Great Leadership Takes Hard Work…and Pays Off

Behind the Review host and Yelp’s Small Business Expert, Emily Washcovick, shares a look at this week’s episode of the podcast.

When you’re in the business of a home service like heating and cooling, emergencies are a part of daily life. And not so infrequently, they happen in the middle of the night. Dealing with these issues in a way that leaves the customer happy isn’t as easy as it seems, but this week’s business owner, Josh Campbellof Rescue Air Heating and Cooling in Richardson, Texas, is a true pro at navigating these challenges.

To get a firsthand look at why Rescue Air Heating and Cooling is so successful, I talked with Yelp reviewer Jennifer W. after she had an AC emergency that had her chatting with Josh for over an hour in the middle of the night. Her experience with Josh and his team highlights exactly why you can’t lose with honesty, top-down leadership, and quality customer service.

We’ve talked with many business owners about the importance of quality customer service, but something we touched on with Josh, that we haven’t yet explored, is the importance of working on yourself. As a leader, Josh firmly believes in a top-down operational model. He leads Great leadership takes hard work. It takes time and isn’t a skill that naturally comes with being a business owner – it needs to be worked on separately. When you commit to being the best boss you can be, it shows and ripples throughout the company. When you operate that way, you end up with Yelp reviews like Jennifer’s that mention four different employees Outside of the importance of great leadership, other takeaways from this week’s episode include:

• Empathize with your customer. Air Conditioners are big purchases, making the purchase decision tough and the unforeseen issues stressful. Empathize with what your customer is going through, and use that as your guiding light when communicating.
• Find talented people with the right attitude. We hear this time and time again, but it’s never any less true. Hiring the right people who have a good work ethic and a positive attitude will help you maintain a business with a great reputation for customer service.
• Make your customers feel comfortable. When your business involves going in and out of someone else’s home, it’s essential that your customer feel comfortable. Josh and his team use a service that communicates who the customer can expect, and when the team shows up, they are respectful and conscientious. Once again, it may seem like a given, but it’s not always. They go the extra mile Listen to the episode below to hear directly from Josh and Jennifer, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Thursday.