Field + Office Best Practices

What’s the job process?

Position your follow-up coordinator as a customer advocate, then build everything on that premise. 

That starts from the incoming call, defining who gets that call and what the backup system will be. Some companies give this exclusively to the follow-up coordinator, to make a quick connection with the customer. From there, we suggest the following specific steps: 

• Debrief the call.

• Capture and log the information.

• Understand how to relate to the customer.  What were the needs and asks?

• Have a set follow-up process for selling technician leads, starting on the same day with a happy call. 

That process should include text messaging to the customer, because of the engagement rate that communication produces.

Follow-up should start within 48 hours after the estimate is delivered, and not end until you get a yes or a no. There should also be a long-term follow-up plan, for customers who aren’t ready to commit immediately. Automated marketing drip campaigns to stay in front of the customer are a great way to do this.

How can a follow-up coordinator leverage ServiceTitan?

The followup tab for unsold estimates on ServiceTitan allows the followup coordinator to be proactive. They can choose the department and date range to see proposals that need to be followed up, and set reminders for calls. 

Since Installations make up the majority of revenue for most home services companies, it is important to maximize every lead and track close rates.  Generally, marketed leads are significantly harder to close than technician generated leads. Therefore, it is best to track those as two separate close rates with two separate goals. 

In ServiceTitan, TGLs, or Tech Generated Leads, need to be booked a certain way in order to properly track them on the dashboard and in reporting . By tying the TGL back to the job where it was generated, you are able to track how many leads each technician is turning over, as well as how many of those leads your sales team is closing.

Because TGLs need to be booked this way for proper tracking, it’s important for the office to know when a tech is turning over a lead so that they can book the job properly. 

As a best practice, ServiceTitan recommends having a Lead Turnover Form that technicians fill out anytime they are turning over a lead. Once filled, this form will trigger an alert to the dispatchers, CSRs, and/or call center manager. This way, the office can quickly schedule the sales job with the customer.

And with reminders of proposals sent through Marketing Pro, the coordinator can see when customers open the estimate and immediately text about questions or with a link to financing options. “You’ve got ‘em while it’s hot,” Hunter said. 

ServiceTitan customers: For more information on booking and tracking tech generated leads in ServiceTitan, see this knowledge base article.

More tips for effective follow-up

• Study the ServiceTitan data on lost sales, including call recordings, to figure out how not to lose them in the future. 

• Remember that the gross profit on one HVAC install is typically the same as that on a whole week of service calls, raising the value of a followup coordinator. Focusing on bigger ticket items, including indoor air quality, is ideal, but service can be included if the bandwidth is there.  

• Sending short videos in emails (or texts) increases understanding, engagement, and sales.  

• If you want an employee to push unsold estimates, align the incentive with behavior you want driven.

• Leverage text messages that feel personal between the coordinator and the customer through ServiceTitan two-way chat. 

• Stagger the hours, or have a customer advocate available to respond when the need is there. 

• Multiple touches, in different ways, lead to the best results.