Tip the Installer?
- Thread starter SpringerTigger
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most people feel all of that stuff is our job. kind of like asking the check out guy at the grocery store to go ahead and drive your groceries home for you.
its funny. i never treated service people that way.
its funny. i never treated service people that way.
Not only drive then home, but put them away too. I don't expect tips but appreciate getting them. I am there for your install. I will do the job to the best of my ability. I am not there to hook up the DVD, VCR or game units. I want to get home, on time, for dinner. Even if it is 10:00 in the morning, I have to get through my day as efficiently as I can to be on time for dinner. There is often 2 more installs after yours if not 3. But I may well stop and hook up those units just because I want to be a nice guy. So a tip, not hugh but a tip none the less, is really nice. Even $5 will get me a sandwich from the sub shop tomorrow, and I will be thinking kindly of you.
I've never thought of asking any of my installers to do more work than what they are called in for. If I do consider asking, I offer up front a cash payment for the extra work. To do anything else just seems selfish to me. And yes, I tip for quality or above-and-beyond service.
i guess thats the thing. most tips take me by suprise becuase i was just doing my job. its people that ask me to do all kinds of things they should know are not my job, and then DONT tip, that i dont get. hell, i have changed light bulbs for people becuase i have a ladder in my truck.
I dont accept tips any longer. If a customer wants to tip me i ask that they purchase an ancillary product instead. It helps me out by getting my managers off my back about trying to sell stuff.
I had one customer ask to borrow my 28ft ladder. Lady wanted the husband to clean the inside of the windows in her living room. Brought the ladder into the house very carefully, set it up and repositioned 3 times to get all the windows. Us installers are nice people that will "help" within reason. Did I get a tip? no. Should a tip have been offered? probably yes.
As an installer, I can say that a tip in general not expected and doesn't happen that often. However, when it does happen, we are very grateful. Of course, that's here in AZ and most markets. Las Vegas was a different story. People dropped tips on me all the time there, I guess it's just because Vegas is the tippin' town. If you don't like to tip but feel you want to do something for the installer, there are a few things you can do. If they are an inhouse tech, you can purchase an ancillary product. In fact, that might be worth more to the tech than what you would tip. If you happen to be that sale that puts him in the next bonus level, it could be worth a few hundred bucks to that tech. Also, do the survey call and give the tech a good score. Now, if your tech is a subcontractor, anything that can save him time will be a benefit for them as they are often paid by the job. This is where you can help out by having all the TV sets, entertainment centers, etc., moved a few feet away from the wall before they get there. Look around the outside of the home, are there any objects that he is going to have to move just to run wires that you can get out of his way beforehand? Bushes you can trim back? Make sure to have all the TV remotes handy. If it's hot out, keep the water coming. It might not be that hot to you but for a guy working his tail off, even 75 degrees out can be pretty hot.
If I can see that you've done some prepping for the appointment by doing the above, I will be just as grateful as if you tipped me because you will have got me home sooner or got me the time needed to pick up more work.
PS: If you are getting internet installed too, it would be better to get that installed first so that we have more connectivity options. That will help our numbers out when trying to make bonuses, etc. It also means the cable guy won't be behind us, taking our line for their purposes, forcing us to come back and messing up our numbers.
If I can see that you've done some prepping for the appointment by doing the above, I will be just as grateful as if you tipped me because you will have got me home sooner or got me the time needed to pick up more work.
PS: If you are getting internet installed too, it would be better to get that installed first so that we have more connectivity options. That will help our numbers out when trying to make bonuses, etc. It also means the cable guy won't be behind us, taking our line for their purposes, forcing us to come back and messing up our numbers.
