In the home service industry, customer experience is rapidly becoming the key factor in developing brand loyalty.
Customers today are less satisfied to wait on hold or navigate confusing websites. When faced with roadblocks, they are more willing — and able — to take their business elsewhere. Utilizing fast, efficient and convenient lead generation tools is the secret to staying competitive in today’s marketplace.
The Situation
Phoenix-based George Brazil Plumbing and Electrical is a home services company specializing in plumbing, electrical services and drain repair. Its 42-vehicle fleet serves the Phoenix metropolitan area. When the company looked for ways to generate more service calls, it turned to PowerChats to convert its website traffic into reliable leads.
Implication/Problem
George Brazil Plumbing and Electrical noticed that its website was not generating as many leads as the company desired. The website had a contact form, but the primary way the company received service calls was by telephone.
“They were looking for a way to lighten the load on their customer service representatives, and help them collect information on potential online leads more easily without letting information — or work — slip through the cracks,” says Zac Garside, PowerChats marketing manager.
The company also wanted to develop more communication channels with its potential customers, and simplify the process of requesting a service call. Its ultimate goal was to convert more web traffic into viable leads and increased revenue.
The Solution
While live chat systems for home service companies were not uncommon, PowerChats had the functionality that drew George Brazil to the product — frequent updates, constant improvements and the affordable price allowed the team to sidestep the problems of paying for live agents, or for individual chat sessions.
Ease of use was also a deciding factor. With PowerChats, the George Brazil team didn’t have to build scripts or design interaction trees because everything was developed by the product’s vendor. The company found that this reduced time monitoring and editing the system, and created faster results than other products.
The George Brazil team worked to develop a customized AI-driven chat solution for its website. The solution integrates with its website and social media to reach customers where they are and provides the opportunity for customer service representatives at George Brazil to follow up with leads as soon as they are available. This has generated increased levels of web-based customer interaction and higher volumes of service calls.
Advantages
PowerChats engages visitors as soon as they land on the website, gathering customer information and forwarding it to the customer service team for scheduling callbacks.
Business owners can track conversions, work more closely with leads and develop more satisfied customer relationships.
PowerChats also offers outbound texting functionality to contact customers, CRM tracking to manage customers, compatibility with call-tracking providers and text and email chat notifications. An efficient UI guides website visitors to their intended destination, preventing frustration with the website and developing faster response times. Customers can choose to chat, leave reviews, schedule appointments or call the business’s customer support staff and talk to the company directly.
The interface is customizable, and offers Facebook Messenger support to connect to customers wherever they are.
The Results
In just four months, George Brazil Plumbing and Electrical generated more than 140 new service calls, and created nearly $120,000 in revenue. In addition, PowerChats allows George Brazil’s customer service team to record calls from verified leads, which has improved the way technicians learn about and solve customer problems. The solution allows George Brazil to enhance live customer service and cuts down on call times, reducing time spent recording client information and opening service accounts.
George Brazil has seen a decrease in call times, because customers have already provided most of their relevant in-formation before they ever speak to a member of the customer service team. It has contributed to a growth of $500,000 per year in new revenue, and the team estimates that 10% to 20% of customers who have used PowerChats to schedule a service call would not have done so without it.
The George Brazil customer service team also reported less unnecessary time spent on the phone with customers. Potential customers can find what they’re looking for more quickly than with other methods or products.
As soon as the page is accessed, PowerChats instantly begins conversations with all website visitors, collecting customer data and automating the client onboarding process. It even collects and generates review traffic for George Brazil’s home service business.
“I feel like PowerChats is quick and effective at getting the customer information, which allows us to make our calls with the customer more personal,” says Shawne Wilson, director of marketing and advertising for George Brazil. “We want to make sure we’re serving our customers to the best of our ability, and make sure that they are happy and their needs are met. PowerChats enhances our live customer service and cuts down on call times as well. Since we started using PowerChats, we’ve seen a huge increase on our form fills and links.”
