The home services industry is expected to grow 18.91% every year for at least the next four years. And with nearly 40% of America’s housing stock nearing 50 years old, homeowners are searching for home services providers like you. Converting home services leads to lifetime customers centers on providing a customer-focused experience, adding convenience and speed to critical customer interactions, and modernizing your lead conversion methods.
Check out the following best practices to convert home services leads to lifetime customers:
Capture online search leads
Showing up where future customers are looking for you is the first step in converting online leads. Make sure each of your home services business locations is connected to a Google My Business listing. Funnel location-specific reviews to each listing, keep hours and other information up-to-date and add a business description with keywords to capitalize on SEO. To make the experience even easier for customers, convert your landline into a textable number. Mobile users can find your home service business in their Google search, click on your number, and text your business immediately.
Removing friction for the customer at this stage is critical for organic leads and customers keen to convert. Plus, three out of five consumers say good customer service—which includes connecting and engaging with a brand in real-time on the channel customers prefer—is a critical first step in feeling loyalty toward a business. Make sure the discovery stage of the customer journey is seamless and you’ll likely convert customers to the next phase—making an appointment or visiting your website.
Create more opportunities for conversation on your website
Offer web chat to your website visitors. Leads can ask questions about your services, typical business hours, how to make an appointment, and more. Web chat is a common experience in today’s modern world anyway—41% of consumers expect it.
Enable 24/7 web chat on your site and automate common FAQs when your live customer service representatives can’t answer questions in real-time. And for an even more convenient option, convert web chat conversations to text messages. 90% of consumers want to communicate with your business via text anyway. Don’t let a desktop or laptop tie up your opportunity to connect with a customer that’s already reached out to you—keep the conversation going via text.
Personalize the customer experience
Personalization efforts pay dividends. And modern customers expect targeted messaging and offers from brands in every industry. Get started by sending personalized offers to leads (75% of customers say they want to receive special offers from brands) on the most personalized channel available—texting.
Beyond lead conversion, consider personalized offers for your existing customers as well. Upsell offers and related services should be presented to customers, even after they’ve paid for their initial services. And if you’ve already been communicating with your customer via text, you’re likely saved in their phone as a contact. Less than ⅓ of homeowners will pick up the phone if you call them, but text response rates are as high as 98%. Create a personalized experience by connecting via text and sending relevant offers to leads and existing customers.
Offer easier ways to make a payment
Reduce barriers to conversion by promoting a fully customer-focused journey. Let your leads and customers know you know them and how they want to interact with you—via text. Offer contactless payments by sending a direct link to make a payment after your services are complete and you’ll get paid faster (and win points with customers). No more lost emails or delayed payments in the mail.
Nearly one-third of all consumers prefer a mobile payment option anyway—and yet only 26% of businesses use the best mobile option (texting) to collect payments from their customers today. And businesses that don’t use text-to-pay are missing out—45% of customers will complete a request they receive via text.
Create referral and incentive programs
Referred customers have a 37% higher retention rate—implement a referral program that incentivizes current customers to send you new leads. Consider asking for referrals after your services are complete and payments are made. Scan positive reviews to find satisfied customers that would be happy to send you future customers.
Loyalty programs can also improve lead conversion with existing customers, incentivizing repeat business. Possible offers could include:
- Discounts on bundled services
- Discounts on service add ons
- Free or discounted services on birthdays or purchase anniversaries
- Memberships offering a percentage off or points toward a larger discount
Learn from customer feedback and reviews
NPS information and online customer reviews offer direct insights into what your customers value about your business and what they think should change. Analyze the data to find out what areas of the customer journey need improvement and where you can add more speed and convenience.
If you aren’t collecting customer feedback or requesting a review after every customer transaction, it’s time to start. Send a quick NPS survey via text to get a pulse on how your customers view your brand and business and ask for a review with a link to the review site you want to prioritize. And don’t forget to respond to customer reviews. 97% of leads who read reviews also read responses from the business that’s referenced.
Ready to use text messaging to convert more customers? Download our free Enterprise Buyer’s Guide to Text Messaging Tools.
