The world is becoming more virtual & online-based everyday, especially in the midst of a pandemic. So how do you provide home services to customers when they don’t want to leave their homes, and they don’t want anyone coming in unnecessarily?
Enter virtual estimates and consultations. Free virtual video estimates is already something that big companies in the moving industry are offering. This allows your team to see the exact situation and create a human connection with the potential customer. Here’s how you can implement this quickly & easily in your sales process.
Technical Set Up
The best part is that you don’t need a lot of technical support. You just need 1 app. Here’s a list of options and a few notes about each. We recommend choosing an app that will be the most user-friendly and familiar with your target demographic.
Zoom - This is great for business purposes, and a lot of companies are using it now that employees are working from home. The downside is the general population isn’t very familiar with it.
Google Hangouts Meeting - This is a great option if your company uses Gmail because you’re already set up with the software. Plus, one or two of your clients might be familiar with Google.
Skype - The original video chatting company. Everyone would probably have to download it on their phone, but at least it’s a brand people know.
Facebook Messenger - Yep, Facebook has video chatting capabilities! The positive is that a lot of people have this on their phone already. The downside is that you’d have to send a message to their personal Facebook profile to start it since you can’t send a link to a “meeting room”.
Execution
Prep for your virtual estimate:
Make sure your sales team practices with whichever software that you choose so they feel comfortable using it.
Once you have an appointment set, you’ll need to make sure you have the person’s cell phone number and email so you can text and email them a link to the video call or start the video call.
During your virtual estimate:
During the call, your sales team will need to be very specific about what they need the customer to show them and due to provide an accurate estimate.
Make sure those questions and prompts are prepared and practiced ahead of time as your team may not be used to it. We also recommend taking screenshots during the call so you have a record of things you saw.
After the call you’ll create your estimate as usual and then email it over to them. That’s it!
Marketing
Once we’re all set up to enter people’s homes via their cell phone, it’s time to let them know that it’s a service you provide.
Create a page on your website explaining exactly how the process works so the customer is reassured before they commit to virtually inviting someone into their home.
A video example would be even better!
Then you can create a pop up on your website & ads announcing your new offer.
Don’t forget to send it in an email to your potential customers who haven’t scheduled an estimate yet.
If you’re looking to make things as easy as possible for your potential customer, let them schedule the call online too.
If you have a web-based estimates calendar, you can set up estimate scheduling on your website so people can select the exact time for the video call.
Also, make sure that in your instructions and confirmation email you include which app they’ll need.
Virtual estimates allow you to continue to pull people into your sales funnels and start scheduling appointments in the future so your business doesn’t come to a screeching halt. You still have business & your customers have their peace of mind.