The ability to add that extra value to customers, whether it is a service plan or providing a professional, automated quote online, goes a long way to presenting a stand out service. Claire Miller, Marketing Director at ADEY, explores how taking advantage of support offered by manufacturers and partner services can help develop your business.
When it comes to generating customer loyalty, there is much that still relies on reputation, quality of work and word of mouth recommendation. Yet, it can feel that businesses with bigger means and resources can offer customers those extra elements which some smaller heating businesses may feel they can’t compete with, especially when it comes to creating subscription-based, longer-term contracts or reacting to leads instantly and digitally.
Even after a challenging year, there are still plenty of opportunities for business growth for those wanting to explore them. As we emerge from the lockdown, many installers will be keen to maximise the opportunities and find easy and accessible routes to give real points of difference in the eyes of their customers, helping them to compete in a hugely competitive and busy market. Having the means to provide and maintain service plans or being able to quote for work online, are just two examples of this, both of which not only look professional but also provide the ongoing benefit of helping to secure new all-year-round revenue streams.
To help installers win more work and get the very most from every job, it is worth considering what support and tools are offered by manufacturers and partner services. For example, earlier this year we unveiled ADEY Business Tools, exclusive to ADEY ProClub members. These are now proving extremely popular, with large numbers of installers launching personalised Service Plans to their customers.
Business tools
We know that time is money and installers are already very busy with the day job of running their businesses, so what they don’t need is for these types of offerings to add extra hassle to the day. For this reason, ADEY has partnered with specialists to ensure ADEY Business Tools offer easy-to-use and efficient options to really add value to installers’ businesses.
One of the Business Tools available is the ‘Service Plan’ feature from Tradehelp. Installers can offer homeowners the opportunity to sign-up to a service plan that suits them. The plans have been built with ready-made terms and conditions and give installers an end-to-end direct debit management process to administer payments in one place. You set the prices, that’s it. Installers don’t need to worry about the time-consuming admin because it’s all managed in the tool itself.
For business growth, monthly service plans generate year-round income, so help to flatten the seasonal peaks and troughs. Equally, homeowner customers can spread the cost of maintaining a healthy heating system over 12 months, and they don’t have to remember when their next service is due. Opting for a scheme such as this also ensures installers can offer plans at their own monthly price and reduces the admin that comes with selling a service, helping build a loyal and trusted relationship with their customers.
Digital quotes
As customers expect the agility and responsiveness of digital communications and interactions with their installer, being able to quickly turnaround quotes and send them through via email not only looks slick, but also has sustainability appeal too by reducing paperwork. For those wanting to use their website as a lead generator, adding a Quoting Tool feature, such as one from Truequote, again part of ADEY Business Tools, means installers can easily add a customised quote builder for boiler installations to their website.
As well as enabling installers to give homeowner leads a professional looking quote, it also has the benefit of notifying the installer when new high-quality leads arise for quick and easy follow up. With safety front of mind in many installers’ minds due to the current climate and cutting down on the valuable time so often wasted on jobs that are unlikely to go ahead, it also reduces the need to always visit a customer’s home to provide the quote in person.
Making the most of tools available from manufacturers is a simple and effective way to access specially created business support options without the hassle, so installers don’t need to spend time and money developing their own platforms or engaging with partners to be able to offer additional services. Helping provide a strong point of difference, using these tools will mean installers look more professional to both new and existing customers, and make them better able to compete in the marketplace, ultimately, unlocking the potential for growth and maximising the potential of every job.
