Technology has drastically changed the way we live our day-to-day life. People are accessing the internet with the touch of a button and scheduling appointments in a matter of seconds.

While calling is still used for communication, social media, text messages and instant messaging have become the preferred methods of communication. Technology has made our ability to communicate easier than it has ever been before.

For contractors, communication with the customer is paramount.

Our research shows the No. 1 relationship killer in the home service industry today is the lack of communication. Customers want communication, but their expectations aren’t met because of an often complex, inefficient process. Technology, however, is improving our ability to communicate, stopping the leakage and sealing the holes to lift the level of excellence.

Technology is also helping with contractor scalability.

Consider an owner-operator of a home service business, which is the majority of contractors today. They're running a business and still in the service truck running service calls. They have simply maxed out their capacity for consistent and effective communication. However, software, such as Housecall Pro, has stepped in and improved the role of communication between the homeowner and the contractor by providing the contractor with solutions that saves time and cut costs. For this reason, technology is not only important, but also vital to the heartbeat of our industry.

Maximizing technology 

A company’s customer service reputation can act as its brand.

No customer wants to hire a contractor that is just good enough to get the job done. They want a contractor who delivers an amazing experience while also performing the work they were hired to do. Many contractors, however, are handling multiple jobs at a time, from generating leads to answering service calls themselves. This makes it more difficult to focus on any facet of the job.

Technology can act as a catalyst for making these multiple jobs more manageable.

There are giants in the home service industry, such as American Home Shield, that provide lead generation. Utilizing technology these companies already have in place helps decrease the cost of leads through their automated lead generation for preferred contractors. If leads are already coming in, contractors can focus more on improving their customer service, craftsmanship and follow-up path as opposed to initial lead generation.

Additional software, such as Customer Lobby and To Your Success, was developed to maintain customer contact by automatically sending thank you cards after every service call (Customer Lobby) or cookies and candies after installs (To Your Success). Using these services helps take the pressure off the contractor by automating the process, leaving the contractor more time to improve customer service.  

There are also customer-facing software programs that make the contractor’s life easier as well.

For example, SmartAC.com has technology that a homeowner can install within minutes that gauges the health of their HVAC system. For the consumer, it provides peace of mind and awareness through alerts. For the contractor, it provides a database of all their customers using SmartAC.com, which can be used for outbound marketing or easy follow-up with the customer.

Finally, menu pricing software has brought retail into home services.

When customers go to their local grocery store or hardware store, they know the price up front of the items or services they wish to purchase, and they pay before they consume.

Pricing software has allowed us to model this same retail method within the home. Customers want to know and see clearly what the services will cost, and they are happy to pay upfront for services because they're used to it. If we don't request payment upfront or have a simple way to price up front, well, then we're the ones making it harder on ourselves. Pricing software makes it easier to communicate with the consumer in a way that is efficient and understandable for both parties.

As an owner, the use of technology is here to make our worlds better so we can focus on what we do best, serving our customers and growing our business. Technology allows for certain perks such as paperless invoicing systems, digital pricing and estimating systems, automatic email funnels for confirming appointments and so much more that makes communication with the customer simple. Outsourcing and partnering with companies in the technology space also help to stabilize our companies and allow them to survive while we're away because let's admit it, everyone deserves a vacation every now and then! But as the former CEO of IBM said, “The goal of business is to build something that lives long after you're gone.”

Danielle Putnam is the president of The New Flat Rate, a home service menu-selling system designed to put profit directly into the hands of plumbing, electrical and HVAC contractors.