Tim Brown is definitely the guy you want to sit next to at a dinner party.
As a private investigator and owner of Central Point Investigations, an agency that provides legal, security and investigative services to attorneys, businesses and individuals in Wisconsin and Minnesota, he’s seen just about everything you can think of – as well as a few scenarios you probably wouldn’t imagine in your wildest dreams.
“In the last seven days, we’ve done investigations related to infidelity, child support, workers’ comp and divorce,” said Brown, who has a degree in law enforcement and has worked as a PI for more than a decade. “I’ve been to a strip club. I’ve worked on a missing persons case. And I’ve done some deep dives on social media for individuals and background checks for employers.”
In a nutshell, though, Brown has two main specialities. The first one is following people from point A to point B to see what they’re up to. The second one is process serving, which he performs mainly for law firms and individuals in matters involving child custody, divorce and small claims. Sometimes, though, he’ll work with clients who have won a settlement in a court case but haven’t received payment yet.
“I recently worked with a guy who was owed $3,000 for a bad concrete job and I helped him get his money,” Brown said. “He called me up one night and said ‘you wouldn’t believe it – I got a check for the full amount!’ That’s a really good feeling.”
Though Brown’s line of work is definitely unique, that doesn’t mean that he runs his business much differently than, say, a real estate agent or a restaurant owner. He’s a firm believer in providing outstanding customer service to each and every one of his clients, and with more than 70 five-star reviews on Google, it’s safe to say he’s hitting it out of the park.
If you’re looking to implement some new customer service strategies in your workplace, here are some of the things that have worked well for Brown:
- Always answer the phone: If you don’t answer your phone, Brown said, “you’re missing the boat right away.” He estimates that about a quarter of his business comes from people calling him after they couldn’t get anyone to return their messages. So what happens if a call comes in while he’s already on the phone? “I always preface every conversation by telling the person I’m talking to ‘by the way, if anybody calls, I’ll take 10 seconds to answer the phone and then I’ll be right back with you,’” he said. “By simply answering the phone and then calling the person back like you said you would, that’s already a huge thumbs up on your side.”
- Follow up: If for some reason, Brown isn’t able to connect with a prospective client, he has a system in place that includes a pre-written text message with all his contact information. He’ll also sometimes send a personalized video thanking the person for reaching out and telling them he’s looking forward to helping them with their specific situation. Should the initial contact come via email, he’ll respond with a quote and an estimate for the time it will take to complete the job. This creates a record he can refer back to later. Then, once a client hires Brown, he checks in with them regularly to update them on what’s going on on his end and find out if they have any new information to share. “The money’s in the follow up,” he said.
- Send out periodic communications: If you’re not staying in front of your clients, they may not remember you exist. That’s why Brown sends a quarterly newsletter to past clients to thank them for their business and remind them that should they need his services in the future, he’ll be there for them 100 percent.
- Underpromise and overdeliver: Brown gets a lot of calls from people who have never worked with a PI before. Because this experience is new to them – and they’re probably going through something challenging in their lives – he goes out of his way to reassure them and be friendly and empathetic. “I let them know I’m going to take care of all of the details,” he said.
- Ask questions and be a good listener: As a PI, Brown knows how to ask the right questions to get the information he needs. He’s also found that if you pose the same question in different ways, you can get completely different answers, all of which can be helpful in understanding the situation and determining the proper course of action. Aside from doing the talking, though, he also understands the importance of being a sounding board. “People really appreciate having someone who will listen to them,” he said. “That doesn’t happen often enough these days.”
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