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Whether you’re an electric, plumbing or HVAC specialist, customer service is a top priority for every residential service company. In fact, according to the recent Zendesk Customer Experience Trends report, people are 22% more likely to switch to another supplier or company after just one bad experience than they were in 2021.
As a residential service contractor, building trust is key, and word-of-mouth references can make or break a business. Offering outstanding service and exceeding customers’ expectations could lead to a recommendation and repeat business.
It’s no secret that the residential services sector has a lot of challenges to juggle, with materials shortages, supply chain delays, and shrinking talent pools all affecting the day-to-day running of every business. So how can you provide a five-star customer experience?
At times like this, it pays to work smart and make the right investments to help your customers and staff in the long term. Many are turning to specialist contractor management software packages, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, to help them streamline their operations and free up time to spend on delighting their customers.
This is just one example of how ERP for contractors can help to improve the customer experience. Read on to learn more about how this software can help you deliver great service, and turn customers into advocates for your business.
Accurate and on time
Essential repairs to heating, electric supply, and plumbing systems can dramatically improve people’s quality of life, particularly for vulnerable customers. If contractors fail to turn up to appointments on time, or even at all, it can cause a lot of stress and frustration. Similarly, constantly repeating or getting information such as measurements wrong can all lead to a disappointing experience.
If you’re currently logging customer data using separate spreadsheets, or even on paper with clipboards and files, the risk of appointments being missed or data being lost is high. When you switch to specialist contractor management software, everything from estimates to past customer communication and job details are instantly logged into one online portal. It’s cloud-based, which means every technician can quickly access and update this information, even when on-site.
This centralized data system helps to ensure nothing is missed – if a customer calls your office to arrange an appointment, it can be logged in the software straight away, ready for your engineers to pick up and respond to, on time.
Tailored service
This level of data and insight can also be used to deliver a tailored, personalized service. Look for an ERP system with smart dispatching functionality to really please your customers, and also avoid making the costly mistake of sending the wrong person to the job.
Intelligently assign your staff based on skill set, time conflicts, location, and previous performance on similar jobs. The software will show the best person for each appointment, helping your team to respond faster, serve more people in a day and provide a five-star service every time.
Make investments into the future
When using ERP software for contractors, every appointment, purchase, invoice, and customer contact is logged. This data can be analyzed to give valuable insights that can be used to steer the direction of your business. Functions such as daily reporting give an instant indication of ongoing performance, quickly identifying if any department or technician needs attention. Over time, this reporting can help to predict future trends to help you make the best long-term investments.
Use insights based on real-time business data to learn what is working and what isn’t to make improvements, predicting your customers’ needs before they do.
To find out more about our software for contractors, Thermogrid, and how it can help your business click here.