complaints as A Contractor

The first step in setting up an efficient complaints procedure is to think back to any positive complaints experience you had as a customer, and model your own complaints process based on that. 

As consumers, we have all had poor and some good complaints experiences, and it makes sense to treat your customers as you were treated during a complaints exchange that had a positive process and outcome. 

That involves setting up a consistent and pain-free approach to the process, dealing with complaints in a fair and timely manner, and ensuring that remedial work is performed promptly to reduce the stress for the consumer.

Best Practices in Customer Complaints for Contractors 

Complaints can start due to many reasons, from a faulty part, new plumbing technology not working as expected, unexpected issues up or downstream, or an issue that emerged long after an installation, 

As a plumbing contracting business, you will typically have multiple ways for prospects and new customers to get in touch with your business. However, most bury the complaints contact form (if there is one) on a lowly web page or to a phone number that is rarely checked. 

That means most customers will call or email your main lines of business contact. With the risk of any call not being answered if your teams are busy, and any email being ignored for more productive and profitable new business. 

Instead, set up a dedicated complaints process, number, email and other points of contact, and ensure your customers know about it once a job is signed off. This will also stop them from splashing their complaints over your social media, which can have a negative business impact. 

Next, if this contact point provides an automated response, then highlight exactly what the process is: 

• Promise and deliver a 24/48 hour response time (immediate if urgent)

• Explain how long remedial action typically takes

• Provide a direct contact point in case there is a need for further communication. 

Finally, make your complaints practice clear and visible to all customers and prospects before and after sales. That way, you give them a sense that they will be looked after if there is an issue, and they will have a clear understanding of what to do. 

Handling Complaints as A Plumbing Contractor

With your process in place, you also need a consistent approach to dealing with any complaint. Typically, whoever answers the complaint should take ownership of it until the issue is sorted. This ensures there is no internal blame dodging, and provides the customer with a regular point of contact. 

Next, ensure transparency, trust and empathy are key parts of the communication process. Whatever the cause of the complaint:

• Address the problem in communication and during any callout.

•  Resolve the complaint promptly, explain what went wrong in simple terms.

• If there are any, explain any reason for delays.

• Ensure the issue has been sorted, as nobody wants a replicated error or further fault.

• Ask if the customer is happy about the result.

A complaints process can take hours, days and sometimes weeks to resolve. Whatever, maintain that process based on resolution, transparency and openness to minimize the stress for the customer. 

And when complete, a positive complaints story is just as welcome on your “what our clients say” page as glowing reviews of your latest high-end successful installation. Such honesty helps customers understand that if something does go wrong, your company can be trusted to fix it. 

When Contractors Can’t Resolve Problems

Not all contractor problems can be resolved amicably, there could be a deep (and, costly) technical issue behind a fault. Or, the customer simply refuses to be happy or pay up. In those cases, mediation with a third-party may be needed. Approaching an ombudsman or arbitration service is one way to resolve it.

If a complaint about payment, product or workmanship quality, remedial work or other issues becomes protracted, one of the fastest ways to get the other party to resolve it is through prompt litigation. Not the dragged-out TV type, but through minor action courts like the California Small Claims Court or whichever is appropriate for your state or city. 

These cases are typically dealt with within two months, only cost up to $100 to bring, and see an independent and fair-minded judge deal with the complainant and defendant directly with no expensive lawyers. Individuals can sue for up to $12,500 while a business can sue for up to $6,250 (as of 2024, and depending on your location). 

These steps can avoid actions taken by customers against you through State Contractors Boards (or similar organizations), that could result in the revocation of your contractor license, like the C-36 required to operate in California. 

Contractors Must Deliver on the Whole Package

As well as arriving on time, listening to a customer and understanding their needs or concerns, and the simple stuff like leaving a property clean and tidy, dealing with complaints is what helps a business grow and gain a strong reputation, no matter how small or large.

Pretending that problems never happen with your business is unrealistic. Ignoring customer complaints will rapidly lead to a bad reputation. And even if a customer’s error or neglect has caused a problem, as the contractor it is up to you to fix it (at their expense). 

Taking all of those issues into consideration, a fair-minded approach to complaints and handling them to resolve them quickly and thoroughly is the only way to ensure that you minimize the negative impact on your business, and emerge without reputational damage.