Contractor In Charge Shared this article content. It can be nerve-wracking reading the business predictions and trends. Too many articles contradict each other.  However, there are some key consistencies to notice, that I feel are relevant for 2020.  On an important note, the trends below are consistently mentioned for all industries, not just the home services field. But they certainly are appropriate for our industry, and I think they are important to discuss. Customer service. Customer service. Customer service.  Customers are increasingly demanding more personalization, increased levels of service, ease of communication, and extended accessibility.  Automation will continue to influence this area of our business, making it critical for the ongoing development and training of your staff.  Something to remember, don’t forget your current customers.  Find unique ways to thank your customer base, your references, while keeping your company top of mind. U...

This article was shared by Contractor In Charge. Service Management Software is in the air and Contractor In Charge has received a lot of inquiries from clients and potential clients about changing or implementing Service Management Software in their business.  Some of this is due to clients changing a server-based software to cloud-based software or the need for additional functions such as purchase orders, marketing reporting, or better details for the customer records.  Regardless of the reason, you need to be prepared for this change in your business.  After many engagements to help clients to clean up after they have implemented this software, I wanted to provide a checklist to do BEFORE you begin the onboarding or migration to scheduling software. Will you be using QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop (Enterprise), Sage, or another accounting software? Your choice is determined by a few things: Inventory Tracking for Multiple Locations (trucks), Job Costing, amou...

This article was shared by Contractor In Charge. I recently received a call from a local HVAC company offering me a $29.00 tune-up special on my air conditioning system.  The person calling asked if I was the homeowner and once I said yes, they began to ramble about all the things they would do for $29.00.  When the person stopped talking, I asked “How long have you been in business?”.  They did not know what to say and after a pause just said, “A long time.”  My next question was “What type of insurance do you carry for your business?”  I heard the shuffling of papers which I assume they were looking for an answer. They replied, “I guess we carry what we need to do the tune-up.”  I did not ask for details because I knew they didn’t know. Of course, I knew the person calling did not know the real value of the company they were representing and was only using a script to recite what they were paid to do.  Needless to say; I did not schedule an appoint...

This article was shared by Contractor In Charge. Have you started the long and arduous search for a perfect-fit plumbing company answering service in San Diego? If you would like an answering service that exclusively caters to and understands plumbers, go to Contractor in Charge to extend your office. Run by Lynn Wise Founder, CEO, the specialized niche answering service was built from the ground up to make the most of cutting-edge technology while serving the needs of plumbers, plumbing companies, and their potential as well as existing customers. It’s where old-fashioned service and cutting-edge technology meet. The plumbers’ answering service can take your calls both inside and outside of standard business hours, book a call as soon as it is needed, do any necessary dispatch, and even go as far as to connect with plumbers in the field to make sure that everything goes smoothly. Going one step further, Contractor In Charge is also fully ready and capable when it comes to office ma...

Contractor In Charge shared this article. One-stop for all your needs Don’t end up having to contract work out to multiple companies when you can have every service you need under one roof. Keep things streamlined, simple, and cost-effective. The Contractor In Charge plumbing company answering service in San Diego can answer calls 24 hours per day, book calls, do dispatch, and make contact with techs in the field. In addition, they are fully prepared to do office management, bookkeeping, and accounting, and permit pulling. Inbound answering service – A professional plumbing company answering service in San Diego is your first step to catering to local customers and potential customers, no matter what time of day or night they may reach out for assistance. Contractor in Charge has friendly, professional, and highly trained customer support using cutting-edge technology to offer you a seamless and stress-free service from the first ring of the phone. And don’t forget, Contractor in Ch...

Contractor In Charge shared this content. Alan Turing, an English scientist developed “The Turing Test in 1950.  It was designed to test the ability of a machine to exhibit intelligent, human-like behavior.  To pass the test, a computer would need to be mistaken for a human more than 30% of the time during a series of five-minute keyboard conversations. An aspirational benchmark to be sure, but does this even matter?  Don’t most consumers know that they are communicating with a machine when they utilize chat, at least at first?  If the customer is happy with the outcome, does it really matter how ‘humanlike’ the chat was?  Is it more important to appear human or to successfully answer the needs of your customer? One goal of using Conversational AI, specifically customer service chatbots should be to answer the questions repeatedly asked, and if needed, create a seamless, natural handoff to a CSR for more detailed questions and scheduling service.  Everyo...

Contractor In Charge shared this article. It would be nice if your trained, experienced office employees would never quit. Or when they go on vacation, someone else could seamlessly step into their job and effectively and efficiently handle it. When you want to be better than the competition, your customer service reps would be ready at the phones at night, on weekends, and on holidays. And of course, you’d have top-notch bookkeepers and someone with CFO-level experience to help you track your company’s key performance indicators and spot the challenges and opportunities that lie inside the numbers. In an even more perfect world, all this happens and you spend less time and money on the operations side of your business. That means more time and money to spend on the employees and services that generate the lifeblood of any company – revenue. The way I look at it, savvy owners of home service businesses gain a competitive advantage when they focus on what they do best, whether it’s p...

Contractor In Charge shared this article. Booking and dispatch – Start on the right foot with this exclusive and professional answering service for plumbing companies in Los Angeles. Using excellent and trained customer support and cutting-edge technology, your customers and potential customers will get an immediate, friendly, and professional response that continues with them from first contact to dispatch and beyond. This answering service is designed with your industry and customers in mind. Why settle for a generic answering service that does not understand your needs when Contractor in Charge is available, with workers who are already trained and ready to do everything that you require? Outbound calls – Contractor In Charge’s competitors cannot do outbound calls, creating an unnecessary division between average answering services and plumbing companies, slowing down customer service, and hampering customer satisfaction. Lynn Wise, Founder, CEO, understands what is needed in t...

This article is shared by Contractor In Charge. When beginning the search for an answering service for plumbing companies in Los Angeles, the first stop should always be Contractor in Charge. Started by Lynn Wise, Founder, CEO, an innovative answering service was created to make the most of cutting-edge technology, and they do it with the plumbing industry in mind. The full-service company can take calls, book a call, dispatch, and even reach out to any tech in the field. In addition, they can take over many office management and other duties, including but not limited to handling bookkeeping, accounting, and lead generation, as well as pulling permits for jobs. Extend your office with old-fashioned service and cutting-edge technology. The questions to ask It’s important to start by taking an inventory of what your needs are to make sure that the answering service you choose is one that can fully meet those needs. Start with these questions: Do you need to answer more calls? A...

This article is shared Contractor In Charge. The New Year is right around the corner. Looking back, we have had almost two years of uncertainty and chaos. Yet most service trades have and are prospering well. With this said, I decided to keep this light for a year-end article.  Rather than write a few paragraphs on a business topic, I wanted to leave 2021 with some sayings from a favorite motivational speaker of mine. ©Larry Winget authored a great deskside book called  The Gospel of Larry.  I highly recommend you pick up a copy and keep it on your desk, in your truck, by your bedside, or wherever you have a few minutes to reflect.   The quotes from ©Larry Winget are long, but I have selected a few for you to read and reflect on 2021 or think about 2022 in different terms.   Here we go! ©Larry Winget I don’t have any interest in taking care of people. My interest is in teaching people how to take care of themselves.    On Life Simple ...