Solid communication makes for a smooth operation

Running a small business is difficult, period—wearing multiple hats, answering phones, booking appointments, making sales calls, and even doing the actual work on site. 

Owner Rey A. of Eagle Eye Roofing & Contracting in San Antonio, Texas says it all comes down to one thing: communication—with both his customers and his team.

“It’s just communication with everybody. Everybody gets a phone call. Everybody lets me know how it’s going, and it helps me out,” Rey said. “If they need materials, I make sure that I get them delivered. If there’s an issue with a customer, I go show up personally and try to square things away.”

He acknowledges it’s not easy, and sometimes it doesn’t work out the way he’d hoped. “I don’t have a secret. I wish someone had the secret because it is hard. It’s extremely hard. I definitely try to get to everybody,” Rey said. “Of course, some will slip through the cracks, unfortunately, but it is very demanding work. I’m a man of many hats, so I’ll answer the phone, I’ll go do the estimate, and then I’m there at the job. I gotta make sure that the guys got everything that they need and make sure the customers are happy.” 

Communication is one of the strongest elements of his business, and it was a major factor in the experience of Yelp reviewer Niki T.: “I’m incredibly impressed with Eagle Eye—from how quickly they replied to my voicemail to starting the work. Within three hours, I had a reply and an estimator on my property. From there, the crew came out to confirm the scope of the job, and demo began on the spot. Rey’s crew did amazing work throughout. They communicated often to ensure we were aligned and finished strong.”

While her particular job was relatively small—compared to replacing an entire roof or building an addition—the crew at Eagle Eye treated the work as if it was a huge project, communicating regularly with Niki at each step of the process. And when it was finished, Rey personally checked on the progress before sending a final invoice. 

“The crew would come and check in with me in person, knock on my door to see if I liked where they were before they went to the next step,” Niki said. “That was impressive. And then every time one of those steps was completed, Rey would come by and check the work himself.” 

Rey knows that happy customers become repeat customers, which is important to any small business. It costs less to get an existing customer back than it does to secure new customers. By consistently doing excellent work, Eagle Eye has earned a loyal following and plenty of repeat customers, or callbacks, as Rey refers to them.

“We do great work. I don’t believe in doing bad work. I’ve seen other contractors do bad work. And I always say, why do the bad work instead of doing something good so they can call you back. Believe it or not, this year, about half of the work is nothing but callbacks, and I don’t have to do very much, like paying for leads or anything.” 

Rey also knows no matter how busy he gets, he has to stay on top of his business and his industry, educating himself however he can.

“I’m always taking classes, I’m always watching videos, anything that helps me be a better business person. Reading books or listening to audio, any self-improvement, things that I can get on when I’m on the road. And I think that’s what helps me out a lot, seeing both sides of the spectrum as far as what customers expect and how to deliver that service to be a better business.” 

Here are a few other tips Rey covers in the episode: 

• Respond to requests as soon as you can. Responding quickly makes for happy, loyal customers, while a slow response can cause you to lose the sale. Be responsive on text, phone, email, and direct messages, like on your Yelp Page.
• Communication is not just for customers. It’s important to keep up with your crews and employees. Things like making sure they know all the details and checking to see if they need additional support will keep your business running smoothly. 
• Show your customers you care by doing A+ work. No matter the size of the job or the purchase, putting your best effort into everything you do in your business will impress your customer base and keep them coming back. 
• Always be learning. Staying on top of the latest trends in your industry or the latest sales or marketing tools will allow you to expand your business alongside your knowledge. This additional information can be passed on to customers and show you’re an expert in your field. 

Interviews by Emily Washcovick; photos from Eagle Eye Roofing & Contracting

These lessons come from an episode of Behind the Review, Yelp & Entrepreneur Media’s weekly podcast. Listen below to hear from Rey and Niki, or visit the episode page to read more, subscribe to the show, and explore other episodes.