You’ve done your pre-call planning, prepped for your next service call, and are walking up to the door. You ring the doorbell and hear a dog barking in response.
While this might not be the most welcoming sound, a homeowner’s pet is no reason to panic. Here are three tried and true tips for dealing with dogs.
- Pass the sniff test. Dogs are sensory animals that judge a stranger by their scent and not their character. While you might not mean them any harm, dogs see big toolboxes and equipment and a scent-rich stranger. Allow the dog to come to you and smell your hands. Think of it like a handshake with a stranger; this lets the dog know you’re good people.
- Give the customer warning. Will you be using loud tools? Will the install or service make noise while you’re there? Let the customer know if anything you are going to need to do while in the home might irritate the dog. Dogs respond to sound in different ways so giving your customer a quick warning might mean the difference between a barking and unhappy dog and a calm and quiet canine.
- Speak up. Not every person is a dog person and most pet owners are pretty understanding of that. If a loose dog is going to impede the quality of your work or extend your service call time don’t hesitate to ask the homeowner to put the dog in another room or secure it in a kennel.
Whether the four-legged friend brightens your workday or proves to be a distraction, the most important thing is to complete your job in a timely, efficient, and professional manner with exceptional customer comfort as your ultimate goal.
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