Customer Service

Based on survey responses, the report covers how text messaging is being used in business communications today, predicts where the market is heading in the next 12 months, and explores what challenges and opportunities this creates for businesses.

70% of people say texting is the fastest way to reach them. That’s just one of the many findings in the 2024 State of Business Texting Report published today by Text Request, the industry-leading business messaging platform. The report, anchored in more than a thousand survey responses, details how organizations are texting with customers and employees, what trends to expect over the next calendar year, and what opportunities this creates for businesses.

“Rather than blasting out promotions to subscribers, which can be very effective, most organizations are using text messaging for everyday conversations and to replace phone calls,” says Text Request VP of Marketing Kenneth Burke, who led the survey and analysis. “Businesses are seeing that text is the most effective way to connect with customers and employees quickly and get a response, so they’re taking advantage of that opportunity for everyone’s benefit.”

Significant findings in the 2024 State of Business Texting Report include:

• 74% of people read every text they get
• 54% of organizations say text message is the most effective channel for getting a response
• 75% of organizations are texting for customer service
• 87% of consumers want to receive texts about appointment scheduling and reminders
• 66% of people get 20 or fewer texts per day—far less than the average email count of 156—making text a great way to stand out in communications

“If you’re going to reach someone quickly, you’ve got to text them,” says Text Request CEO Brian Elrod. “That’s something we’ve all felt, and this data supports that experience. Think about how helpful it is to be able to reach everyone immediately, and get a response. You can get twice as much done in half the time, cut costs, and increase revenue. That’s the trifecta.”

The report goes on to show how this data can be applied throughout organizations for customer service, sales, marketing, hiring, and more. To view the complete report, go to: https://www.textrequest.com/ebooks/state-of-business-texting-2024

One of the biggest things a home service professional needs when it comes to growing their business is great customer service. And that is where more and better sales will happen. Happy customers, when it comes to home services, are repeat customers. But what else can you do to sell more? 

First Impression

No matter what the circumstances, a first impression matters. But when you are a home service provider, you need to be extra vigilant. Why? Because as a plumber, you are entering someone’s private space – as a stranger. 

It is your job to put them instantly at ease; being friendly and positive is essential. Since you never know what state the house or the person is in, being nonjudgmental and focusing on the job is necessary. Use your name to introduce yourself, and quickly find some common ground – the weather is often the easiest to use. 

Value 

When you are focused only on the upsell and increasing profits, you’re not likely to see a huge improvement. If, however, you approach it from a ‘what is value to this customer?’, things change; instead of trying to sell them the most expensive one, as them what they need and opt for the best value, often, customers will want regular maintenance, repairs, and more when they understand how it benefits them and the value it offers. 

Additional services are where your skills as a plumber shine; most customers can’t do what you do – and in some cases, they don’t even understand it. Show them the issue and explain the solution. These issues could be anything from corrosion, leaks, old heaters, bad pipes, and more. 

Training 

Confidence is key when it comes to selling more services and products, and often, that takes some dedicated sales training. A sales training LMS can be used by the entire company, no matter how big or small, to ensure that everyone gets the same training and understands what matters most to the customer. 

Clarity 

Customers need the information they receive to be clear and effective. That means that saying it might cost X and it could take Y will feel uncertain to them. Using language that makes sense to your customer is important. 

Transparency is essential; if you can go through a pricing structure and give them a strong suggestion of how long it will take, they will feel more secure in your services. You can tell them what the scope of the work is so that they are prepared for any mess, the time, and the cost in advance of agreeing to any work. 

Other Services 

Depending on the company you work for, or if you own your own company, you can talk about other services that they will need. Weave the different services into the conversation, or be bolder and suggest them and why they are beneficial. Many customers would prefer to have a single company or person do other jobs in the home once a rapport is made. 

Getting calls in the first place usually comes from using these online techniques: Top 9 Most Effective SEO Strategies for Business – Mechanical Hub | News, Product Reviews, Videos, and Resources for today’s contractors. So, a combination of in-person sales and excellent online management is a must to truly see an increase in profits. 

It’s safe to say that plumbing services will forever be in demand. It’s not a skill that is easily acquired and while many households might be able to resolve basic plumbing problems, it’s not always that simple.

However, despite it being a much-needed service, there are a lot of plumbing companies out there, meaning you’re in tough competition with both old and new businesses. These businesses might be doing a lot to acquire customers you’re after.

With that being said, here are some helpful tips to be one of the best plumbing companies in your area.

Build a website for online users to find you

Not all plumbers or plumbing businesses will bother getting a website, especially those who have been long-established and therefore don’t feel they need one.

However, with the digital world forever growing and transforming the way many choose to spend their money, it’s worthwhile to invest your time and effort into creating a website – even if it’s a basic one!

Building a website enables online users to find those, who might live locally and be in need of your services. It’s one of the first things that many people do when it comes to finding plumbers and other handy-type services in the area. If your business doesn’t exist online, then how do you expect new customers to find you?

While you might have committed customers now, they might not always be available.

Go above and beyond for current customers

When it comes to your plumbing business, focus on going above and beyond for your current customers. These, after all, are your bread and butter of business. They really are the individuals who are propping up your business all year round and most importantly, when times get tough.

With that being said, find ways to always provide more value and satisfaction for current customers. What could you offer as a reward for their loyalty? Perhaps a discount every so often that they can use on a bill from you. It’s these little treats and discounts that can often encourage your long-term customers to remain for years to come.

For newer customers, showing this attitude of going above and beyond, will also make a big difference to their viewpoint of the business and hopefully, they’ll find themselves coming back again and again for your services in particular.

Advertise locally and encourage word-of-mouth

With plumbing services, unless you’re a big company that’s got goals to go national or international, you may be relying on those who live locally for the business. Advertising locally is therefore an important part of running a successful plumbing business.

At the same time, you want to try and encourage word-of-mouth. Being chatty with your customers and ensuring they recommend you to anyone in the local area that they might know, is a good sign-off to have with every customer you have. 

You may start to find you get more queries for new customers as a result and a demand for local work that has come from personal recommendations.

Make use of digital marketing 

Digital marketing is something to be aware of when it comes to advertising your business. While you might not be the best at social media and the digital world as a plumber, there are certain companies out there that will be able to assist in your advertising needs online.

With digital marketing, it’s worth investing a bit of your money into marketing online. From paid advertisements that target local customers to building up a social profile on one of the many social media platforms, there are some great opportunities to be found with digital marketing.

A bit of digital marketing here and there can certainly help to build your business and attract customers from further afield. It’s something that might also open up opportunities for business expansion beyond your local area.

Hire the right plumbers for the business

Plumbers are an important hire to make when it comes to your business. The plumbers you have who are going out and representing your business need to be the creme de la creme of the plumbing world.

Hiring the right plumbers is crucial because every one of them will contribute positively – or negatively to the business reputation. Be selective with plumbers that you bring into the business and only do so when you feel confident that they’re the right fit.

It’s always useful to have plumbers who you can train from a young age or at least have come into the business with plenty of experience. That way, it can save a lot of time and effort on your part stressing about whether they’re the right fit.

Provide additional training to improve skillset

While it does require effort to train your staff, it’s always good to be able to provide additional training where possible. Improving your team’s skillset is always worthwhile, especially when it comes to more complex jobs and those individual jobs that they might not have experienced prior.

Think about what training might be available for you to make use of and to utilize in order to create a team that’s talented and knowledgeable for all plumbing needs.

Keep an eye on what your competitors are up to

Finally, when it comes to building a successful business of any kind, it’s always good to take a look at what your competitors are up to. After all, they might be doing something that you’ve missed or could do better.

For plumbing companies, they all offer the same service, which means finding ways in which your own business might be able to stand out. Consider what you might want to do or introduce in order to stand out from your competition and effectively steal prospective customers from those other businesses.

Being the best plumbing company in your area is a title that you should be keen to earn. Use these tips to help become one of the best, as well as have a reputation that only benefits the business over time.

Often in the house, some issues can ruin our staycation experience. The subjects include broken pipes and problems in the bathroom and toilet, which look simple but can make staying difficult.

Consequently, in order to solve these problems, you need a plumber, and for that, a professional plumbing service is a must. More so if you are in Australia, where snakes, spiders, and other animals can clog the pipes of your house.

Do you know? The market size of plumbing services is 123 billion USD. Hence, it showcases that plumbing services around the world are a serious affair. Moreover, in Australia, the market size of plumbing services is 19.8 billion USD.

Subsequently, plumbing services in Australia are fairly new, with the market slowly taking pace by helping houses with serious plumbing issues. Furthermore, it helps legalize the service under the law by allowing people to hire the right individuals for the job.

Plumbing services include fixing broken pipes, clogged drains, and other washroom problems, making it one of the important and integral aspects of every housing in the country.

So, amidst all of these things, there are certain things that one should look for while hiring a professional plumber.

Things To Look For In A Professional Plumber 

As discussed earlier, there are always issues with the toilet and pipes, which are as common as our normal daily activities. Hence, contacting a professional service will help you solve your home’s plumbing issues.

Here is the list of things you should for in a professional plumber.

Always Choose A Licensed Plumber 

One of the things that you should look for in a professional plumber is that they should be licensed. This is important because it will showcase that they have received the right training and have the necessary knowledge of plumbing tools.

Therefore, you should hire a plumber who has insurance, as it will cure you from the legal issues. As plumbing is risky, you never know when one can get injured. This will cost you money and also a chance of getting riddled with legal complaints.

Furthermore, with a license, you can engage them in an intense plumbing job, where the rate of the risk. This is because their insurance policy has got them covered. Conversely, it will show that you will follow the government rules and regulations aligned with professional and non-professional plumbers.

So, when hiring a professional plumber, ensure they have proper insurance and license to give the best user experience.

Experience 

Another key thing you should consider while hiring a professional plumber is their experience. In order to excel in plumbing services, one requires experience ranging from two to five years.

Therefore, when you are looking for a plumber, you should pay for experience. This is because they will know more about the tools and the intricate issues associated with toilet and plumbing pipes.

Often, there are issues that the newbies can’t recognize because they have not followed up with cases. This can cost you more damage and waste of money. So, in order to avoid this, it is better to hire an experienced person who knows about fixing things, mainly plumbing issues.

Further, when you are in Queensland, which is the hub of venomous snakes and spiders, experienced plumbers will ensure they can’t clog the pipes.

Budget 

Monetary value is another indication that you should look for while hiring a professional plumber. Hence, before you hire a professional plumber, you should watch for their prices. This is because you don’t want to pay too much for their services.

Consequently, before hiring the services, you call them and let them review the house and the issues prevailing in the pipes and other parts of the house. This will allow them to set the exact price for the services.

Hence, you always contact a professional service, where the plumbers or the company gives value for their services.

Online Research 

When you start looking for a plumber, you ask your family and friends to suggest a plumber to resolve your issue. Otherwise, what you can do is search for them on Google.

You will get all the necessary information there, following the reviews of please clients. This will be an added bonus because you will know about their services. Hence, it gives a suitable value for money.

Moreover, there is a high chance that you will get references from many plumbing companies on the Internet. They will give you the added knowledge of the high-quality plumbers who know the whereabouts of their job.

Choosing An Established Company 

Another factor to consider while hiring a professional plumber is that you should look for an established company. Hiring a plumber from a reputed company is important, as it will help you select the best guy for the job.

Therefore, you should find a firm that has been in the job for several years and catered to a wide range of customers around the state. This will ensure they are trustworthy and you can expect a better job from them.

Conversely, you should hire plumbers from the startups, as inexperience may cost you a fortune and cause more damage to your property and assets. On the other hand, you should choose a company with brilliant customer care and good professionals who will give the best services.

You can do this by checking online. Larry Page and others have made an organization for you. In other words, you can choose Live Services Group, which provides same-day plumbing services in Australia.

Wrapping Up! Once And For All 

In the end, we can say there is no such strict rule book to hire a professional plumber, but it is better to hire from a company, as it will give more value for money.

The services will be cheaper and with better customer service. Following this, they will provide you with licensed plumbers, ensuring they don’t have to face any legal charges. Lastly, it will ensure that your property is safe to use and reside.

Therefore, following the point discussed in the previous section to get better clarity on the matter.