By Andrew P. McCoy and Fred Sargent
Published On February 15, 2023
Derek is a great service electrician and loves his job. He relishes the satisfaction of knowing he has solved people’s problems at the end of each workday.
He looks forward to applying his training and experience to the challenges he encounters with every new service call. Most of all, though, he enjoys the personal gratification in knowing he has made an impact and helped people.
They are his company’s customers. But they are Derek’s clients. To the company, the value in having them is profitability. To Derek, their value is priceless.
Customers who call for service give Derek great reviews. The next time they call, many ask for him by name. The third time around, before they can remember the name of the company, they are apt to say, “Let’s get Derek back here to handle this.”
Business gurus always remind us that in every industry, the frontline workers dealing directly with customers are truly the face of their company. But those experts seldom mention how fulfilling customers’ needs can be equally rewarding to the ones who make it happen.
When done right, the successful delivery of electrical service is as rewarding to the electrician as it is satisfying to the customer. It’s a main ingredient in the glue of employee retention.
It’s potentially a magnet for recruitment as well. Many apprentices were initially inspired to apply after having an opportunity to observe and talk to electricians like Derek on the job.
In this article, Derek is representative of many great service electricians we have gotten to know over many years, with their best qualities compressed into a composite character. Admittedly, what we have expressed thus far has been purely the product of anecdotal evidence, not scientific observation.