One of the keys to every relationship is communication.
The relationship between you and your customers is no different. Communication on all aspects of the job starts at the very beginning of the sales process.
Interestingly enough, as we went through the process of developing the Industry Standards (ANSI/ASCA A1000-2014 System Requirements for Snow and Ice Management Services, Accredited January 2014) we were pretty spot on when it came to the standards themselves.
However, one of the requirements of the American National Standards Institute’s standards development process is that you need to have input from a variety of parties. These parties include individuals from your industry (snow and ice management professionals), their customers (property owners and managers) and other interested parties. When we went through the process of them providing their insights, the feedback was positive on all aspects of the Industry Standards. As a matter of fact, there was very little comment on this area of the document.
However, the definition section was the one area that had plenty of comments. Respondents wanted many more things defined. Even more interesting was the fact that property managers were the ones requesting more detailed definitions. You see, they want to make sure they are communicating with you, just as you are communicating with them.
So the Industry Standards Committee, with input from your customers, property owners and managers, and other interested parties, worked diligently to develop the definitions to key terminology you use in the field.
De-icing, Snow and ice event, pretreating, Anti-icing, Zero tolerance, trigger depth and dedicated crew are just some of the terms that were defined. While a small portion of the entire document, it is a key component intended to improve your communication with your customers.
The Standards, Accredited by ANSI in 2014, are available to all ASCA members at no charge.
Therefore, as you prepare for your sales push, take the time to include definitions of key industry terms and any phrasing that is key to serving the property in question during the winter. No good ever comes from miscommunication, and ideally everyone should be reading from the same page.
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