The soft skills that are needed in the trades
Why CSR and Dispatch
The Importance of CSR and Dispatch in the Skilled Trades
Understanding the Role of Dispatch
What does a dispatcher do?
The dispatcher is responsible for pairing service calls with technicians in a way that maximizes opportunity while delivering exceptional customer service. The dispatcher is an integral part of operations and needs to know the business.
These individuals are responsible for dispatching the calls to the service technicians, recording and reporting outcomes of service calls, and maintaining customer relationships by updating customers throughout the day on the technician’s progress.
The dispatcher is responsible for matching technicians to specific jobs that aligns with their technical expertise. This is not only beneficial for the homeowner, but also the business.
There is continual growth and learning on how to prioritize the most urgent customer calls and ensure a quality customer experience by relaying detailed and accurate information to the technicians in the field.
What would make you a successful dispatcher?
Those who work as dispatchers are highly organized, enjoy working with data, and are skilled in service call coordination.
The dispatcher knows each technician in the business and knows the types of service calls where each technician is going to be successful. They are the matchmaker between the customer and the technician and understand all the different aspects of the service call to make the situation successful and maximize the opportunity.
Understanding the Role of a Customer Service Representative (CSR)
What does a customer service representative do?
A customer service representative (CSR) is the first line of offense in building and maintaining customer relationships on behalf of the service company. An organization’s success begins in the call center.
The CSR is responsible for promoting customer satisfaction by converting customer calls into booked service appointments.
The CSR needs to be empathetic to the customer’s needs and an excellent note taker, recording the details of the call, including the age of the equipment, the severity of the issue, how urgently the customer needs the issue fixed, and any other pertinent information.
The CSR is also responsible for passing this information along to the dispatcher so the dispatcher can then pair the proper technician to service that call.
What would make you a successful CSR?
Are you someone who enjoys creating a positive experience for customers? Are you someone who enjoys helping others?
Then you would be fantastic in a customer service role!
The customer service representative is the first person a customer interacts with at a business. Individuals working as a CSR have excellent communication skills and serve as the first touchpoint between a customer and the service business
What is the best way to get started in customer service or dispatch?
What is the career path in customer service and dispatch?
The career paths available in customer service and dispatch are varied and can be a springboard to leadership positions.
You can begin your career as a dispatcher, and in a few short years move your way up to the position of installation coordinator, managing large equipment installations for the entire company.
After mastering inbound and outbound calling and handling customer concerns as a CSR, you can move on to a lead CSR position and train other CSR team members. Lead CSR positions coordinate daily sales goals and write and edit call scripts to increase booked appointments.
While many career paths require years of schooling and lots of money, in the field of plumbing you will be trained while on the job – and while making money. Not only do plumbers begin to earn while they are at the apprentice level, they also forgo significant tuition payments and debt from student loans as all of their instruction is hands on and done while on the job.
As NYC Mayor Bloomberg pointed out on his radio show:
“Compare a plumber to going to Harvard College — being a plumber, actually for the average person, probably would be a better deal. You don’t spend … four years spending $40,000, $50,000 in tuition without earning income.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, plumbing is one of the fastest-growing jobs in this country.
The plumbing field is expected to grow 12% from 2014-2024, and this growth is expected across the country. That means that the reported 425,000 jobs back in 2014 will multiply into more than 474,100 jobs by 2024. Plumbing also offers a secure job, as plumbing services will always be in demand, plumbers are not at risk of losing their jobs to machines, and plumbing jobs cannot be outsourced for cheaper labor overseas.
Becoming a plumber grants you the opportunity to find a job today. The demand for skilled tradespeople continues to grow.
“Right now, American manufacturing is struggling to fill 200,000 vacant positions. There are 450,000 openings in trades, transportation and utilities. The Skills Gap is real, and it’s getting wider. In Alabama, a third of all skilled tradesmen are over 55. They’re retiring fast, and no one is there to replace them.”
– Mike Rowe
Becoming a plumber offers you amazing earnings potential. It also offers you the potential to carve your own career path, with great opportunities for advancement for hard working individuals. From the starting position of a field technician you can climb the plumbing career ladder to gain more responsibility, begin to manage jobs and individuals, and ultimately make more money. Plumbers can advance from service technicians to installers, operation managers and distribution managers based on their hard work and commitment to their field.
Photo credit to the team at S&D Plumbing
Customer Experience and Dispatch Jobs
A career in customer service and dispatch offers great pay, benefits, job security, and professional satisfaction. Explore The Trades is your complete resource for everything you need to get started and advance your career. Connect with the right people, the right information and get the right answers to get your career in gear!
