When a snowstorm is bearing down, our clients are already juggling school cancellations and childcare plans, business opening schedules, and whether the roads are even drivable for their team to make it in. We don't want the status of their property to be one more thing on their mind, so at Grunder Landscaping Co. we try to communicate with them before they ever feel the need to reach out to us.
In my 42+ years in business I've found that proactive and clear communication can solve a lot of problems before they even start. This is true for landscaping work, but it's even more true under the pressure of a snow and ice event.
At every point where a client might start to wonder, we try to stay ahead of it with an answer. Ahead of the weather, we let clients know it's on our radar and how we plan to handle it, so they're never guessing whether we're paying attention.
Sometimes this is overcommunication, but most of our clients appreciate this. It helps them know that we're watching the weather closely and ready if it does materialize.
We set the ground rules early, before the season even starts. Clients know that we'll communicate with them via email for all things snow and ice related, and we lay out during the sales process what it looks like for clients to opt-in or opt-out of service. I covered this in more detail in a blog last month if you want to read more.
Clear expectations are also important internally. Communicating arrival times and dispatch plans with our crews ensures we operate smoothly for our clients. We communicate start times via our internal company Facebook Group, an all-company email, one-to-one communications, and sometimes texts and phone calls. Communicating the plan to the entire company via email or the Facebook Group allows us to loop in production, who will need to be ready to go out, and sales, who needs to know the plan for their clients, in one communication.
I'd love to get to the point where we do all of this so well that there are no surprises: no clients who are upset, no team members who no-show because they were confused about the plan, no wasted time rehashing details. That's just not realistic. We'll always have a bit of unpredictability, but standardizing what we can helps us to control the snow event instead of letting it control us.
I'm excited for GROW! Snow attendees to join us in Dayton, Ohio on September 22-23. This event, hosted by Snowfighters Institute, will bring together snow experts to share their expertise on selling, dispatching, and running a successful snow operation. I'll also get to take attendees to my facility, and Grunder Landscaping Co. will detail exactly how we run our snow operation. Register here before September 1 to lock in early bird pricing ($750 instead of $995). I hope to see you there!
Marty Grunder
Founder & CEO
The Grow Group & Grunder Landscaping Co.