Working in a Customer's Home

When you walk into someone's home, you are working in the place where they sleep, raise children, and keep what they own. Most customers cannot judge your technical work. They judge what they can see: whether you showed up when you said you would, wiped your feet, explained things plainly, and left the place clean. A good repair done rudely gets a bad review. A good repair done respectfully gets a referral. This is true whether you came to fix a pipe, a furnace, an outlet, or a sprinkler.

What You Will Be Able to Do

• Arrive in a way that makes the customer feel safe letting you in
• Protect floors, furniture, and belongings before work starts
• Explain a problem, a price, and a choice in plain words
• Handle awkward moments such as pets, children, and upset customers
• Finish a call so the home is clean, the work is explained, and nothing is forgotten

Before You Knock

The call starts before you reach the door.

1. Confirm the appointment. Let the customer know when you are on the way, especially if you are running late. A short text or call is better than an excuse later.
2. Read the work order. Know the customer's name, the complaint, and any notes such as a gate code or a dog in the yard.
3. Park with care. Do not block the driveway, a neighbor, or a sidewalk unless the customer says it is fine. Do not leak fluids on the concrete.
4. Check yourself. Clean uniform, clean hands, and no smoking or vaping on the property. Wear your ID where it can be seen.

At the Door

Stand back from the door after you knock so you do not crowd whoever answers. Say your name and your company, show your ID, and say why you are there. Use the customer's name if you have it.

Ask before you step inside. Put on shoe covers in view of the customer, or take your boots off if that is what they prefer and it is safe for the work. Before you start, listen. Ask what happened, when it started, and what they have noticed. People who feel heard are much easier to work with, and what they tell you often helps you find the cause.

Ask them to show you the work area, and walk behind them. Do not wander. If you need to go to another room, ask first.

Warning: Do not stay in a home if you feel unsafe. If you find threats, weapons being handled, or someone who appears dangerously impaired, leave politely and call your office. If the home itself is unsafe, such as a strong gas smell or a sewage flood, stop and follow your employer's emergency steps.

Protecting the Home

Do this before any tool comes out.

• Lay drop cloths or floor runners on your path and in the work area. Use clean ones, not the set you used in a crawlspace yesterday.
• Ask the customer to move fragile or valuable items, or get their permission before you touch them. If something is already damaged, point it out now and take a photo.
• Set tools on a mat or cloth, never directly on a counter, floor, or appliance.
• Protect finished surfaces near your work. Cover counters, tubs, and vanities, and use corner guards when carrying long or heavy items.
• Close off dust and mess when you can. Use plastic sheeting and a vacuum instead of letting debris spread.
• Find the water, power, or gas shutoff that serves your work before you need it, and tell the customer before you turn anything off.

If you break or stain something, tell the customer right away and call your office. Hiding it turns a small repair bill into a lost customer, and customers usually find out.

How to Behave in the Home

A few rules cover most situations.

• Your phone stays away unless you are using it for the job. Do not take personal calls in the home.
• Keep your language clean, including when you talk to a coworker.
• Use your own supplies. Ask before using a bathroom. If the customer offers, use it and leave it as you found it. Many companies ask you to use a public restroom instead.
• Do not eat, smoke, or vape inside. Accepting a glass of water is fine.
• Do not comment on the home, the customer's belongings, or the way they live.
• Do not talk down other workers. Saying the last company did terrible work makes you look bad and can create legal trouble. Describe what you found, not who did it.
• Keep what you see private. Do not photograph anything but the work, and do not post a customer's home online without written permission.

Pets and Children

Ask that pets be kept away from your work area and that gates stay closed. A dog that gets out through a door you left open is your problem. Do not pet an animal you do not know. Keep tools, chemicals, sharp scrap, and open access panels out of reach of children, and never leave any of them unattended. You should not be alone with a child in a closed room. If the only person home is a minor, call your office before you go in.

Explaining the Work

Customers want to know three things: what is wrong, what it will take to fix, and what it will cost. Tell them before you begin, in plain words.

1. Show them. Point to the part, or show a photo on your phone.
2. Explain what it means. "This valve is leaking inside the wall" is better than a string of part names.
3. Give the options. Include what happens if they wait, and do not pressure them. Be honest about what is urgent and what can wait.
4. Get approval before you do the work. Follow your company's rules for written estimates. Never start a job that adds cost without a clear yes.

If you do not know the answer, say so and offer to find out. If you find something the customer did not call about, tell them, even if the news is not welcome. Report safety problems every time. If you are a trainee, send price and technical questions to your lead.

When a Customer Is Upset

Stay calm and let them finish. Do not argue, even if they have the facts wrong. Repeat the problem back so they know you heard it, say what you can do next, and bring in your supervisor if you cannot solve it. If a customer becomes threatening, stop the work, pick up what you can quickly, leave, and call your office.

Finishing the Job

The last ten minutes are what the customer remembers.

1. Test the work with the customer watching, if you can. Show that the problem is gone.
2. Clean up. Vacuum and wipe the work area, and clean anything you touched. Remove your trash and old parts unless the customer wants to keep them.
3. Put things back where you found them. Return furniture, reset anything you turned off, and close gates and doors.
4. Walk through what you did, what the customer should watch for, and how to reach you. Show them any shutoff or setting they need to know.
5. Handle the paperwork. Review the invoice line by line, collect payment the way your company requires, and give them a copy.
6. Say thank you.

Before you drive away, check for tools, ladders, and drop cloths you may have left behind. Check that you have not left a hose running, a gate open, or a valve closed.

Common Mistakes

Check Your Understanding

1. You arrive ten minutes late because the last job ran long. You did not call. What should you have done, and what do you do now?

You should have called or texted as soon as you knew you would be late. Now apologize once, briefly, without excuses, and get to work. Then call ahead on every job for the rest of the day.

2. While working under a kitchen sink, you notice a crack in a cabinet panel that was already there. What do you do?

Point it out to the customer before you begin, and take a photo. If you say nothing, it may look like you caused it when you finish.

3. You find a second problem that will add to the bill. The customer is at work, and their teenager let you in. What do you do?

Do not start the extra work. Call the customer or your office and get a clear approval from the person who pays the bill. A minor cannot approve it, and your company may have rules about working when only a minor is home.

4. A customer says, "The last guy who worked on this was an idiot, right?" How do you answer?

Stay neutral. Describe what you found and how you will fix it, and leave out any opinion about the other worker. You do not know what that person was asked to do or why.

Key Takeaways

• Customers judge you by what they can see, so manners and cleanliness are part of the job.
• Identify yourself, ask before you enter, and listen before you touch anything.
• Protect the home before tools come out, and point out damage that was already there.
• Explain the problem, the options, and the price in plain words, and get approval first.
• Tell the truth about anything you damage.
• Finish by cleaning up, showing the work, and checking that you have left nothing behind.