Michael Takemura understands the importance of ensuring no customer slips through the cracks.
“Every lead counts,” said Takemura, the Director of Supply Chain and Technology at Barron Heating & Air Conditioning.
That is why ServiceTitan’s integration with Angi can be a boon to businesses. In an environment where leads can be elusive, the integration between Angi and the cloud-based software for the trades makes seeing and capturing those leads seamless and beneficial.
Barron is a 52-year-old business in Ferndale, Wa., north of Seattle. It has 175 employees, 100 or so of whom are technicians. Its work is 80% residential and 20% commercial. Takemura called the company’s market “a weird mix” of HVAC, electrical, indoor plumbing and improvements such as generators and solar energy. He also explained the economic roller coaster of the past couple years that has led Barron to stress the importance of every single lead.
Before the pandemic, trade businesses were accustomed to shoulder seasons. But people spending more time at home saw they needed upgrades around the house. The result, Takemura said, was a spike in business during and shortly after the pandemic.
In 2022, Barron’s shoulder season disappeared. The company became booked out. Barron was at $30 million revenue in late 2021; by the end of 2023, that number jumped to $50 million. The growth was organic, accomplished without purchasing another company.
Back to ‘normal’
As the pandemic influence wanes, Takemura said business has become “a little tighter.”
“I would not say the industry's in a dire place, but it is now back to the ‘normal,’” he said. “It's not automatic anymore. Now we need to look at all of the other integrations that are important to us.”
One of those integrations is generating leads with Angi Leads, formerly Home Advisor. Angi Leads allows potential customers to find trusted professionals for their work, see verified reviews of the company, and submit a request for work.
Through ServiceTitan’s integration, that request from Angi flows into the ServiceTitan Bookings Page. ServiceTitan users can even set up alerts to get an email when a booking is received.
One simple setup and integration via a clear interface allows businesses to quickly follow up on leads that come pre-populated with customer information, job type and campaign source – with no manual entry or copying over leads.
The result: More leads can be converted to jobs. Angi’s potential impact can be seen in the 268 million annual site visits.
“Every lead now is more valuable than it was two years ago,” Takemura said. “Two years ago, you could blow a lead and it's like, ‘Oh, whatever, on to the next one.’ Now, every lead that comes into our door, it's our job to capture it.”
Takemura said most Angi Leads customers are new, which then allows Barron to retain that customer and perhaps add him or her to its membership programs. The overall cost of acquiring that customer decreases with each additional job.
“If you're doing your job right, then they will stay,” he said. “For instance, we get a lead from Angi. We do a good job with that customer. If we do it right, they're not shopping again.”
A cross-marketing strategy that benefits all parties is one part of Barron’s best practices for these leads.
“Part of the strategy is to get a lead on perhaps HVAC and then turn it into business with one of the other trades,” Takemura said. “A plumbing service call may be $900, but if we sell them a generator, that’s more revenue.
“We’ve taken better care of our customers now. They know they can come to us and they’ll get the service they expect.”
The human touch
Takemura stressed that the ServiceTitan integration with Angi Leads is a start that leads to the human touch with customers. The team at Barron makes sure the sales coordinator understands the process. Training and templates can help the sales team follow up appropriately.
Barron relies on Marketing Pro in ServiceTitan for the follow-up, but makes sure to recognize how customers want to be contacted, whether it’s via phone or text or email.
“One touch may not be enough,” he said. “There are other touches you can do without being obnoxious.”
Reaching out quickly is vital, though. There is no reward for finishing second when it comes to turning leads into jobs.
“When that lead comes in (from Angi), you need someone whose primary focus is responding to the lead,” Takemura said. “It doesn't have to be their only job because they're not constantly coming in, but when it comes in, you've got to drop everything and reach out.
“Because you know that there are multiple other contractors who are going to be doing that as well.”
ServiceTitan data shows that businesses on Angi that have three or more reviews are 39% more likely to be selected by the homeowner. The likelihood of being chosen increases with the number of reviews. To facilitate that process, ServiceTitan allows businesses to place their five most recent Google reviews into Angi with a single click.
To Takemura, it’s all a sign of ServiceTitan’s willingness to grow, adapt and adjust to the market and to market demand.
“It’s not necessarily about technology being better or worse; it’s more about the fact we need to reach customers where they are,” he said.
The bottom line: Any source for a lead, including ServiceTitan’s integration with Angi Leads, is a potential benefit to be maximized through efficiency and best practices.
“I think the biggest thing is consumer buying is different than it was 10 years ago. It's different than it was three years ago,” Takemura said. “And just making sure that if you want to grow, you have to be leading the way on some of this stuff because the world is changing really, really fast.
“You can fight it all you want, but that's not a hill I'm going to die on. I would rather change. That customer reached out for a reason. They wanted to buy something. They wanted help making a buying decision.”
