The COVID-19 outbreak continues to have an unprecedented impact on the world and the home service industry. We at Housecall Pro (partners with East Coast Metal Distributors) are committed to helping all home service professionals stay informed and help their communities, employees, and customers.
We will continue to provide data, guidance, helpful templates, online webinars and other resources that can be found at www.housecallpro.com/coronavirus.
Housecall Pro Home Services Coronavirus Daily Evening Update
Tune in every evening as Housecall Pro’s Senior VP of People, Melina Fairleigh, joins co-founder Roland Ligtenberg and Alexa Greenberg to share daily updates on the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic and its effect on home service businesses. They will discuss ways to keep your business running, give you the tools you need to keep your employees protected and answer all your questions live. Here’s how you can join:
How to register for the free webcast: click here to join now
Time: every evening at 5 pm PDT/8 pm EDT
We have also created a Facebook group for Discussion of the Coronavirus among all home service professionals. It’s a great place to ask questions, provide suggestions, share ideas and participate in the ongoing discussion around the impact of Coronavirus on home services. You can join for free here.
Finally, we’ve also put together a list of measures home service companies can take when sending a tech into someone’s home to communicate your commitment to safety, put homeowners at ease and establish the ground rules for conducting your work. We’ve provided this list in a template form below you can use to communicate them with your customers.
Feel free to use these templates and edit them in a way that makes the most sense for your business.
Resources for Communicating your Coronavirus Safety Practices to Customers
Let your customers know what safety practices you are taking in response to the situation to prevent canceled appointments.
Templates and Examples
1. Safety procedure announcement to customers:
At [BUSINESS NAME], we are taking the coronavirus outbreak very seriously. Here are the following procedures we have set in place to ensure the safety of our customers:
- We are keeping our vans stocked with alcohol-based hand sanitizer and disposable wipes. Our techs have been instructed to clean their hands frequently and to clean equipment that customers may also come into contact with.
- Our techs have also been instructed to not initiate a handshake when greeting customers and to wash their hands upon entering a residence.
- Our employees have been educated about the symptoms of coronavirus, and we are providing flexible time off for anyone who believes they may be infected to encourage them to stay home.
- We are encouraging our customers to pay online instead of with cash or credit card. According to recent studies, germs live on the surface of cash and credit cards that can be spread from person to person. We will be happy to send you an invoice and collect payments via email, at no extra charge.
2. Interaction guidelines for customers and technicians:
3. Non-contact service on-my-way text with Housecall Pro’s automated customer text feature:
Where to Share Your Safety Practices
On Your Website
First and foremost, we suggest posting these safety practices on your website where anyone can find them. But there are other means of spreading the word.
On Social Media and Email
Link to your web page with the safety practices in a post across your social media accounts and in a newsletter. If customers have been avoiding scheduling a job out of fear of contagion, this may help reassure them.
Communicate Before a Scheduled Job
Sending out an email or a text before a scheduled job will prepare customers for what to expect that might be out of the norm, such as not shaking hands. This communication also gives customers a chance to share any information that you may need. If they are at higher risk for an infection or if they’ve not been feeling well.
How Housecall Pro Can Help Manage Customer Communication
Customizable “On My Way” Texts
Housecall Pro customers can utilize the platform’s “on my way texts” to share this information.
Automated Invoices and Payments
Handling cash at this time can increase your employees risk of exposure to the virus. The safest and most reliable way to get paid is through credit cards and ACH. Rather than swiping or keying in the card, you can offer payment by digital invoice. Housecall Pro can automatically send an invoice when a tech finishes a job.
Pro tip: If the customer takes you up on the offer to not exchange cash, check or credit cards, make sure your techs and office staff encourage the customer to pay by email, which has a better processing rate for you than entering the card numbers manually.
If you’d like the ability to send texts and email invoices automatically, try out Housecall Pro for free.
We’ll continue to update this post as we find additional useful ways home service companies are easing homeowners’ tensions.
Please don’t forget to check out www.housecallpro.com/coronavirus for the latest updates and resources. We can get through these hard times together.
This article is for informational purposes only and to foster thoughtful communication and discussion regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Readers should obtain independent advice relating to their businesses and their particular circumstances.