Episode Description
What changes when you stop thinking of the homeowner as a customer and start thinking of them as a client you're responsible for protecting?
For Jamie Donaldson, co-owner of Donaldson Home Services in London, Ontario, that distinction helped change the way his entire company approaches service.
Jamie has spent more than 25 years in HVAC and started the company that became Donaldson Home Services in 2013. Today, Jamie and his wife Anna lead a family-owned home service company offering heating, cooling, plumbing, duct cleaning and renovations.
On this episode of Home Service Heartbeat, Jamie joins Joe Crisara to talk about protecting clients, building trust, giving homeowners choices without pressure, developing leaders and preserving a company's values as it grows.
Watch the Full Episode
What You'll Learn
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- Why Jamie distinguishes between a customer and a client
- How Donaldson Home Services protects its culture as the company grows
- Why homeowners are often buying relief from uncertainty—not just a furnace, air conditioner or plumbing repair
- How communication before the technician arrives can begin building trust
- Why Jamie teaches that doing nothing is always one of the homeowner's choices
- How owning a major service mistake turned an unhappy situation into a long-term referral relationship
- Why Donaldson hires for empathy and communication as well as technical ability
- How slowing down with a homeowner can create greater lifetime value
- Why Jamie approaches leadership with the same care he expects his team to show clients
- How he sees AI, electrification and heat pumps affecting the future of home service
One idea captures Jamie's philosophy particularly well:
We're not here for a transaction. We're here to protect the client.
That mindset affects everything from how the phone is answered to how technicians communicate choices inside the home.
Want the Full Story?
Getting the service call is valuable.
But what happens after the first transaction may be worth much more.
Our companion article looks at how home service companies can turn one-time customers into long-term clients through trust, communication, accountability, choices and an experience people actually want to return to.
How Do I Turn One-Time Home Service Customers Into Clients for Life?
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