As the industry hits the ground running after the Christmas break, Ab Initio’s Rhonda Ridge suggests it is worthwhile installers hitting pause to ensure they have everything in place to achieve their best year yet and explains why installer management systems should be the number one change to implement in 2022.
It is often only national holidays that give business leaders genuine down time to stop and reflect. When everyone else has closed their doors too, business owners are afforded a little more time and space to consider the big picture. That is why many businesses implement change in the first quarter of a new year and it’s true that to start the year strong, usually means ending the year the same way. It is not an easy thing to do when the market is so fantastically busy – who has time to stop and think? But those that delay taking action could get left behind. So, if you own an installation business and you haven’t already taken time out to consider ways to make your life easier in 2022, now is the time to do just that.
Don’t get caught in the complexity trap
All installers want a successful business. Whatever ‘successful’ means to you, whether it’s a fantastic local reputation, sales growth, or improved profitability, as a business develops, it changes. Processes across the organisation become more complicated and involved. More installers than ever have witnessed this firsthand in the last couple of years as the industry rides its latest high. More customers mean more paperwork, more incoming calls, more queries, and more appointments. You get caught up in a complexity trap where processes are slowing you down. There is a way to avoid this pitfall however and that is to ensure that as your business grows, you simplify processes wherever possible.
Give customers what they want
“We honestly believe that the right installer management system can release installers from this complexity trap,” says Rhonda Ridge of AdminBase. “Our AdminBase system has been designed specifically with installers in mind, with a lot of input from installers themselves. It has grown and developed over time, as we have received more feedback from new and existing customers, with innovative apps added to simplify even more processes. We have taken the work out of pinpointing areas that drain installers’ time and resources and designed a solution in the form of a sleek, easy to use management system. Installers can manage their business and make improvements across the board with features to assist with customer service and gaining useful business insights, to name just two.
Happy homeowner, happy installer
“The customer portal in AdminBase for example allows homeowners to use an Amazon style self service facility to track orders, confirm survey and installation appointments, and even settle invoices. All available 24/7. Homeowners prefer communicating with suppliers this way, but it also has clear advantages for installers too. With an online system streamlining this customer contact, busy fitters can free up personnel for other important tasks.
“As an extension of keeping track of appointments online, Ab Initio also offer the My AdminBase Diary app. This facility keeps a log of all current and future appointments and displays full details of those appointments to the entire team. With so much of an installer’s day spent out and about at various locations, this has proved to be an invaluable tool. It also has the additional benefit of eliminating wasteful paper usage as documents, pictures and voice notes can all be shared via the same diary system.”
Invaluable business intel, at a glance
The benefits don’t end there though as Rhonda explains: “When installers need to assess what’s working well in the business and what needs improvement, the AdminBase Dashboard displays crucial information in an easy-to-read format. Installers can quickly see live sales leads, each accompanied with a checklist that uses a traffic light system to identify the lead’s progress. KPI reports are also available, displayed in graph format to make it quick and easy to use.”
Rhonda concludes: “It’s a challenging time to implement change when business is busy, but our AdminBase management system can change how an entire installation business is run for the better. It can create efficiencies installers do not even know are possible, while simultaneously improving customer satisfaction. We think AdminBase is so good it should be the number one thing that installers change in their business in 2022.”
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