The Art of Overcoming Customer Complaints & Escalations

In this episode, hosts Chris Yano and Chad Peterman dive deep into one of the toughest parts of running and scaling a home services business—handling customer complaints and escalations. From miscommunications and missed appointments to leadership challenges and team accountability, they break down what it takes to turn fires into opportunities for growth.

Chad shares his perspective as a business leader at Peterman Brothers on why it’s crucial to own your mistakes, build a culture of accountability, and train your team to prevent future issues rather than just put out fires. You’ll also hear real examples of how his company manages escalations, handles refunds, and empowers frontline staff to resolve problems quickly and confidently.

💡 Key Takeaways:

• Why “the customer is always right” isn’t always true—and how to respond when they’re not
• How to turn complaints into valuable process improvements
• The difference between fixing the issue vs. fixing the process
• How to create a safe environment for employees to admit mistakes
• Leadership lessons for managing internal conflict and change
• When to issue refunds, credits, or just an apology
• The role of communication in preventing small problems from becoming big fires

⏱️ Timecodes:

00:00 – Catching up & Halloween banter

03:30 – Episode intro: Firefighting in business

08:00 – Is the customer always right?

10:30 – Fixing the issue vs. fixing the process

13:00 – Preventing fires through training

16:00 – Leadership challenges in change management

20:00 – Creating safe spaces for feedback

21:00 – Common fires at Peterman Brothers

25:00 – The power of proactive communication

28:00 – Escalation chains & customer care

31:00 – Reading between the lines of complaints

34:00 – Learning from fires to improve the business

41:00 – Refunds vs. apologies: how to decide

44:00 – When you’re right but the customer feels wronged

46:00 – Accessibility & communication from leadership

48:00 – Key lessons and closing thoughts

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Visit https://www.petermans.com
• Learn more about RYNO Strategic Solutions: https://www.thinkryno.com
• Follow To The Point on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube for more episodes!

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Rilla: https://www.rilla.com/tothepoint

Chiirp: https://chiirp.com/

Contractor Commerce: https://www.contractorcommerce.com/ryno/

Bluon: https://www.bluon.com/get-demo?referral_code=ToThePoint

Avoca.ai: https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

📢 Call to Action:

If you got value from this episode, subscribe, drop a comment about how your company handles escalations, and share this episode with another business owner or manager who needs to hear it. Let’s keep making the trades stronger, one conversation at a time. 💪