Apps & Software: 2 Tools for an Extraordinary Client Experience

Apps & Software:  2 Tools for an Extraordinary Client Experience

You want a company that you can trust. And with that, you want a company that is going to communicate well (and frequently) with you. A lot of service companies are known for giving clients the runaround but you want something better. And that’s just what we’re in the business to provide.

From the very beginning, we have built our company around our clients. Providing the best possible service has always been a primary goal and that hasn’t changed, even as we’ve grown. In fact, we believe it has been our ability to continually put the client first that has allowed us to successfully grow in the first place.

It may sound simple, but we really believe in the “Golden Rule.” That is, “treat others the way that you want to be treated.” That’s something that we talk about any time that we hire someone new. We are always looking for people that we believe are going to fit into our company culture and that are going to continue to treat our clients right.

There are many ways that we aim to serve our clients better, and many of these efforts circle back to good communication. Communication is a topic that we continually discuss with our team members. Ultimately, it is good communication that can separate a great company from one that is just “okay.” In today’s world, where information is constantly at our fingertips, we understand that customers want to be kept in the loop and we’ve made that a priority.

Ongoing and frequent communication with the client is something that we believe is vital to doing good business. Whether it’s frequent face-to-face conversations or even making use of the latest technology tools, we use multiple methods to facilitate that communication.

Using Pictures to Communicate a Message

You’ve probably heard the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” We believe that pictures can be used to communicate with clients in a way that is often more understandable than trying to explain something with words alone. For example, if a pond has a particular problem or trouble spot, we will use pictures to communicate that issue to the client. We find this is highly effective and typically appreciated on the client’s behalf.

In our line of work, there is also a major safety aspect to what we do. When you’re dealing with a large body of water, there are things that can go wrong which can cause greater problems if not resolved quickly. Take, for instance, a large lake with a dam. If there is a threat of a potential breach of that dam, having a picture that can identify the precise problem and inform the client, is one of the best ways to communicate quickly and effectively.

For picture communication, we primarily use a custom app that was developed specifically for our company. We do communicate quite frequently with the use of photos. All of our crews are equipped with iPhones and are encouraged to keep clients informed.

Using Landscape Business Software to Improve Communication

In addition to keeping picture records, we also utilize landscape business software to communicate with clients in a more effective and efficient manner. Software is a behind-the-scenes tool that you wouldn’t know we use, but that makes us better as a business, as well as better at communicating. This is another way that we aim to differentiate our company from the competition.

For example, with this software, we are able to know exactly how many projects are in front of us and how many crews are tied up at any given time. With the schedule management aspect of the software, we can know whether we need to schedule a job two weeks’ out or two months’ out, because we know exactly where we stand with other jobs.

In other words, we can provide a realistic time frame of when we can actually start working on any given job. That’s something that clients appreciate. We understand that folks get frustrated when they’re given unrealistic timelines about when the work can actually begin. But this tool allows us to give the client a much more accurate estimate.

That’s something that is difficult to do without landscape business software. It’s common in this industry for clients to get continually pushed off and to have to wait much longer than they expected for a job to begin. When that happens, it has an impact on “trust” built between the client and the company. It also starts the relationship off on a bad foot. But we take quite a bit of pride in the fact that we are able to give an upfront and accurate estimate of our timeline.

Keeping a Close Tab on Jobs

Another way that software helps us provide better communication is by allowing us to know exactly how far along a job is from completion. This helps us to answer questions that the client may have in real time.

If a client ever wants to know when we were on the site or who was there, we can easily pull up that information as well. We can even take a look at GPS coordinates to confirm where our employees are, or were, at any time. It’s just another way that we aim to be fully transparent and to thoroughly communicate with our clients. Keeping our clients close in the loop is something that we know they appreciate and another way in which our high level of communication often sets us apart from the competition.

Always Improving to Best Serve You

As a company, it has always been our goal to continually improve and find ways to best meet our clients’ needs. In the water world, we often talk about avoiding stagnation and that’s true of our business model, as well. We are constantly looking for ways to keep the business churning in a way that better serves you.

That has meant keeping up with adopting the latest technology to keep ourselves at the top of the game. At the end of the day, all of our decisions come back to an important question: Will this help us better serve our clients? If we can answer “yes” to that question, then it’s an opportunity that we will pursue. That includes investing in new technology.

Ultimately, better service is what we are all about. If it weren’t for you, our clients, we wouldn’t be able to have grown our business the way we have. That’s why we’ll never stop looking for ways that we can improve.

To read more about how we have aligned the right software tools for our company, please visit: Improving Your Business with Landscaping Software