Service calls are a big part of any home service provider’s day. Whether you’re a plumber, electrician, cleaning company, or HVAC technician, the next appointment is always right around the corner.
The problem is that some days it's difficult to keep up with all the phone calls and emails coming in for requests when you also have a business to run.
Wouldn’t it be great if you had some strategies to increase efficiency? I’ve got a few ideas to help make your service calls much more efficient!
Add A Chatbot To Your Website
The goal of a chatbot is to make it easier for customers to find the information they need on your website. Customers are increasingly turning to online sources to schedule, as opposed to calling and having an awkward conversation with someone in customer service. So this way of tapping into their needs can really deliver a better customer experience.
A chatbot also allows you to have additional communication channels open throughout the day (or night!) without any humans being involved — that means no more waiting by the phone and no more taking a call in the middle of dinner!
Automate Facebook Messenger
If Facebook is one of your main traffic sources, save yourself time scheduling customers by leveraging automation on your Facebook Business Page through Creator Studio. This is a built-in feature that allows you to set up an auto-responder.
Many people who call your business aren't quite ready to schedule. They might have questions about your services, your pricing, your availability or any other important details that will help them decide if you're the right business for their needs.
But if you're not available to reply, and that message sits in your DMs for days on end, then you might have missed an opportunity to schedule a paying customer.
The Facebook auto responder has plenty of response capabilities. So when a customer or lead messages you, they can quickly get an answer to their question.
To make your appointment process more efficient, I recommend using the customizable questions. You can enter whatever you want here and include a 280 character response. You're also able to include clickable links, buttons and attachments to help move the booking process along effortlessly!
It will even personalize the message by using the person's name!
From sharing your contact info, to accepting job applications and even helping you with reputation management for negative reviews, this awesome feature has your back when you don’t have time to handle every message yourself!
Not seeing good results on social media? You could be making these 5 Mistakes Home Service Providers Make On Facebook
Let Customers Schedule Themselves
Allowing people to self-schedule is a major time-saver. Instead of taking a call and going back and forth about availability and schedule conflicts, a calendar that stays up-to-date in real-time can save both you and your customers a lot of hassle.
You might already use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system that allows you to do this, but if not, there are plenty of other options.
Calendly is a popular choice and has a lot of robust features. And even Google Workspace users have the option to create appointment slots and embed the schedule on your website for customers to book.
No matter what self-scheduling software you choose, make sure it’s capable of sending you and your customers reminders so no one misses an appointment.
Explain The Appointment Process With Content
Once a customer is booked, you can take action to make sure everything goes smoothly at the before, during and after the appointment. Create one or more pieces of content that explain:
What customers can expect on the day of the appointment
What they should do to prepare their home for your arrival
How much time the appointment should take
How they can make the most of their appointment
Any other info that answers the most common questions you hear from customers
You can send this information out in several different ways:
A pre-recorded video of a team member explaining the process, available via YouTube link
A landing page on your website, only visible to customers who have already scheduled
An email template that’s drafted and ready for you to hit send when someone books
An article on your blog that describes everything customers need to know
Choose one or all of the above, or create some other piece of content that details the process.
Depending on the scheduling software you use, you may be able to automatically include your piece of content in the booking confirmation message.
Why create content like this?
Because some of your customers may have never hired a service professional before. Or they might just be brand new to your company.
Either way, offering this level of transparency creates a customer experience that will exceed expectations!
Plus, the more prepared customers are for their appointment, the easier it is for things to go according to your plan.
Implementing these tips will ensure that your home service company is firing on all cylinders and making the most out of every day in business!
Is there any one tip that stands out to you? Tell me in the comments!
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