Anyone who owns their own home knows there’s an almost symbiotic relationship between homeowners and businesses offering home services.
Throughout its lifespan, a house needs maintenance, repairs, updates, and more. Homeowners need the expertise of electricians, plumbers, construction workers, contractors, or other professionals, who need clients to ensure their livelihoods.
Still, this doesn’t mean that every homeowner in the area will be willing to hire your services. People need to be convinced of your expertise, quality of work, and trustworthiness before they open their doors.
This is why reputation and word of mouth are essential for home service businesses and independent professionals. While the quality of work and former customers’ opinions are deciding factors for many homeowners, there are also steps you can take to improve the customer experience and attract more clients.
In today’s article, we’ll discuss three of these updates that every home services business can make to boost clients’ trust and improve their reputation.
What Do Homeowners Value?
First and foremost, homeowners want to learn about your credentials and work experience. Someone looking to renovate their kitchen is seeking licensed contractors who have worked on a similar project and can provide proof of quality (portfolio, client reviews, recommendations, etc.).
The second most important factors are efficiency and promptness. Your clients want to see that you value your time and theirs, so don’t make them lose an entire day waiting for your team/professional to arrive.
Transparency and good estimates (time, costs, materials) are also on the list, right next to cleanliness and post-service support.
3 Updates You Can Make Today
It’s time to get into the nitty-gritty of things. Let’s see what improvements you can make and updates to implement to meet all these needs.
And, yes, if you do meet them, your company will quickly become the go-to option in your area.
1. Use a Field Service Scheduling Software
A field service scheduling software platform automates job scheduling while keeping the client in the loop—a critical improvement, since lack of communication is one of the biggest customer pain points.
Due to features like GPS tracking and integrated texting, you can now send real-time ETAs and arrival windows to your customers. When a homeowner knows your team will arrive at 4 pm, they can plan ahead without losing a day idly by their phone.
The platforms can also give customers access to each technician’s profile (with credentials and job experience), which builds up trust in your company’s services.
To take things up a notch, you can use the texting feature to send day-before prep checklists (so the team can start work right away) and post-visit summaries with tips for maintaining the work in the long term.
Clients are more likely to choose and recommend a service that offers such a superior, stress-free experience.
2. Have a Newsletter People Will Want to Read
Newsletters are not usually the first thing that comes up when you’re trying to develop your relationship with clients in this industry, but they should be.
Most homeowners don’t know what they don’t know until they’ve been through several costly accidents or mishandlings, which can build up frustration with the home service industry (even if it’s not the professionals’ fault).
So, if you want your company to be the first they call when a client needs home services, a newsletter that creates value can be the best tool. The secret is in creating value. Send out useful tips, like how to protect plumbing from cold-weather damage or how to properly maintain your drains to avoid clogging and other nasty surprises.
3. Automate Invoicing and Billing
There’s nothing more frustrating than waiting a month for an invoice or chasing down forgetful clients. An automated system takes care of both these issues and several others. It’s also a great way to put administrative tasks on the back burner and focus on improving the customer experience.
Wrap Up
There you have it: three quick updates that will boost clients’ trust in your services and get word of mouth running in the community. Homeowners know good professionals are hard to come by, so they won’t be losing your contacts anytime soon.
