Networking, recruiting, customer service and exploring new markets: social networks can do a lot for maintenance companies! However, service companies frequently neglect this element of their service experience. For example, in France, only approximately 30% of HVAC companies use social networks.
While some might be put off by a lack of resources or skills in-house, social networks are of prime strategic interest and deserve special attention. If your company uses dispatch software to deploy technicians in the field, read on to find out what social networking can do to help you stand out from the competition…
Dispatch software, CRMs and a new tool…
While you’re probably already using an efficient CRM and dispatch software to manage your customer experience, social networks offer an alternative and complementary channel to answer questions or complaints from customers. Twitter, as well as Facebook or Yelp, offer a fast and reactive solution that can alleviate your traditional service channel by solving the most common questions in a highly visible manner.
Above all, social networks offer great opportunities in cases of conflict: controlled and satisfactory crisis management can not only retain the dissatisfied customer but also shows that you care about their problems. The fact that the whole exchange is public means that everyone else knows you care too!
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Assess and Monitor the Competition
Possibly even more interesting than customer service, social networks make it possible to know what users are saying about your competitors. This feedback is a leading source of information for competitive intelligence.
By clever monitoring of social networks, you can see your competitors’ USPs and perceived brand qualities. Even more interesting, you can keep watch for flubs and mistakes, and learn important lessons without having to mess up yourself!
Social Media as a Promotional Tool
Well used, social networks are a great communication channel for businesses that use dispatch software like Synchroteam. As well as to being a sounding board for your website, they give you an opportunity to share services, offers, and news.
Social networks are full of low-cost marketing opportunities to boost your visibility and reach potential customers, whether through Facebook or Twitter, or paid ads
Networking on LinkedIn and Professional Networks
Networking is essential for B2B companies: it allows you to expand your contacts, stay up to date with the latest trends, get in touch with new possible partnerships (suppliers, partners …) and to establish authority in your sector.
Social networks make it possible to practice professional networking on an unprecedented scale, thanks in particular to LinkedIn (100 million active users every month, worldwide). The use of the ‘groups’ tool enables specialists gives you an opportunity to hear sector professionals discuss matters of importance to them, which gives you valuable insight into their industry.
Create New Ways To Interact With Your Customers
Service and maintenance companies know that the relationship with their customers is an essential component to their success. A satisfied customer is easily retained. Ensuring your customer is a satisfied one is down to many factors, but perception of your company values also play a decisive role.
Before social networks, the technician was often the only custodian of this relationship, by making face-to-face contact when visiting customers. But what if this face-to-face contact is aided by other methods? This is what you get from social networks, which allow you to communicate your brand values to your customers. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook (and increasingly Instagram and Pinterest) have become an ideal space to really work on the customer-business relationship.
Recruit Qualified Professionals
Another advantage of a B2B social networks like LinkedIn is the presence of many potential recruits in your area. These platforms allow you unprecedented access to qualified technicians, which are so important in the maintenance and services sector.
A LinkedIn company profile allows you to post job offers, and especially to filter applications through the recommendation system, to expand your detached teams in the field, so it’s definitely worth making an effort and keeping it up-to-date.
