Mapping software is a key element of the app FreshLime is debuting to home services companies in Phoenix and Salt Lake City. “They will know exactly how far apart addresses are, so they can figure travel time between appointments” — easily and accurately — says founder and CEO Jay Bean. This will increase their efficiency in scheduling calls and managing their calendars.
Using the mapping capability also enables the home service professional to provide customers with the ease of booking an appointment at any time rather than waiting for office hours. The program can see both where and when existing appointments are, and fill in openings. And if the professional has designated days he allots to specific parts of town, “We work with the service pro to build into the app where he will plan to be at different days of the week,” Bean says. “It gives the customer ease of scheduling, or he can leave a message for the service pro to call back.”
The app also gives the service professional access to data on his customer base at any time, so he can look up a customer’s history even when on a job site. This information enables another function of FreshLime — automated marketing to engage the customer and to try to fill in open slots in the calendar. It will follow up on leads from sources such as Angie’s List as well as contacting previous customers, taking into account how often they had, for instance, gotten their windows cleaned in the past or pertinent weather conditions that might increase or decrease the need for the service at that time, rather than using what Bean calls the “shotgun approach” to contacting customers.
The aim is to focus on long-term business sustainability, Bean says. To personalize the program to the home service company’s business operations — services offered, service area, hours, payment types and how often to make service reminder calls as well as access to prewritten information the business can offer its clients — FreshLime starts each customer with an in-person “welcome call.” Wanting to launch in two different locations, to be able to compare data, Bean says Phoenix was a good second city for his Utah-based company because, of the top locations for home services professionals usage, Phoenix is the most convenient location to travel to.
