Whether it is a housekeeper or a plumber, certainly there will come a time when you will need to hire a service person at your vacation property. Any time you own a home, particularly a vacation home since you will not be around to service the home on your own, you will be faced with this task. Finding a service person is easy. Finding the right service person can be very difficult. You need to have someone come fix or maintain one of your most valuable investments, your home. Throw in the fact that it is a vacation home into the dilemma, and it becomes even more important to find a good service person since you will be allowing someone into your home that is left unoccupied for long periods of time. Therefore, you must trust whomever it is you hire. Also, you may not be as familiar with your home and how it works if it is a vacation home since you are not spending as much time there as a full-time homeowner. This means you need to hire a professional who is an expert in the service he or she is providing.
There are so many service people to choose from, it can be an overwhelming task trying to decide which one to hire. We all know the yellow pages are not the best place to turn for something like this. Often times if you own a vacation home, however, you do not know anyone in the area, so this is where you will turn.
When possible, try to get some word-of-mouth recommendations from locals in your vacation home area for the type of service you need. If you do not know anyone and have not hired someone to help you with your home, try to strike up a conversation with people who have lived in the area for a while to find out who they recommend. Chances are, the same names will come up over and over again, especially if it is a smaller town.
Depending on the service you need, if it is something the state you are in requires licensing or certification for, check with the state to make sure the person you are about to hire is indeed licensed or certified. Also depending on the service, particularly if it involves the service person going inside your home, do not be afraid to ask the service person for proof of insurance.
Your local Chamber of Commerce is a good place to find a service person if word-of-mouth is not an option. Generally companies or individuals providing a service who join the chamber have a good reputation in the community and are business-minded folks who want to grow their businesses or they would not bother joining the organization.
There are many sites popping up on the Internet that allow people to review service companies and comment on their experiences with them. This is another great way to get a good idea of the level of service and professionalism you will receive from whomever you hire.
It is okay to consider price when hiring a service person, but do not let price make the final decision. We have all heard that you get what you pay for. Often times, this is true. It is probably a red flag if you are quoted a price that is significantly lower than the going rate. This is particularly true if it is an hourly rate. A low hourly rate may only result in the service person spending many more hours than necessary on a simple job. If the rate is hourly, it is a good idea to set a limit on the number of paid hours to complete a job ahead of time. Keep in mind that there may be a good reason that a quote is lower than bids from other companies. An example of a good reason would be that the company who quoted you the lower price does not have employees and the other quotes were from larger companies with a lot of overhead. On the other hand, a considerably high price may signal something is amiss as well. Highest price does not always mean it is the best quality or service. Again, do not focus too much on the price, unless it seems unusually high or low. Even then, if there is a reasonable explanation for this, it is probably okay.
Do you know how to get the best service?
Now that you know how to choose the right service people, you have got to know how to work with them so you can receive the best service and value for what you are paying for. Although this may seem like common sense, we have found that a lot of people simply do not know how to handle service people at all.
To get the most out of your service people, put yourself in their shoes, and try to think of things from their point of view. Generally, service people want to get in, get the job done, and move on to the next job. They also want to be paid promptly. If you can, pay them immediately after the job is completed when they are on site. If they are performing a labor-intensive job, such as yard work or housekeeping, for goodness sake, tip them!! The tip does not have to be much. A couple dollars can go a long way. It lets the service people know that you appreciate them and their hard work. They will remember this. It shows them you have respect for them and their work, and they in turn will respect you. Often the work the service people are performing is not glamorous or comfortable. Do anything you can to make their experience easier and more pleasant. If they do a good job, tell them that! Rarely do people tell workers in the service industry when they do a good job, but they are always sure to tell them when they do a bad job. If you want to stand out and make some hardworking and well-deserving service workers’ day, give them a compliment on the good service they provided for you.
Keep in mind that if employees are sent to service your property, they probably are not concerned with how business is going and not too terribly concerned with whether or not you would recommend their service to others or not. They are there to show up to work on time, do their jobs, and get their paychecks on payday. Do not be offended by this. As long as they are doing their job and not being offensive or rude, just accept this and be happy the job is getting done. Do not take it personally that they may not seem to care if you pass their name on to others. Do not get upset if they do not know the answers to questions about the service in general they are performing beyond what they need to know to get the job done. As long as they can give you the name of someone else at the company who can help you and practice good customer service, this is really all you should expect from them.
On the other hand, if you have a service person come to your home that is the owner of a small business, take the time to talk with the person a little about his or her business every once in a while. If the owner offers a good service, tell him or her this! Since gaining more business is most likely this person’s goal, tell him or her you will pass his or her name on to other possible clients.
Depending on where you live and what time of the year it is, keep in mind that many service people are swamped and not looking for new customers or any new business, particularly during high season. For example, a lawn care company in a resort town during July in Minnesota has probably got more work than it can handle. Although it is very unprofessional, many companies will not even return a phone call if they fall into this busy category. If the area is saturated with customers, finding a service person may be a difficult experience. This is particularly true if you live in a small town and have made a name for yourself as being a poor payer or difficult customer. Rest assured, people in the service industry talk. They stick together. Treat them right, and they will treat you right. Treat them poorly, and expect poor treatment in return.
