Today’s home service customers aren’t satisfied with simply having their problems solved quickly. They want to find a service provider, get answers, and schedule work, all through their preferred mode of communication.
Those modes could include email, phone calls, text, social media messaging, or web chat. Of course, different customers—especially of different ages—have very different preferences. Successful home service companies must engage them all by establishing a presence on all of these modes of communication, so clients feel valued and respected. Sometimes being the first one to respond to a customer the way they prefer is all it takes to get someone to switch from the competition.
However, managing all of these different communication channels can be time-consuming and complicated. Moreover, with increasingly demanding customers expecting a quick response to their queries, a study has found that 33% of customers ditch companies after just one poor customer service experience. So you need to get your communication right.
Good customer service used to mean keeping up with inquiries over the phone. Many home service providers still believe that is the only way customers want to speak with them. However, recent studies show that 6 out of 10 customers prefer the convenience of getting quick answers to their questions through digital communication channels such as email, web chat, or Facebook Messenger.
So providing excellent customer service requires both an awareness of trends and flexibility on the provider’s part. You need to keep pace with your clients and their needs and meet them on any platform they choose.
When deciding how to update your business communication methods, keep your consumers front and center in your mind. For example, if your clientele is primarily millennial and Gen Z, you should probably consider maintaining a business presence on social media.
It’s also helpful to check which communication options your competitors offer. This way, you can ensure that you are not missing out on potential customers by not supporting interactions on a specific platform.
In addition to understanding what your customers want, you also need to know how each communication channel will work in business.
Phone support is a great way to exchange information with callers while providing a human touch. Phone bots are a viable way to provide support to callers. They help handle frequently asked questions, can take messages, and field general account inquiries. These bots can also be programmed to automatically sort callers according to their concerns and then direct them to the appropriate people in your company.
Live chat is one of the most powerful communication channels available today. 79% of businesses saying that live chat resulted in increased loyalty, sales, and revenue. However, it’s not the most appropriate channel for in-depth and complicated conversations.
Like phone call support, live web chats also don’t necessarily need to be handled by real-life people. Chatbots are a viable way to engage with customers quickly. They can be programmed to provide automated answers to commonly asked questions, direct callers to the proper channels, and take messages like phone bots.
While live chat is the most preferred communication channel, email is still the most widely used, with 54% of customers using it last year. Email is an efficient way to keep track of conversations and exchange sensitive information. Communicating via email will, in most instances, entail more back and forth exchanges between you and your customers.
If your customers are active internet users, it's imperative to focus on social media. In addition, speed and convenience of service are critical. The clientele interacting here expect and demand extra-fast replies regardless of the platform and expect you to be available at any time.
Text messaging is an important and direct way to communicate with customers. However, text messaging’s biggest strengths are that it’s accessible to even the least tech-savvy people and in areas with poor internet connectivity.
Keeping track of all these different types of communication can be a daunting task. However, deploying the right tools, such as Plannit’s entire business and customer management platform, will facilitate faster, effective, and consistent exchanges with your customers that will enable you to win new business and stand out from the competition.
Plannit’s easy-to-use customer management platform consolidates all of your communication channels together in a centralized hub. You’ll never miss a new opportunity. You’ll qualify prospective leads faster and be able to prioritize new requests and follow-ups quickly. Let’s unpack its features.
Customer relationship management (CRM) software tracks customer interactions and histories across every communication channel to optimize your opportunities. Billing, communication, files, and internal notes are automatically stored, and you can access them all at any time and from anywhere.
Plannit’s powerful customer communication management hub manages all of your different modes of communication from one centralized location. In addition, it helps you follow up on every message in minutes.
The hub stores every communication in a single app, so you don't have to switch between devices constantly. Working within a single communication tool helps you serve your customers better and faster.
With automated responses, your clients are assured their messages are received and that you’re taking care of them. From automatically letting customers know you’re on the way; to creating customer surveys; to quickly responding to questions 24/7, Plannit handles it all for you even when you’re in the middle of another important job.
Plannit’s intelligent chatbot is a tool that is especially useful for home service businesses. We can customize to take messages, prequalify your prospects, and answer common questions.
Conversations are then automatically recorded in Plannit’s message center, helping you to maximize your follow-up and return calls. The chatbot is also valuable for assisting customers who need a quick response without the hassle of engaging in a voice call or sending an email.
An often-overlooked component of good customer service is text messaging. Plannit enables home service business owners to communicate with consumers via text without having to exit the app. This versatile text messaging service can also send work orders, invoices, quotes, and appointment confirmations.
Plannit’s 360-degree management platform includes all of these powerful communication tools and more. It also gives you:
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