WHAT WORK ETHIC LOOKS LIKE

I’m asked what does work ethic look like?  I receive a great newsletter from an organization called QBQ.(qbq.com)  This was a story in their most recent communication, it’s a great example of work ethic.  A quality you must hire because you can’t teach.

“Late on July 2nd, a Friday night, our hot water heater broke, so I called our home warranty company early Saturday. The warrantee policy states they provide 24/7 service, so I gave them my information and was assured a plumber would call me before the end of the day. The day wore on and we didn’t hear from anyone. I called the company back and was now told that the contractor didn’t work on Saturdays, and with it being the Fourth of July holiday weekend we’d be lucky to get service by Tuesday! I realized, of course, that it was summer time and so it wasn’t an emergency, but we really didn’t want to go without hot water for more days than we had to.

Anyway, they offered to call another plumbing company thinking that possibly they might be able to squeeze us in. I certainly didn’t expect to get service on Sunday, the holiday, but was assured they’d do what they could to have us contacted Monday morn. Well, by noon Monday nobody had called and I was concerned that—once again—we’d be left waiting. So I called one of the plumbing companies myself and left a message. Within minutes I received a call back from Jason.

Who profusely apologized and was as courteous and helpful as one could be!

He was driving back to his shop and wanted to let me know that as soon as he arrived there, he’d phone again to make arrangements.

Calling minutes later as promised, Jason had good news and bad news. The bad news was his office had not received any information or “work order” from the home warranty firm. The good news was he was loading his truck with a new water heater and was about to head our way. He said, “We can iron out the paperwork later.”

Huh? My husband and I were shocked! Or at least extremely pleased.

Jason was at our house in twenty minutes. As he got busy installing the tank, he affirmed the inconvenience we’d experienced by not having hot water since Friday night and apologized for the breakdown in communication with the warranty company (without blaming them)—all while he got the work done quickly and efficiently. Before leaving our home, he even phoned the warranty company and asked for the paperwork to be sent to him saving us the aggravation of calling them again. Essentially, he was ensuring there would be no more glitches.

Jason was pleasant and professional and will definitely be on our speed dial for future plumbing needs. He demonstrated that he is more than willing to get the job done by working on behalf of the customer first. Hokey sounding or not, Jason is my new hero.”

You can’t teach this type of customer service and work ethic, it comes natural to some because it is part of their make up.  Look for it and hire it.  Following the steps in Hire on a WHIM will help.