Did you know that Google is one of the largest consumers of energy in the world? In fact, Google’s use of electricity could easily power more than 200,000 homes.
You aren’t Google, but as a restaurant owner or manager, you depend on electricity as much as anyone to keep business going. Unfortunately, you can’t trust just anybody with your need for restaurant electrical services — commercial lighting services and emergency electrical services require specialized people. This commercial work takes expanded knowledge, resources, and skills compared to your everyday electrical contractor.
What things should you look for in a new restaurant electrical services technician? To help you answer that question, keep the following tips in mind throughout your search.
Availability Around the Clock
For many businesses, the entire reason to have a relationship with a local electrician is for emergency services. When the electricity mysteriously goes down in your restaurant, you simply can’t wait for days while your restaurant electrical services works you into their schedule.
Because of this, you need to find an electrician with servicemen available 24 hours a day, seven days per week. If you don’t have immediate access to electrical services when you need them, you could stand to lose thousands of dollars in revenue over time. Make sure your electrician is willing and able to provide their services right away when needed.
Advanced Knowledge and Commercial Competence
A great commercial electrician can make their way around in just about any professional environment. They can perform electrical repairs, install new lighting and appliances, and provide maintenance services when needed.
When you interview an electrician to find out if they’re the right service for your restaurant, they should ask for a tour of the facility where they’ll be working. The confidence with which they scope out the area will be a tell-tale sign that they know what they’re doing.
Licenses and Insurance
For obvious reasons, you should only ever work with a skilled electrician who has all the licenses, certifications, and insurance coverage to make their restaurant electrical services safe and legal. Any time you interview an electrician you’re considering, ask them to show you their license and insurance information. If they’re a good contractor, they should be able to produce it on the spot.
Positive References
Finally, any electrical service worth their salt will have a back catalog of happy clients they’ve worked with in the past. It’s a matter of course for professional contractors to keep the names and phone numbers of the clients they’re most proud of, so when you’re interviewing contractors, don’t be afraid to ask for references.
While you’re checking into an electrician’s history, you can also view reviews for them online. As with any online research you’re doing, it’s important to take public reviews with a grain of salt, since one person’s bad experience doesn’t necessarily mean the service isn’t excellent.
One thing to look for from reviews and references is a variety of projects. The more businesses an electrician has served and the more diverse their experience, the better they will be at meeting your needs.
Attitude and Communication Style
There’s a big difference between making excuses for poor work and keeping you informed as the project progresses. You want a contractor who not only does great work, but makes it clear to you that they value your patronage. This means arriving on time, setting realistic expectations, communicating in a polite and clear manner, and letting you know when things get held up or changes must be made.
You can get a pretty good idea what a contractor’s attitude is like when you meet them for the first time at your interview. Do they arrive on time? If they end up running late, do they at least call ahead and let you know? Does the way they communicate with you in person make you want to trust them, or are you getting red flags?
Like hiring an employee, making a contract with a commercial service means entering a professional relationship, hopefully for the long term. Not only does the service you select need to be good at their work, but they also should be emotionally and culturally compatible with your management style.
Keep these tips in mind to find the best restaurant electrical services for your business.