My tech is great at the work but terrible with customers, what do I do?
Short answer
Coach the specific behavior with a script, give it 30 days, and if it doesn't move, put them on jobs without customer-facing time before you lose him entirely.
Name the specific behavior, not the personality
Telling a tech to 'be nicer to customers' doesn't give him anything to do differently tomorrow. Naming the exact behavior, like walking straight to the unit without introducing himself, or explaining the diagnosis in jargon the customer can't follow, gives him something concrete to change.
Most technically strong techs who struggle with customers aren't rude on purpose. They're focused on the machine and treat the conversation as an interruption. Reframe the conversation as part of the job, not a distraction from it.
If coaching doesn't move it
Some techs are simply wired for the truck, not the doorstep. If 30 days of direct coaching doesn't change the pattern, consider routing him toward install crews, back-of-house diagnostics, or jobs where a second person handles the customer conversation. Losing a technically excellent tech over a fixable soft-skill gap is expensive, but so is losing customers to bad interactions.
Coaching conversation after a customer complaint
You
“The Hendersons called and said you didn't explain what was wrong before you started, and it made them nervous about the bill. I know you fixed it right and fast. I need you to also walk them through it before you touch anything. Thirty seconds, that's it.”
Tech
“I just don't like small talk, I'd rather get it done.”
You
“It's not small talk, it's the part of the job that gets you a five-star review and a repeat customer instead of a complaint call to me. Here's exactly what to say: 'Here's what I'm seeing, here's what I think it is, I'll confirm and give you a price before I touch anything.' Use that line on every call this week.”
Do not say
- “Don't just say 'be more professional,' it gives the tech nothing specific to do differently.”
30-day coaching plan
- 1.Write down the exact behavior from the actual complaint, with the customer's words if you have them.
- 2.Give the tech a specific script line to use on every call for two weeks.
- 3.Ride along on one job in week one to model it.
- 4.Check in at day 15 with a specific example of it going better or not.
- 5.At day 30, decide: continue coaching, reassign to non-customer-facing work, or part ways.
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