Enterprise – Dispatch Technologies https://dispatch.me Own every service experience. Mon, 20 Sep 2021 18:42:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.8.1 https://dispatch.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/cropped-favicon-1-150x150.png Enterprise – Dispatch Technologies https://dispatch.me 32 32 Dispatch Digest – Is your network leveraging Dispatch at its fullest potential? https://dispatch.me/dispatch-digest-dispatch-academy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dispatch-digest-dispatch-academy Thu, 16 Sep 2021 20:09:39 +0000 https://dispatch.me/?p=15016 Introducing Dispatch Academy! Promoting the adoption of Dispatch across your network is one of the most important things you can do to get the most value out of our platform. Courtesy of their partnership with your brand, providers in your network have access to a wide variety of features in Dispatch, and to a great […]

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Introducing Dispatch Academy!

Promoting the adoption of Dispatch across your network is one of the most important things you can do to get the most value out of our platform.

Courtesy of their partnership with your brand, providers in your network have access to a wide variety of features in Dispatch, and to a great new training resource called Dispatch Academy. Dispatch Academy is a dedicated help and training center for providers in your network, which includes a variety of blissfully brief tutorial videos (most are under 3 minutes)

Dispatch Academy covers a wide variety of training topics for your providers including:

  • Getting the most out of our mobile apps
  • Creating estimates and billing documents
  • Communicating with you and your customers
  • Pulling reporting and analytics
  • Ensuring a great experience for your customers

We think it’s important for your providers to have access to quick demos of all of the tools they have at their disposal and the ability to see these features in action, and the new Dispatch Academy is a great way to provide ongoing support and education for them.

Dispatch Academy is accessible to anyone by visiting academy.dispatch.me in your web browser.

Help your network reap the full benefits of Dispatch for their business and pass the word along!

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Case Study – How Dispatch Helped KeyMe Differentiate with Customer Experience https://dispatch.me/case-study-how-dispatch-helped-keyme-differentiate-with-customer-experience/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=case-study-how-dispatch-helped-keyme-differentiate-with-customer-experience Wed, 23 Jun 2021 17:49:58 +0000 https://dispatch.me/?p=14990 By using Dispatch, KeyMe was able to implement a new home-service business model, ensure locksmith compliance, and significantly improve the end customer experience – all through an out-of-the-box solution requiring little effort from their team. “Our customers care about three things – urgency, up front pricing, and a flawless experience with our locksmiths. Dispatch enables […]

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By using Dispatch, KeyMe was able to implement a new home-service business model, ensure locksmith compliance, and significantly improve the end customer experience – all through an out-of-the-box solution requiring little effort from their team.

“Our customers care about three things – urgency, up front pricing, and a flawless experience with our locksmiths. Dispatch enables us to deliver on all three.”

With Dispatch, KeyMe was able to improve customer NPS by 5x and locksmith NPS by 2x.

Download our case study today to see how we did it.


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Dispatch Digest – Getting the Most out of Manage https://dispatch.me/dispatch-digest-getting-the-most-out-of-manage/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dispatch-digest-getting-the-most-out-of-manage Fri, 11 Jun 2021 14:55:43 +0000 https://dispatch.me/?p=14980 You may already use our enterprise Manage platform for understanding the metrics around your jobs and your pro performance, but chances are there are a few features that you may not know about.  In this issue of the Dispatch Digest, we will highlight a few lesser-known but majorly powerful features inside Manage, and show you […]

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You may already use our enterprise Manage platform for understanding the metrics around your jobs and your pro performance, but chances are there are a few features that you may not know about. 

In this issue of the Dispatch Digest, we will highlight a few lesser-known but majorly powerful features inside Manage, and show you how to access our great training materials to make sure you are getting the most out of Dispatch.

Let’s get started!

Account User Filters

There is an abundance of valuable service intelligence data in Manage – so much that it may be overwhelming, especially if you have users who need different levels of visibility into the data. 

We recently launched a way to allow different levels of access to different users within each company that uses our software. Account User Filters allow you to display or suppress certain data depending on the user.

This flexibility opens up endless possibilities around who can benefit from Manage, even if you don’t want everyone to have complete visibility into all of your data.

This even allows you to enable users outside your organization to see certain things. This is great for distributors, dealers, or service providers who work closely with your organization and could benefit from some of the great reports you have access to.

Account User Filters are available to all Manage users. Work with your Dispatch account manager to enable them today!

Technician Reporting

When you look at your service providers in Manage, you can see valuable data such as SLA compliance and average customer reviews. Our reporting gets even more granular, though, allowing you to see metrics about the people in the field actually doing your jobs. We call this Technician Reporting – though it isn’t limited to just field service technicians.

Service providers sometimes have difficulty determining performance at a technician-level. With Dispatch, we monitor metrics such as: 

  • First time fix rate
  • Technician rating
  • Average time to complete

Gaining access to these metrics can help you work with your pros to identify the best technicians, and help lower-performance technicians improve their performance.

Combined with Account User Filters, you can share versions of Manage with distributors or key service providers, giving them direct access to this valuable data.

Manage Training and Support

Don’t forget, the Manage help center is always available for you inside our platform. It can answer frequently asked questions and help you discover even more great Manage features.

Check out the short videos for each Manage dashboard, available now in the help center!

The Help Center is available to all Manage users, and can be found quickly by clicking “Help Center” in the bottom left corner of every Manage screen.

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How to make your customers feel extremely informed and incredibly valued https://dispatch.me/how-to-make-your-customers-feel-extremely-informed-and-incredibly-valued/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-make-your-customers-feel-extremely-informed-and-incredibly-valued Thu, 20 May 2021 20:50:50 +0000 https://dipatchmestage.wpengine.com/?p=7522 The other day I noticed a wet spot in my closet. My fiance and I live in a tiny apartment (or glorified shoebox depending on how you see it) in the North End of Boston. Over the past 4-years, we have had our fair share of issues with the apartment. When something like this happens […]

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The other day I noticed a wet spot in my closet. My fiance and I live in a tiny apartment (or glorified shoebox depending on how you see it) in the North End of Boston. Over the past 4-years, we have had our fair share of issues with the apartment. When something like this happens I call my landlord (who lives overseas) and tell him what needs to be fixed. He always responds with, “Okay, just schedule a fix, pay for it, and take it off of rent.”

So I type “home service repair” into Google and find the highest-rated service company. After I call them and leave a message, I get a call back to schedule my appointment. At that moment, I realized that most service providers unknowingly neglect the most important thing about “home service” – the experience.

So, to all service providers, OEMs, or any company that offers in-home service, please listen to this plea…

My blood doesn’t boil because my pipes are leaking, my blood boils because of the moments between where I’m left in the dark with little to no communication from the service companies. These moments are the “experiences” that every home service company neglects – the hopeless minutes homeowners feel when waiting for the technician to arrive.

Modern companies have noticed that we live in a customer-centric world and customers now expect to be kept in the loop about everything! They want to know:

  • Who is arriving?
  • When will they be arriving?
  • What do they look like?
  • Can I leave feedback?
  • Can I communicate with them ahead of time?
  • Can I easily reschedule or cancel the appointment?
  • Can I do everything on my phone?

With consumer expectations rising, it’s time to demand more of your brand and deliver a modern customer experience.

In this post, we break down how to turn those hopeless moments into tech-driven memorable experiences.

Step 1: The moment a customer needs help

Ask yourself this, how frustrating is it when companies make it difficult to schedule an appointment? You search for the “book now” button only to realize that they don’t have one. So you dial the dispatcher, wait for someone to call back, and schedule a time that most likely isn’t built around your schedule but theirs. Nothing about this sounds like an optimal customer experience does it?

The importance of customer experience in the age of instant gratification is now higher than ever.

How to fix step 1:

Simple. Build in a process that allows homeowners to schedule appointments with your company at a time and date that works best for them. Here’s what you do – add a “Book Now” button that takes homeowners to a form where they can share details about their need, fill out their contact information, select the best days and times that work well for them, and easily send their service request with a click of a button.

Then, and this is the most important part, the company sends the homeowner a text message confirming that they received the service request. This immediate communication lets the homeowner know that you have their best intentions in mind and you’re on it. It adds a little bode of confidence in their mind that your brand has everything under control.

Step 2: The moment the customer starts to feel left in the dark

How annoying is it when you text someone a question and they don’t get back for a few days? You start thinking – Are they mad at me? Was I too pushy? Why aren’t they responding? The silence messes with your rationality and just like any other human being you craft a narrative that explains/justifies their silence – often based on zero evidence.

The same goes for service companies. When I schedule an appointment and don’t hear anything from the company for a while, I begin thinking:

  • “Did they forget about my appointment and do I need to call to confirm?”
  • “Did I actually submit my request?”
  • “Is this the right company to go with?”

So what do customers typically do? They call to confirm that the company got their request.

This weekend, I witnessed this exact thing. Before a scheduled carpet cleaning, the homeowner called to confirm that the appointment is still on. I thought to myself, why is it that people assume service companies will inevitably forget about them? It’s not the same in other industries. I don’t call my airline to make sure my ticket is still valid before my flight, so why should I call a home service company to confirm my appointment after it’s already been scheduled? It’s because we’re nurtured to expect a late technician or worse, a no-show.

This stems from the infrequent communication service providers have with their customers, causing homeowners’ latitude of patience to become exceptionally thin.

How to fix step 2:

It’s easy. Implement a tool like Dispatch and send automatic status updates to customers through SMS and/or email. Companies can pop off appointment confirmations, status updates, appointment reminders, on-my-way appointment notifications, feedback surveys, and much more. All of this helps your customers feel informed, aware, and most of all valued.

Step 3: The moment a customer can’t leave feedback

Before I purchase anything (product or service), I read online reviews. I do it before I buy online, and I do it while I buy in-store. I want to know what others are saying. I want to know what type of experience they had. I want to know if 3-weeks later the person still found value in it. I’m very willing to go to yelp or Google and leave a positive review if I had a good experience. Here’s a review I left after getting my tires changed.

I also left it on Yelp…

I wanted to blast it everywhere because I had a great experience and I want to push as many businesses as possible to the companies I enjoy. Most modern customers want their opinion voiced when someone does a good or poor job. It’s just the world we live in! The stigma here is that people only use reviews for negative things…this simply isn’t true. Case in point, look at all the reviews Car Zone has.

How to fix step 3:

Most companies don’t like asking for reviews – which is okay. Dispatch removes that awkward moment with a survey link that is authentically sent the moment a job is complete. So now you can collect every possible review and begin to solidify yourself as an excellent company to do business with.

As a customer, if I’m presented with a quick survey on my phone, I’m much more likely to fill it out – versus getting a link and having to type it in online.

Because of Dispatch’s feedback flow, they’ve helped companies increase their survey feedback response rate by 220%.

So if you’re a company and you’re looking to improve your last-mile customer experience then check us out. Everything presented here is why we exist as an organization. We strive to help home service companies deliver memorable customer experiences.

To learn more, request a demo.

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Attracting New Talent While Building Independent Service Provider Loyalty https://dispatch.me/attracting-new-talent-while-building-independent-service-provider-loyalty/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=attracting-new-talent-while-building-independent-service-provider-loyalty Thu, 13 May 2021 17:23:27 +0000 https://dispatch.me/?p=14547 Choosing the right field service management (FSM) tool is a significant investment in time and resources. Bringing on new solutions is always a challenge as your third- party network has no obligation or incentive to use them, meaning the ROI of your new tool could diminish. If you’re one of the many home services brands […]

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Choosing the right field service management (FSM) tool is a significant investment in time and resources. Bringing on new solutions is always a challenge as your third- party network has no obligation or incentive to use them, meaning the ROI of your new tool could diminish.

If you’re one of the many home services brands that outsource to a network of third-party service providers, the standard FSM tools won’t be as effective. These solutions are built for dedicated service providers; your third-party network has no obligation or incentive to use them, meaning your investment could be wasted.

Download our white paper at the bottom of this page to learn more about what happens when your service provider network doesn’t adopt your field service management software and how to get them to use it.

For now, enjoy this sample of the white paper.

What Happens When Your Service Provider Network Doesn’t Adopt Your Field Service Management Software

Let’s dive into why it’s key to find software that’s purpose-built for a third-party service provider network. Later, we’ll talk about how to get your service provider to use it happily.

1. Customer Experience is Inconsistent

Your third-party service providers are representatives of your home services brand. As Field Service News put it:

We are no longer just outsourcing repair and maintenance work, we are now outsourcing a critical customer engagement opportunity as well. In this era of digitally empowered consumers, ready to tweet, post or blog every time they have an ax to grind, you want to make pretty darn sure your third-party partners are not letting you down in the [customer satisfaction] stakes.

Many field service management solutions include tools that improve the customer experience, such as customer portals, Uber-style service provider tracking, fast on-site payment capabilities, and an instant feedback feature. When your centralized service staff uses these tools, they create a consistent experience for your customers.

When you rely on third-party service providers who each use their own set of tools, however, your CX becomes unpredictable. Some of your customers will be treated to a streamlined, professional experience, while others deal with late providers and scribbled paper invoices.

Americans continue to reward companies that get service right. US consumers say they’re willing to spend 17 percent more to do business with companies that deliver excellent service, up from 14 percent in 2014. As a group, Millennials are willing to spend the most for great care (21% additional), followed by men (19%).

2. A Decentralized Workforce = Decentralized Service Data

Without an FSM tool that your service providers will easily use, you have no visibility into the service providers that are representing your brand and you are losing access to data that could increase service revenue. Are they arriving on time? Are they fixing the problem the first time? Are they invoicing efficiently?

3. You lose time and money

You invested in Field Service Management software to become more efficient, scale your business, and grow your revenue. Without buy-in from your third-party service providers, you lose time that could be saved with real-time status updates, mobile capture, and invoicing. As we all know, time is money.

Download the white paper to learn more about how you can attract new talent while building independent service provider loyalty.


Building Service Provider Loyalty White Paper

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How to Ace Your Customer and Service Provider Loyalty https://dispatch.me/how-to-ace-your-customer-and-service-provider-loyalty/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-ace-your-customer-and-service-provider-loyalty Mon, 19 Apr 2021 16:49:31 +0000 https://dispatch.me/?p=14465 Do you have a customer loyalty process in place? If not, it could be costing you. Research commissioned by American Express says that 33% of consumers consider switching brands after just one instance of poor customer service. To boost customer loyalty, it makes sense to start at the end: Customers often judge your brand by […]

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Do you have a customer loyalty process in place? If not, it could be costing you. Research commissioned by American Express says that 33% of consumers consider switching brands after just one instance of poor customer service.

To boost customer loyalty, it makes sense to start at the end: Customers often judge your brand by the last interaction they have with you—and since that final interaction is usually with your third-party service providers, these partners can make or break your customer loyalty scores.

If you have constant turnover in your service provider network, your customers are the ones who feel the pinch. Miscommunication, missed appointments, service professionals with little knowledge of your brand, and other problems pop up, sinking the customer experience you spent so long building up.

Because service provider loyalty can have a huge impact on customer loyalty, you want to make working with you as easy for them as possible.

So how do you keep both of these groups happy?

How Can I Improve Service Provider and Customer Loyalty?

Consider your service providers and customers as a two-sided market and your field service management software as the intermediary to build loyalty among both parties.

  • Offer multiple ways to connect. Keep important information—like job status, contact information, and customer photos—flowing between your brand, your customers, and your service providers to keep all parties on the same page.
  • Make sharing job details easy, fast & clear. Use an app that shares customer and job details with your service providers—so the customer doesn’t have to explain the issue multiple times, and the service provider has easy access to the information they need to get the job done quickly and efficiently.
  • Increase service provider loyalty with the right tools. A field service management tool that doesn’t integrate with your providers’ in-house software is just another app for them juggle—which can affect your service provider loyalty.
  • Let customers have their say. Customers want to be heard, so make it easy for them to share their kudos and critiques.

Now let’s get all the details on the table.

Offer Multiple Ways to Connect

Nothing frustrates a customer faster than communication issues with their order. Whether it’s a missed tracking number or a multi-layered phone tree to reach a customer service rep, every stumbling block put in your customer’s way reduces the chance that they’ll buy from you again.

Your service provider network needs easy communication with both you and your end customers to keep appointments on time and customer information up to date.

In both cases, offering multiple channels of communication can help keep information flowing where it needs to go. For example, you might offer a web portal where customers can upload details about their work orders, including photographs. With access to this information, along with a centralized database of customer information, your service providers can do their jobs more efficiently. An app can come into play for service and appointment updates, reducing the number of customer no-shows.

Make Sharing Job Details Easy, Fast & Clear

Forbes says that 77% of consumers consider convenience a key factor in choosing service providers. If your order or service process is confusing or requires customers to jump through too many hoops, they’re going to start looking for a clearer experience elsewhere.

One sticking point for customers is in getting the details of their service order to the provider. If you’re making your customers explain their situation to two or three different people, they’re going to be frustrated before your service partner ever arrives at their home.

You can eliminate that problem, and increase customer loyalty, with a field service management app that allows your providers to easily view the customer’s history and information. They’ll arrive at your customer’s home with the right tools and parts, and your customer won’t have to repeat the whole conversation they just had with your customer care team.

Your field service management software makes the process more convenient for your service partners, too. You can give them access to product information, knowledge bases, and customer data that they need to find answers to any customer questions and get the job done quickly.

An FSM tool also helps improve service providers’ first-time fix rate (since they’ll have a better understanding of the job before they arrive at the customer’s home), which will further improve customer experience.

Increase Service Provider Loyalty with The Right Tools

The service management tool you choose needs to enhance your service provider’s workflow. Otherwise, it becomes just one more app taking up space on their phone or tablet—hardly the way to increase service provider loyalty.

The right platform gives you visibility into how your service partners are doing, while also helping them do their jobs. Give them an easy way to assign and track jobs, see customer notes and photos, and accept payments in the field, and your providers will be much happier to use the tool.

If your platform can integrate with tools your service providers are already using, like QuickBooks, ServiceMax, and Zapier, it’ll improve compliance even further. No one likes having to enter the same information into three different web portals, or having to juggle payment processors.

But if you can bring all of these pieces of their business together into one field service management tool, they’ll be much happier to use it.

Let Customers Have Their Say

Customer feedback is essential to understanding what you’re doing right, and where you need to improve. Tweaking your business operations based on common feedback is a great way to improve your customer retention rates.

But your customers don’t want to have to type in a URL or call a phone number on their invoice. If you make it difficult for your customers to give you feedback, you’ll probably only hear from the really motivated ones (both furious and thrilled). This can give you a skewed sense of how your customers feel about your field service business.

Instead, give your customers a way to leave feedback instantly. Asking them to rate you and/or your service provider immediately after the job’s done means that the job is fresh in the customer’s mind. And with the right customer feedback tool, you and your service providers can spot trends and opportunities for improvement.

Customer loyalty and service provider loyalty are both critical to your brand’s success. By employing tactics and tools to keep both of these groups happy, you can cut down on customer service-related expenses—and keep your business growing.

Struggling with ways to help your third-party service providers delight your customers?

With robust communication, scheduling, and feedback tools, Dispatch can improve your customer experience from purchase to service delivery. Schedule a demo to see all it can do for you.

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How Superior Customer Experience is Changing the Home Services Industry https://dispatch.me/how-superior-customer-experience-is-changing-the-home-service-industry/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-superior-customer-experience-is-changing-the-home-service-industry Thu, 15 Apr 2021 18:03:37 +0000 https://dipatchmestage.wpengine.com/?p=9212 If there is one thing that Amazon.com is about, it’s its obsessive attention to customer experience. Investors should be investing in a company that is obsessing over customer experience. In the long-term, there is never any misalignment between customer interest and shareholder interest. Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon. July 13, 1999 Today’s consumer has access to […]

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If there is one thing that Amazon.com is about, it’s its obsessive attention to customer experience. Investors should be investing in a company that is obsessing over customer experience. In the long-term, there is never any misalignment between customer interest and shareholder interest.

Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon. July 13, 1999

Today’s consumer has access to more information and tools than ever before. With a single Google search, consumers can find the best price for a given product in a matter of seconds.

The only sustainable, long-term differentiator for companies is the end-to-end customer experience customers receive when interacting with a brand. Brands which differentiate by delivering superlative customer experiences will cash in on greater customer wallet share and lifetime value, ultimately netting greater profits and investor returns.

This is because a happy customer contributes 2.6 times as much revenue as a somewhat satisfied customer and 14 times as much revenue as a somewhat dissatisfied customer. Thus, the need for better customer experience spans many different industries.

The biggest hinderance home service brands face today is delivering a seamless, omnichannel, digital and data-driven experience that connects all parties, including 3rd-party service providers, throughout the customer purchase and home service fulfillment process.

After powering millions of home service jobs in over 30% of the homes in America, here is what we’ve learned for how you can cash in on the home services space.

Why There is an Opportunity to Cash in on the Home Services Space

In the early 2000s, home service companies built customer relationships on their own terms. Brands only communicated with customers when they wanted – typically through mailers and calls, or worse, no communication at all, leaving customers in the dark about the status and timing of their home services. Traditional retailers did a fair job executing product sales and deliveries but struggled to execute on expectations set with customers about the home services experience customers would receive.

Over time, due to the rise of the internet, mobile technologies, social media, and lower barriers to entry for new retailers due to the commoditization of hardware/cloud computing, the consumer rose to the forefront, ultimately having an unlimited choice about who, when and where they would purchase. Consumers suddenly had a megaphone to share the negative (and positive) experiences they were receiving from brands, and the ability to quickly and affordably shift their brand loyalty to brands who focused on CX. Industries outside of the field service arena adopted and implemented new technologies to help bridge the gap between the brand and the customer.

This puts pressure on brands to offer the same level of service to their customers in a tech-driven way. When they do, they can expect to see some drastic improvements to their customer SAT, NPS, revenue, and customer lifetime value.

Here are some of the outcomes service brands can expect after implementing customer experience tools.

Two-Way Communication Tools Improve Brand Perception

Kudos to you if you’re messaging with your customer about their home services appointment. MAJOR kudos to you if your tool allows for two-way communication with that same customer to create engaging experiences.

Home service companies that enable dynamic communication between them and their customer receive more information up front, which does two things: creates a sense of confidence in the customer’s mind, and allows for seamless fulfillment of the service.

Dispatch allows customers and service providers to directly connect with each other in a bi-directional, modern and meaningful way while empowering the consumer to provide information (notes, photos, updates) to the service provider in advance of service execution. Not only is the customer-empowered, but the service provider is well informed about the service the consumer is expecting to have fulfilled….and before appointment execution.

Automatic Appointment Reminders Improve Customer No-Show Rate

By keeping consumers informed of the status of their service appointment, including on the day of service, brands can reduce costs associated with customer no shows and reschedule requests. Automatic appointment reminders prevent this from happening.

54% of millennials prefer to communicate with brands through either mobile or email.

Not only do consumers prefer to communicate bi-directionally, based on experiences they are having with brands, but consumers expect this level of communication so they are informed and not left in the dark waiting. According to Forrester “The majority (66%) of adults feel that valuing their time is the most important thing a company can do to provide them with good online customer experience.

Dispatch’s omnichannel communication tool delivers email, SMS, push, WhatsApp, or whichever communication method your customers prefer at the right moment.

Instant Feedback Helps Monitor NPS

As we evolve in today’s tech-driven world, the importance of immediate data capture becomes vital to reduce customer churn. While every brand will occasionally fail with service delivery, it is essential to be able to immediately act on subpar customer feedback. If your service experience is lacking, then customer switching costs are low and the customer won’t buy more of your product.

Gauging service experience and remedying poor experiences as they happen has led to a 6% reduction in customer churn (2018 Dispatch customer data study).

What is the next step for service companies?

Brands looking to capitalize on the service space need to realize that it’s all about customer experience. Jeff Bezos had it right in 1999 – amazing service is one of the most important long-term and sustainable differentiators that a brand can build. Done right, positive home services experiences will net greater customer wallet-share, customer lifetime value, and incremental product and services revenue for any brand.

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Dispatch Digest – Introducing Service Provider Profiles https://dispatch.me/dispatch-digest-introducing-service-provider-profiles/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dispatch-digest-introducing-service-provider-profiles Wed, 10 Mar 2021 18:36:03 +0000 https://dispatch.me/?p=14846 Understanding the performance of your independent service providers, dealers, or franchise locations is one of the most critical and challenging parts of running your service business. Working with Dispatch gives you access to job and provider data that can help you tailor your network and ultimately improve customer satisfaction through better service experiences delivered by […]

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Understanding the performance of your independent service providers, dealers, or franchise locations is one of the most critical and challenging parts of running your service business. Working with Dispatch gives you access to job and provider data that can help you tailor your network and ultimately improve customer satisfaction through better service experiences delivered by your highest-performing pros.

We are very excited to show off new functionality in our Manage enterprise platform – Service Provider Profiles – that will show you detailed performance metrics and trends for your pros, and enable you to make informed decisions about your service operations.

All of this data is available to both you and your pros, so you can reference Dispatch data when discussing performance with your pros in real time.

Schedule View

The new Schedule View allows you to see the schedule for your participating pros, enabling you to better identify pros that have availability that align with your customer’s job timing needs. You’ll be able to see their working hours, their booked hours, and their availability via white space on the calendar view.

Customizable Performance Report Card

 See performance trends and important metrics about your pros, including average time to accept, schedule and complete, as well as regional performance and customer satisfaction metrics.

Jobs by SLA Performance Report

This exportable report helps you understand how your pros are performing against your SLAs at a job-level. For each job, see if SLAs were adhered to, and quickly identify pros who are better or worse at hitting your SLAs.

Customer Ratings and Reviews

 Ultimately, the data Dispatch provides is about delivering a better customer experience and inspiring customer loyalty. By using Dispatch, you’re automatically prompting customers to leave feedback about their service experience.

The Ratings report gives you the ability to track overall customer satisfaction and the performance of individual pros.

Team Member Performance Report

Within your service provider partners, we can help you understand the performance of each individual technician or team member. This data can be invaluable in your performance conversations with your pros, identifying high-performing team members to emulate, and lower-performing ones that might need some extra attention.

A new level of performance reporting

Enjoy unparalleled insight into the performance of your service network with Dispatch Manage and Service Provider Profiles. 

This functionality is available now to all Manage and Explore users – reach out to your Dispatch account manager to learn more.

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Dispatch and Bloomin’ Blinds https://dispatch.me/dispatch-and-bloomin-blinds/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dispatch-and-bloomin-blinds Mon, 19 Oct 2020 16:41:35 +0000 https://dispatch.me/?p=14710 Dispatch and Bloomin’ Blinds  How Bloomin’ Blinds partners with Dispatch to conquer “Big, Hairy, Audacious” Goals “ We would like to be the new, modern version of window coverings—not only in our business model, but in our technology and how we handle ourselves and our customers. Having Dispatch is helping us make progress toward our […]

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Dispatch and Bloomin’ Blinds 

How Bloomin’ Blinds partners with Dispatch to conquer “Big, Hairy, Audacious” Goals

We would like to be the new, modern version of window coverings—not only in our business model, but in our technology and how we handle ourselves and our customers. Having Dispatch is helping us make progress toward our goals.”
– Kelsey Stuart, CEO Bloomin’ Blinds

Growing quickly, Bloomin’ Blinds is a Trailblazer in Window Coverings

Founded in 2001, Bloomin’ Blinds is a family-run business with big aspirations. The company launched its franchise group in 2014, and now has 40 owners operating in 52 territories. But CEO Kelsey Stuart wants to grow even more, and has what he calls “big, hairy, audacious goals”—like becoming a household name, adding another 50 franchise owners in the next two years, and welcoming 250-300 new owners in the next five years. “We want some extraordinarily expansive growth,” he says.

 

 

The Lewisville, Texas-based company is going up against nation-wide direct-to-consumer businesses. Stuart gives their competitors props for proving the model—but says they highlight Bloomin’ Blinds’ key differentiator, which is that their franchise owners don’t just sell blinds: they offer an end-to-end solution that includes design consultations, installation, and repairs. Setting themselves apart, Stuart explains “we would like to be the new modern version of window coverings – not only in our business model, but our technology and how we handle our customers.”

Bloomin’ Blinds’ current software solutions weren’t helping the

m build and deliver on their vision of a comprehensive service offering, so in 2019 Stuart started investigating new options.

Bloomin’ Blinds’ Looks at the Field of Options

With sights set on growth, Stuart wanted a solution that would give him visibility into franchise owners’ operations, help him attract new owners, and enable him to improve the customer experience.

“We only thrive if our owners thrive,” says Stuart. “And if our franchise owners are providing the same service as competitors, and they’re providing the same price, but their communication and presentation are better…all of that leads to buying decisions.”

Stuart started looking for a field service management platform that would offer visibility into location performance, a consistently excellent customer experience, a robust FSM tool, quoting capabilities—and that was still accessible to a growing business. He looked at close to 20 providers. Most were missing features Stuart needed or were too expensive, and one refused to even work with a window covering business.

Finally, he came across Dispatch, a software platform that helps enterprises manage franchise locations and improve the customer experience. “I found that a lot of software solutions are pretty generic in their offerings, and very few of them had the features and benefits that Dispatch had at a price we could manage.”

Dispatch offered the improved visibility, CRM, quoting capabilities, and other features Stuart was looking for. “I needed a tool that would demonstrate our concern for quality, not just in our products and service, but in our customer communication as well.  Dispatch delivered.”

Dispatch Clears the Path to a Successful Implementation

The Dispatch implementation was Bloomin’ Blinds’ first large-scale software installation—a nerve-wracking experience for any growing business. But Dispatch’s supportive team and integration expertise helped to smooth the way. “We were trying to integrate two different software systems—Dispatch and Solatech window treatment software,” says Stuart. “Having somebody who was responsive, who truly seemed to care about our business and how it was going, really helped us be patient and learn.”

As with any new software implementation, challenges cropped up along the way. “But every time Dispatch found an error, they fixed it,” Stuart says. “Every time that there was something that needed adjustment, they got it corrected.” The Dispatch team also customized workflow and notification features for Bloomin’ Blinds, and created short training videos to help Stuart onboard the rest of the corporate team and franchise owners.

Bloomin’ Blinds Cultivates Franchisee Success

The Dispatch platform gives Stuart and his team unprecedented visibility into their franchise owners’ operations, allowing them to jump on problems before they grow too big. “As a franchise owner, I need to have visibility and access into what the franchise owners are doing – I need to be able to get in, help with issues and help new owners guide and manage the business.” With data from the Dispatch platform, Stuart can see if a franchise owner is struggling with, say, generating new reviews or converting prospects, so his team can offer coaching to help get the owner back on track. “The Dispatch platform has a wealth of information,” says Stuart,  “it’s clear that there’s no shortage of data available.”

While Bloomin’ Blinds is using Dispatch to help manage franchise operations, the franchise owners themselves use the solution to build up their own businesses. “It’s a tool to help the franchise owners run their business, and they appreciate it for that,” says Stuart. “They also love the simplicity, clean look, and the intuitive nature of the software. Most of them were able to figure it out in fewer than 10 repetitions.  Across the board, it’s 100% a win.”

Dispatch’s customer-facing features have also helped set Bloomin’ Blinds apart from others in the industry. Powered by Dispatch, the new online booking page has simplified scheduling for homeowners and franchise owners, enabling customers to request appointments when convenient for them. “The booking page has been a bit hit for us,” says Stuart. “Adding technology-based communication has opened the door for new customers who aren’t naturally comfortable on the phone or need to reach us in off-hours. Since we launched it for our franchise locations, we’ve seen a substantial increase in conversion because it gives the consumer a sense that things are in motion, reducing the need for them to look at other providers. We can capture the business when they’re ready for it, not necessarily just when we’re open.”

With many automated and tech-enabled communication elements, including automated reminders and on-my-way notifications, Dispatch helps Bloomin’ Blinds leave a positive impression well before the first service appointment. “By the time we ring the doorbell, the customer has already had four or five positive interactions with Bloomin’ Blinds,” explains Stuart, “and that’s a great way to win business.”

Positive customer reviews have increased, says Stuart, showing that customers appreciate the new features as much as the franchise owners do. “Having these tools really shows that an owner is on their game,” Stuart says.

Bloomin’ Blinds’ big, hairy, audacious goals don’t look so intimidating when they have the right software on their side. “We absolutely use Dispatch as a tool for our franchise growth,” says Stuart. “We’re one of the few window coverings companies in the nation with this kind of innovative technology and customer experience. There’s no doubt, having Dispatch is helping us make progress toward our goals.”

 

Want to see how Dispatch can help you achieve your goals? Request a demo or more info here:

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Webinar in 3: 6 Ways to Keep Service Providers and Customers Safe During COVID-19 https://dispatch.me/6-ways-to-keep-service-providers-and-customers-safe-during-covid-19/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=6-ways-to-keep-service-providers-and-customers-safe-during-covid-19 Mon, 13 Apr 2020 17:49:45 +0000 https://dispatch.me/?p=14633 What you’ll learn in 3-minutes We’re reviewing different protocols that will keep your service providers and customers safe while in the field.  Service Provider Safety: If you can, work remotely Being isolated away from your team and working out of the comfort of your home is the first step in remaining safe. If you can’t work […]

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What you’ll learn in 3-minutes

We’re reviewing different protocols that will keep your service providers and customers safe while in the field. 

Service Provider Safety:

If you can, work remotely
Being isolated away from your team and working out of the comfort of your home is the first step in remaining safe. If you can’t work remotely, make sure to restrict all office visitors with case-by-case emergency situations letting people into the office.

Screen for fever every day
Implement active screening of service providers and office staff for a fever every day with an Infrared Forehead Thermometer.

Keep your distance
Experts suggest maintaining six feet of distance between yourself and other people at all times.

Assess everyone’s health before going out
Before every job, ask your service providers and customers if they’re feeling ill. Reschedule the appointment if the answer is yes.

Adopt contactless communication
With photos, messaging, and digital payments, you can minimize the exposure between service providers and customers. Some companies, like Bloomin’ Blinds, are implementing video consultations in order to adapt their business for this contactless world.

Customer Safety:

Wear shoe covers and gloves for every job
Wear new shoe covers and protective gloves every time you enter the homeowner’s home. This helps ensure cleanliness and puts the homeowner at ease.

Confirm your customer’s health
Communicate with the customer before the job to gauge their health and their family’s health. If anyone is ill, politely ask to reschedule the appointment.

Meticulously disinfect tools and trucks
Disinfect all vehicles and every piece of equipment after each use. This prevents the virus from spreading surface to surface.

Implement contactless payments
Implement paperless billing, credit card payments, receipts/invoices, etc., so that you and the homeowner don’t need to touch anything.

Always social distance
Stay a minimum of 6 feet away from customers and other service providers at all times and if you’re feeling a little under the weather, please stay home. 

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