Neighborly

The leading provider of digital enablement solutions for field service professionals drives increased transparency and revenue for the Neighborly® electrical service brand XOi, the leading provider of technician-first smart technology for commercial and residential field service companies, announces a new collaboration with Mr. Electric®, a Neighborly® company. Mr. Electric franchise owners provide consistent, superior electrical installation Read more

The leading provider of digital enablement solutions for field service professionals drives increased transparency and revenue for the Neighborly® electrical service brand

XOi, the leading provider of technician-first smart technology for commercial and residential field service companies, announces a new collaboration with Mr. Electric®, a Neighborly® company.

Mr. Electric franchise owners provide consistent, superior electrical installation and repair services to residential and commercial customers worldwide. XOi’s advanced digital field service solutions empower Mr. Electric service professionals to drive revenue through enhanced performance, transparency and customer experience.

“Mr. Electric franchise owners and service professionals are able to deliver a powerful level of quality and service to our customers with XOi’s data-powered enablement solution,” said Joel Worthington, president of Mr. Electric. “XOi’s technology allows us to provide visual capabilities, streamline efficiency, and enable proactive equipment repair and replacement decision-making.”

The collaboration equips Mr. Electric service professionals with XOi’s suite of premium digital tools for managing and leveraging data from current jobs as well as historical projects, including comprehensive data collection, virtual support and mentoring, and automated on-the-job communication. With XOi, Mr. Electric service professionals create compelling and visually rich content on every job that highlights the expertise and integrity of the company and its team members.

“XOi helps Mr. Electric franchise owners and their service professionals to boost productivity and quickly and effectively translate their results visually for customers,” said Aaron Salow, founder and CEO of XOi. “The striking visual representation they can share on each job is critical for building trust with customers and positioning Mr. Electric as an employer of choice around the world and in each franchise market.”

For more information about XOi, visit https://xoi.io.

Neighborly®, the world’s largest franchisor of home service brands, is doing all it can to continue helping homeowners in the aftermath of the harsh winter storms wreaking havoc on countless communities across the United States. Neighborly, based in Waco, Texas, is the parent company of 28 home service brands represented by nearly 4,500 franchise locations Read more

Neighborly®, the world’s largest franchisor of home service brands, is doing all it can to continue helping homeowners in the aftermath of the harsh winter storms wreaking havoc on countless communities across the United States.

Neighborly, based in Waco, Texas, is the parent company of 28 home service brands represented by nearly 4,500 franchise locations, all focused right now on doing their respective parts to fix the winter damage currently being inflicted on homes and businesses.

Since Monday, Neighborly brands including Mr. Rooter PlumbingRainbow International RestorationAire Serv and Mr. Electric have been responding to a significant influx in home service requests related to burst pipes, flooding damage and other emergencies caused by the weather. As the ice and snow begin to melt, Neighborly expects that even more damage will become apparent and require maintenance from its service professionals.

“Our hearts are with everyone whose homes and lives have been affected by this extreme weather,” said Mike Bidwell, President and CEO of Neighborly. “Our headquarters and many of our team members were hit hard as well, so we know the severity of damage spanning the southern region. It’s in times like these that our home services are truly essential, and we’re proud to be able to provide some relief wherever we can as we all navigate these serious conditions.”

For a quick list of best practices in the aftermath of recent winter storms, click here. To request services from a Neighborly brand in your area, visit www.neighborly.com.

Neighborly Brings 3,700+ Franchise Owners to Thumbtack’s Growing Local Services Marketplace Thumbtack, a marketplace connecting customers to local service professionals, announced today it has teamed up with Neighborly®, the world’s largest franchisor of home service brands. Bringing millions of customers to more than 3,700 franchises in the U.S., Thumbtack will help grow these vital home service Read more

Neighborly Brings 3,700+ Franchise Owners to Thumbtack’s Growing Local Services Marketplace

Thumbtack, a marketplace connecting customers to local service professionals, announced today it has teamed up with Neighborly®, the world’s largest franchisor of home service brands. Bringing millions of customers to more than 3,700 franchises in the U.S., Thumbtack will help grow these vital home service businesses across the country.

“In this new era of hyper focus on the home, Neighborly is an important ally in helping homeowners manage their most important investment,” said Jeff Grant, COO at Thumbtack. “Neighborly’s community of quality home service professionals combined with Thumbtack’s digital-native customer base will help bring more business to local communities.”

Home services on Thumbtack have seen growth during COVID-19 and the trend towards digital has accelerated. As our homes continue to be the place where we work, play and live, owners are increasingly interested in making investments in their residences while seeing maintenance projects rise. Thumbtack will drive new business opportunities to small business owners within Neighborly ranging from plumbing and HVAC to painting and home inspections.

“We joined forces with Thumbtack because we were looking for a way to align more leads for our franchise owners, which became a critical decision in 2020,” said Luke Stanton, president of ProTradeNet®, Neighborly’s preferred vendor division. “What we’ve received is so much more.  Thumbtack has poured resources into the development of a program specifically for Neighborly, which has added immense value for our brands and franchise owners.”

Thumbtack’s marketplace connects customers to Neighborly’s home service professionals with the right expertise, availability, and pricing — a system Thumbtack has perfected over more than 50 million projects. With Thumbtack, Neighborly’s franchise owners can grow their businesses on their own terms, targeting the exact projects they want, setting when and where they work, and determining what they charge.

To help optimize time and maximize spend, Thumbtack has created a dedicated program for franchise owners. The company’s new national brand experience includes:

  • White glove sales experience: Specialized team to share insights with local franchise owners to help businesses grow more profitably.
  • Dedicated onboarding specialists: Hands-on experience when joining Thumbtack to tailor profile pages, set job preferences and provide visibility needed to maximize growth.
  • Ongoing personalized support: To provide better results, our team helps create a customized job pipeline based on business needs, size and capabilities.

To learn more about Thumbtack, visit www.thumbtack.com.

There’s a long-held assumption that the more technology you introduce to your business model, the less human interaction you get. Unfortunately, this rationale causes many businesses to put so much emphasis on their digital capabilities that customer service standards go to the wayside. When you’re in the business of plumbing, delivering your essential services will Read more

There’s a long-held assumption that the more technology you introduce to your business model, the less human interaction you get. Unfortunately, this rationale causes many businesses to put so much emphasis on their digital capabilities that customer service standards go to the wayside.

When you’re in the business of plumbing, delivering your essential services will always require interaction with your customers at some stage of the process. Therefore, providing poor customer service and hoping your advanced technology makes up for it might as well be a death sentence for your business.

In reality, technology should not be seen as a replacement for excellent customer service, but rather as a necessary tool for enhancing the overall customer experience.

For Mr. Rooter Plumbing, a Neighborly company, we’ve found in recent years that not only does implementing various advanced plumbing technologies such as the use of video inspection equipment or video conferencing and consultations improve the work we do in the homes of our customers but incorporating technology into the customer relations aspect of our business has led to happier, more loyal customers across our global network. Here’s why…

Customers want convenience, and so do providers

Today’s consumers make their purchase decisions based primarily on convenience and instant gratification. Which restaurant is available and can deliver quickest through my favorite food delivery app? Which clothing store has a user-friendly website and offers free two-day shipping? The same mindset comes into play when looking for a home service provider: Which plumber is easiest to contact and can get the job done most efficiently?

Always try to think from the customer’s perspective. If someone is in need of a plumber, chances are they are stressed enough as it is. The least you can do for them is simplify the request and scheduling process with online and mobile options. Ideally, this simplifies things for you as the contractor as well. There is no need to invest all of your time, talent and resources in creating an intricate website for online scheduling, when the best approach is to make it simple and attractive with consumer-friendly usability. The more user-friendly your system is, the more customers you’ll attract. And with more customers, there’s a greater need for an intuitive system to help you keep track of those leads.

Technology can play a particularly important part in helping to improve the efficiency of phone systems. If you are a larger plumbing company that receives frequent phone calls, you may want to consider using technology to organize calls so that fewer calls are missed. This could include using call center workforce management software to allocate calls along with virtual phone menus.

Customers expect professionalism

If a homeowner is paying a professional to complete a home service project for them, they want to feel confident that their money is going toward someone who knows what they’re doing. In the past, a plumber’s success was based on how well they could “paint a verbal picture” of the issue and its solution for a customer. Nowadays, a plumber who arrives with a mobile device or tablet ready to visually explain their recommended approach instantly increases his/her credibility as a trusted advisor as opposed to a salesman. Figuring out how to appropriately use technology to convey expertise is a skill that requires more advanced and ongoing training of your technicians, but it’s worthwhile to ensure your team can respond to service requests with the utmost professionalism.

Electronic communication also streamlines transactions between providers and customers. Invoices can be delivered directly via email so they don’t get lost in the mail. Messages can be sent and received in real time so there’s no frustration over playing phone tag. Customers can better prepare a technician for their visit by sending photos and videos of the issue at hand, which makes for a more prepared technician upon arrival. All of this conveys the image you want of an experienced and professional provider.

Customers want to feel safe

Being an essential service provider during a pandemic is both an opportunity and a challenge. While issues that require a plumber cannot be ignored, it is also a health risk both to the homeowner and to the technician alike for us to deliver those services directly to an individual’s home. Being invited into people’s homes in order to do our jobs is a privilege, especially in today’s environment, making it absolutely necessary to work safety measures such as wearing masks, washing hands, maintaining social distance, and more into our standard service call procedures.

With technology, we can take our precautionary measures a step further to create an experience as close to contactless as possible. Electronic capabilities for transactions such as providing estimates, sending invoices, and receiving payments are a must. For the service call itself, being digitally connected with our customers allows us to send arrival alerts, to pre-screen customers, and to possibly even provide expertise and direction entirely virtually for select home maintenance jobs that homeowners could accomplish themselves. By introducing these creative approaches to doing what is usually a very hands-on job, we show our customers that we realize giving them the best and most comfortable experience goes far beyond the job itself.

The time to evolve is now

Of course, the idea of implementing all of this advanced technology to your plumbing business may be a daunting concept for some contractors. You might even question if it’s worthwhile if the old-school business model you’ve always had is still working as far as you can tell. But with the growing prevalence of technology across all industries, chances are refusing to adapt will leave you behind your competitors who are rising to the occasion.

If you’re not comfortable making the changes yourself, consider hiring a consultant or perhaps even converting your business to a franchise model like Mr. Rooter to get the digital support you need. But one way or another, it’s time for your plumbing business to step into the future.

Glenn Gallas is the Vice President of Operations for Mr. Rooter Plumbing, a Neighborly company. Glenn’s career in franchising began as a franchise owner in 2000 of a Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise. Glenn became a multi-franchise owner when he purchased a Mr. Electric franchise and then a Holiday Lighting franchise. Glenn is a veteran and has served in the US Army in both the active and reserve capacity and sees franchising as the best fit opportunity for veterans transitioning from the military to civilian life.

The company’s rebranding will emphasize the Neighborly online platforms to help today’s consumers easily connect with service provider experts.   Dwyer Franchising, LLC (“Dwyer Group”), one of the world’s largest parent companies of home service brands, has announced that it is changing its corporate name to Neighborly, effective immediately. The decision follows the rapid success of Read more

The company’s rebranding will emphasize the Neighborly online platforms to help today’s consumers easily connect with service provider experts.

 

Dwyer Franchising, LLC (“Dwyer Group”), one of the world’s largest parent companies of home service brands, has announced that it is changing its corporate name to Neighborly, effective immediately. The decision follows the rapid success of the consumer-facing Neighborly platform developed a little more than a year ago to unite all of its service franchise brands under one umbrella. The new trade name supports the community of home service experts’ approach for providing an easier way for people to connect with providers of all home service needs through one convenient outlet.

“Since launching Neighborly in 2017, our platform for home services has increased engagement with customers and made a powerful and positive impact across our service brands,” said Mike Bidwell, President and CEO of Neighborly.

Through one comprehensive consumer-facing website (getneighborly.com in the U.S. and getneighbourly.ca in Canada), Neighborly has simplified the process of connecting homeowners with service industry experts with incredible results. Within one year of launching Neighborly, multi-brand customer penetration has increased 39 percent and continues to rise.

“Now it’s time to bring that same Neighborly brand home to our corporate offices to amplify the collective synergies of our service brands internally as well,” Bidwell added. “Dwyer Group’s legacy includes the success of 21 service brands to-date, and this legacy shall now be showcased moving forward under the friendly consumer facing Neighborly name.”

The new trade name will be reflected at 10 corporate campuses across the U.S., U.K. and Germany, employing nearly 850 employees. With the transition, the corporate website at dwyergroup.com also has moved to NeighborlyBrands.com. Plans to implement the new name across the company’s service brand affiliates will continue throughout the remainder of the 2018.