Your competition has stopped the service side of their business because they can’t seem to make a profit. They are now only interested in new installations. What does this mean to your business? It means that if you learn how to make your service department a profit center, you can capture a new market share. Not only the service sector that they left behind, but the new customer who is interested in dealing with one company for installation and service.

The key to success in the service industry today is to become an effective information manager. Vast amounts of information must be processed through every company on a daily basis. How that information is sifted and sorted is crucial to attaining your profit goal.

The appropriate industry specific software should guide you to managing your customer information successfully. In order to track your customer data, behavior and needs, your system must be able to creatively transform the information that is input. You will need to oversee that all pertinent information is entered by your employees and that computer data analysis is done. Then you must be able to add meaning to the analysis. If you find you need help in completing this scenario, contact Yvonne Tuttle, Team Management Systems, Inc., (800) 299-7351.

The value that you add to the information is as important as what you do with it. Tracking customer satisfaction, equipment history, preventative maintenance and installation dates can lead you to service needs in the marketplace. As an effective information manager, you will be able to creatively assess customer needs and raise your profit margin