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Home Services
Using AI to Automate Lead Responses & Maintenance Reminders
2 min read
Written by: Erin Coate, Senior Director, Marketing
Recently, I attended a conference where one of the discussions was about how to not only maximize your dollars spent on advertising but also tap into “free money”. As a marketing professional, I know firsthand how important it is to measure ROI. Speed to lead is extremely important, but so is understanding where “untouched revenue” might be left on the table.
Let’s face it. Finding good help isn’t always easy, and nowadays we are being tasked with doing more with less. This is where technology comes into play, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is a great tool to use, not to replace someone, but to help augment staffing issues or fill the void of time constraints.
Finding the Right Technology
Something I learned a long time ago is that when trying to find the right technology to solve a need or point of contention, look for something you can grow with that offers a full suite of features. The last thing you want to do is buy a software subscription and, six months later, have outgrown it. For home services, it is important to find a voice technology that not only takes inbound calls after hours and/or during overflow, but also helps you evaluate your CSRs against a customized rubric and provides instant feedback on their performance, along with transcripts and recordings. Outbound calling or texting is another must-have feature.
I know most people think of outbound calling or texting as spamming, but in this situation, it won’t be if you find an AI provider that can sync to your CRM, such as ServiceTitan or HouseCall Pro, and be used for when you receive inbound leads from platforms like Angi’s, Facebook, Yelp, or Google Ads or use it for those who have signed up for maintenance plans.
Power of AI Outbound Call Technology for Speed to Lead
With staffing shortages being a consistent theme and the lack of time in the day, using AI for outbound in a speed-to-lead situation can help you beat out your competitors. As we all know, consumers want an answer immediately. They don’t want to have to wait for a return call, and if they do, they keep shopping until they find someone who can solve their problem right away.
Response times to inquiries made on Angi’s, Facebook, Yelp, and other platforms are critical. If you don’t have someone working 24/7 to respond to those, you don’t have a chance of getting the business. At the same time, how realistic is it to have a live human working around the clock, 24/7, to be available to respond to leads that come in? It’s not.
That is where using AI outbound calling and/or texting can come into play. It is an inexpensive solution that works 24/7 and can be trained just like you would train one of your team members. Having the ability to use AI for outbound communication will not only let you respond automatically and quickly but also book quotes/jobs, etc., immediately within your CRM/dispatch calendar, giving you a chance to beat your competitors.
Using AI to Unlock Untouched Revenue
There is a lot of “free money” sitting right in your CRM, and you probably don’t realize it. Every HVAC contractor typically offers maintenance plans; however, many don’t call to schedule maintenance reminders. A lot of this is due to daily time constraints.
Having an AI outbound option to call your current customers to schedule maintenance calls can easily turn forgotten services into steady revenue streams. Regular touch points build brand loyalty, create opportunities for upsell/add-on services (air filters, smart thermostats, duct cleaning, etc.), and drive customer retention. This is especially true during shoulder season. It not only fills technician schedules, but it can also create predictable, recurring maintenance revenue.
Being proactive encourages positive online reviews and creates the likelihood of happy customers referring friends and family.
Harnessing AI for Growth and Efficiency
By leveraging AI technology for both inbound and outbound communication, home service businesses can significantly improve their operations, customer service, and revenue generation. From responding quickly to new leads to maximizing the value of existing customer relationships, AI offers a scalable solution to common industry challenges.
Implementing the right AI voice technology can help you:
- Respond to leads 24/7, improving your chances of winning new business
- Automate maintenance reminders, unlocking untapped revenue
- Enhance customer service without increasing staffing costs
- Streamline operations and improve overall efficiency
As the home services industry continues to evolve, those who embrace AI technology will likely gain a significant competitive advantage. It's not about replacing your team, but about empowering them to do more with less, ultimately driving growth and customer satisfaction.
If you are interested in exploring AI voice technology for your home services business, consider exploring Free2Grow, an AI CSR Platform built specifically for our industry. Schedule a demo with our Free2Grow team to see firsthand how this technology can streamline your operations and boost your bottom line.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the cost of Free2Grow?
We offer a month-to-month subscription for a flat rate based on the number of technicians you have. This includes unlimited calls and minutes, as well as spam filtering. For specific pricing, you will need to talk with one of our sales reps.
What CRM's does Free2Grow integrate with?
Free2Grow fully integrates with ServiceTitan, FieldPulse, and Housecall Pro. We are constantly working on new integrations and plan to integrate with more soon. We can also sync to a Google Calendar ifu don't use one of the three CRM's we integrate with today.
What is Free2Grow?
Free2Grow is an AI-powered voice answering solution built for the home services industry. It is designed to automate and streamline your business communications., handle incoming calls, intelligently adapt to every call scenario, create leads, and schedule appointments automatically into your CRM, all while providing best-in-class customer service.
How does Free2Grow work?
Free2Grow can be used as overflow, after-hours, or weekend phone support. You can select from a variety of voices, both male and female, and train through scripting and triggers to become an integral part of your team. When you sign up with Free2Grow, you are assigned an onboarding specialist and a dedicated customer success manager to help you build out your tool and integrate it with your CRM.
Can I customize the AI Voice assistant?
Yes! Our AI Voice assistant is highly customizable. You can build a script, inbound workflows, and a tailored voice. If you hear a call that you want to change some things that were said, you can go to the backend and use the Train the AI option and put in exactly what should have happened in the call. Our ability to integrate with home service CRM’s makes customization even more productive for your business.
What does onboarding look like for Free2Grow?
Our experienced customer success managers lead our onboarding process. They will work with you to build out your scripting and set up triggers for escalations and emergency calls. Your dedicated customer success manager will also help you get your AI-Voice integrated with your CRM. Our onboarding process typically takes 1-2 weeks. It doesn't stop there. Your CSM is assigned to your account as long as you are a customer and is available for any questions or help you may need.
Can Free2Grow handle complex customer inquiries?
Yes! Our AI Voice tool will handle complex customer inquiries and can even route calls to dedicated staff as needed. We work with you to script your calls, and set up triggers exactly how you would have a live person The knowledge of our AI system also automatically improves over time for your business.