(Adapted from last month’s Owner’s Circle call)
Last week, I shared about our “no heat” situation…
39 degrees in the house…
-15 outside…
and me over halfway to southern Florida 😅
We eventually got gas heat back on.
But what stood out to me after the fact wasn’t just the problem…
It was the people involved in solving it.
Some showed up, did their part, and left.
Others did something different.
They communicated.
They’d say things like:
“Here’s what’s going on…”
“Here’s what we’re waiting on…”
“Here’s what we can do next…”
Nothing fancy.
But when you’re out of state…
and your house is getting colder by the hour…
That matters.
A lot.
There were delays.
There was confusion.
There were moments where I wasn’t sure what was happening next.
But the people who stood out were the ones who:
Kept me in the loop
Took ownership
Followed through without being chased
And treated it like it actually mattered
And it got me thinking…
In commercial roofing, your customer is often in a similar spot.
Maybe not freezing…
But dealing with:
A leak they don’t fully understand
Tenants complaining
Equipment at risk
Pressure from above to “get it handled”
And they’re asking the same question I was:
“Does this person actually care… and can I trust them to handle it?”
Here’s the lesson:
Customer service is most visible when things aren’t going smoothly.
Anyone can look good when everything is going right.
But when there’s pressure…
delays…
unknowns…
That’s where communication, ownership, and follow-through set you apart.
A few simple reminders I’m taking from this:
Don’t go quiet when things get messy
Keep people informed—even if the update isn’t perfect
Take ownership—even when it’s not fully your fault
Treat every situation like it actually matters
Because to the customer…
It does.
Looking back, the biggest difference wasn’t tools, trucks, or technical skill.
It was service.
So here’s a question for you this week: Where in your business could you improve the way you communicate when things aren’t perfect?
That might be the lever that separates you.
– Owen Shrock
P.S. Quick heads up—at 10AM Eastern I’ll be emailing those already registered for the Smarter Roofer Conference about a limited batch of 100 copies of Hormozi’s $30 book. The first 100 can claim one (just cover shipping). Also, tonight is the cutoff—ticket pricing changes at midnight (March 31). If you’ve been considering it, details are here: smarterroofer.com/forward
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