Rhonda Ridge, managing director of Ab Initio and installer management system, AdminBase, discusses the continued move to online in all aspects of life, and explains how installation companies need to get on board before it’s too late.
Whatever your personal preference for communicating with suppliers, there can be no denying the galactic trend of consumers now wanting to connect with companies online.
The pandemic accelerated us all down this route even more, and yet there remains a big gap between the online services organisations offer, and those desired by consumers.
For example, Microsoft suggests that 90% of consumers globally expect a self-service online portal option. And according to Hubtype it is predicted that by 2023, messaging will be the number one B2C communication channel, making up 61% of total interactions with a brand.
This is because it’s far easier for consumers to multitask and send messages while carrying on their daily tasks, than it is for them to wait on hold and speak to a real person. Forward thinking installers that want to get ahead of the competition have already adapted more online solutions for their homeowner customers to tap into, but it’s now time for the rest of the industry to catch up.
Start as you mean to go on
The tried and tested AdminBase installer management system is helping installation businesses make a seamless transition to online support and self-service, starting at the beginning of the sales process and continuing through to the completion of an installation.
AdminBase has recently partnered with Pricepoint Sales to ensure a smooth online user experience from the first point of contact. Pricepoint Sales is an online system that helps installers sell their products. It is simple and intuitive to use with endless product types featured and professional high-definition images used.
Installation sales teams can also use the system in the home to support their sales pitch, even without an internet connection. It can create customised quotations, and if consumers try to opt for a product combination that isn’t possible due to manufacturing restrictions, the system will highlight it immediately thanks to its clever, built-in ‘Manufacturing Intelligence’.
Once the product selection has been made, the AdminBase system also allows for the collection of e-signatures to confirm a sale. E-mailed documents can be signed and returned by consumers, eliminating the need for additional visits, and allowing homeowners the freedom to sign at a time that suits them 24/7.
Self-service customer portal
Once they have placed an order, consumers can log into a dedicated customer portal where they can track their sale. They can check and confirm appointment times, pay invoices and even report snagging issues when the project is complete. As recent studies show, this is the relationship consumers are increasingly craving with their suppliers.
In this case they can interact with their portal at any time day or night to suit them and their varied lifestyles and receive an immediate response from the system. The customer portal sits well next to our automated customer communications system that sends SMS and e-mail messages to customers at every stage of the process.
The all-encompassing ‘Amazon’-style self-service set up alongside online messaging available within AdminBase, allows installers to offer a level of service that is not just desired by today’s consumers, but expected.
We can all be guilty of sometimes acknowledging new trends but adopting the wait and see policy before we adapt. But the preference for online research, ordering and management of accounts is already here and is growing exponentially.
Installation businesses may be waiting to see what happens or be trying to survive for as long as possible without switching up their admin and communication systems, but the sooner they make the change, the sooner they can enjoy the huge benefits available to them. Benefits in the form of vastly improved efficiencies across the business as well as the enormous advancement in customer satisfaction levels.
