Answering Service Care Keeps Franchises Connected and Competitive
Home services franchises require that a reliable, informed person answers calls from customers. Without prompt, helpful answers and easily scheduled appointments, customers will go elsewhere for both emergency and routine home tasks.
That’s where 50-year-old Answering Service Care (ASC) comes in, says Logan Shooster, vice president of strategic growth. The company’s agents handle calls to land new customers, retain existing customers, and keep every customer coming back, which helps its home services franchise clients earn their piece of the plump industry pie. Verified Market Research valued the U.S. home services market at more than $90.4 billion last year, and the firm predicts an annual growth rate of 7.1% from now to 2030, when the market is on track to exceed $156.2 billion.
Tailored to the Needs of Each Franchise
ASC takes a highly customized approach to help home services franchisees, Shooster says. “ASC works with each client to create personalized scripts, call flows and workflows that reflect the brand’s voice and specific processes. This level of customization means ASC agents can use the right terminology, tone and protocols for each interaction.
“We tailor our services based on the unique requirements of each franchise, whether it’s a small family-owned operation or a large company with multiple locations. For instance, ASC helped Sam the Concrete Man grow by integrating with their CRM, solving operational bottlenecks and improving conversion rates. ASC has also supported larger franchises like Woodside Homes by scaling services across newly onboarded divisions, including the new Idaho division.”
So how far will ASC go in customizing? “ASC has personalized greetings and interactions for smaller companies in the South by incorporating regional dialects into their scripts, which creates a sense of familiarity and comfort for customers,” Shooster says. “Agents also are trained to handle industry-specific jargon, especially within contractor industries like HVAC, electrical and plumbing. This ensures that ASC agents communicate effectively using the technical language that clients and customers expect, creating a professional and knowledgeable first impression. And ASC constantly improves its services based on feedback from clients and agents.”
To meet each franchise’s individual needs, ASC does intensive homework. “We gather comprehensive details about all of the services and pricing of each home services franchise. A dedicated ASC implementation team ensures everything – scripts, dispatching, call flow – is set up according to the franchise’s specifications. Post-launch, clients can make dispatching changes and view their scripts anytime through the ASC web portal and mobile app. Our Customer Success Team is also available for ongoing support, and accounts exceeding 100 minutes receive a dedicated customer success manager as their main point of contact and assistance in perpetuity.”
Cutting-Edge Technology
Technology facilitates ASC’s excellence, says Shooster, pointing out that its software integrates with customer relationship management (CRM) systems such as Housecall Pro, Service Titan and Jobber as well as with appointment scheduling platforms like Acuity, Calendly and Google Calendar or, alternatively with automated dispatching processes. ASC also provides a web and mobile app. “The combined technology reduces manual tasks and allows businesses to scale more efficiently. ASC agents book jobs, handle lead intake and manage customer communication, significantly reducing administrative burdens for home services franchises. This frees up franchise operators’ time to focus on delivering core services.”
He adds that “there’s growing demand for technology-driven solutions, especially for integrating appointment scheduling and CRM systems. More home services franchises are looking to automate back-office processes to focus on their core operations, increasing demand for these services.” In particular, Shooster praises these tech solutions in ASC’s tool kit:
- Application programming interface (API) integrations and appointment scheduling.
- New software called To Dos, which integrates with 7,000-plus apps. He explains how it works: “When a lead form is created in ServiceTitan via Zapier, To Dos creates a To Do task for our agents to call that customer immediately and attempt to book a job. This improves the closing ratio and provides a speed-to-lead strategy; it also saves time for the franchise’s sales team to focus only on leads who already have booked jobs rather than wasting time calling stale contacts. This is one of many future workflows To Dos will support.”
In Case of Emergency…
Largely through its technology and customization, ASC becomes an all-star on the franchises’ teams for everyday projects, and Shooster says it’s an MVP in response to urgent inquiries. “Agents handle these types of calls with empathy and professionalism, ensuring clients receive compassionate, comforting service during emergencies. In addition, some specialty franchises may require both lead generation support and assistance with existing clients’ emergency needs. For new leads, ASC integrates with CRMs to reduce administrative work, and for existing clients, ASC uses robust dispatching software so that all information is relayed promptly to on-call technicians 24/7.”
In other words, that calm, competent ASC voice is just a phone call away for emergencies and for ordinary home services.
To find out more about Answering Service Care, visit https://answeringservicecare.com/industries/home-services/
