The green doesn't lie. You know why.
Front nine, the phone buzzes. A crew lead needs an answer. A customer wants a callback. Someone wants to know when the truck is coming.
By the turn you've stopped counting strokes and started counting calls.
That isn't a golf problem. It's a business that can't get through a Saturday without you.
Quick check: is your phone running the business?
- Did a work call find you the last time you took a day off?
- Do the same questions come to you every week?
- Is "check with the owner" the default answer in your shop?
- Do you jump in and fix it because it's faster?
- Do you feel guilty when you don't pick up?
Two or more yeses? Keep reading.
Why every call comes back to you
Your people aren't calling because they're lazy. They're calling because, somewhere along the way, they learned that the safe answer is "check with the owner."
Maybe you built that without meaning to. You fixed things fast. You were good at it. Every time you jumped in, the problem went away and the habit got stronger.
Now you're the bottleneck, the one spot everything has to squeeze through. And a business that squeezes through one person can only grow as big as that person's day.
What's really behind the phone ringing
When I look under the hood with owners, the calls usually come from three places:
- Nobody knows who's allowed to decide what. So they ask you.
- The rules live in your head, not on paper. So they ask you.
- Mistakes get punished, so nobody wants to own one. So they ask you.
Fix those three and the phone gets quieter.
Three moves to quiet the phone
- Track every call and text you get for one week. Write down who called and what they needed.
- Find the top three repeat questions. Write the answer down once, as a simple rule anyone can follow.
- Tell your team, "If it's under this dollar amount, or it's covered by the rule, you decide. I'll back you." Then back them, even when they get it a little wrong.
I learned this over 27 years owning and running a SERVPRO franchise.
Questions owners ask
What if my people make the wrong call?
Some will, at first. A small wrong call they learn from costs less than you being on the phone forever.
How do I know who's ready to decide more?
Watch who brings you a problem and a suggested answer. Start there.
Isn't it faster if I just handle it?
Today, yes. Over a year, no. Every call you take is one your team never learns to handle.
One question to sit with
If an extra $100K a year in profit was leaking out of your business, and you could plug it, what would you do with your Saturdays?
If you want to talk that through, let's walk your business together. Thirty minutes, you and me.
Not ready to talk yet? Get the 5 places $100K hides in a service business, with a 2-minute check for each one.
Pete Ambrosino, Ambrosino Strategic Advisors. Advisor to owners of restoration and service businesses. 27 years owning and running a SERVPRO franchise. Advising business owners since 2015.
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