Imagine if all of your everyday tasks could be programmed to happen automatically — that's the power of Service Autopilot Automations.
Service Autopilot Automations offer the perfect marriage between the features you're already using every day with your CRM (i.e. customer relationship management) software.
Automate everyday tasks within Service Autopilot, such as:
In this article, you'll discover the top 3 automations every landscaping company should use to level-up and develop long-lasting success.
Remember flip phones? What about when you got a smartphone? Could you ever imagine going back?
This is how I see Service Autopilot’s Automations feature. I could not picture running my landscaping company without them.
Automations are a feature of Service Autopilot, which allow you to bring together and automate many of the features you already use on an everyday basis with your CRM software.
In other words, you can program all of the things you used to create manually within Service Autopilot to automatically happen using automations.
Specifically, Automations brings together many of the features you already use and are familiar with:
I went to school to be an engineer (although, I never did get a job), but I still have an engineer’s brain.
In my eyes, I see automations as a simple form of “programming," which allows you to “program” your business to run.
In this way, I have essentially set up my landscaping company to run on its own.
Using this technology in combination with hand picked core team members has allowed me to be involved in my business about 1 hour per day. In turn, I rarely visit the shop in-person.
I recommend using automations for anything you find yourself doing more than once.
If you are doing something for a second time, take a mental note. If you are doing it for the third time, this task should be added to your list of things to be automated.
I recommend using the simplest, most powerful automations first. Then, get more complex with your ideas.
Plus, the Service Autopilot Marketplace has many free templates to get you started.
Alternatively, Certified Advisors, such as Ready Business Systems, can be contracted to set up and manage your automations for you.
Instant invoicing
Better scheduling
Manage your clients and employees all in one system
You may not repeatedly perform estimate follow-ups. However, you're missing out on ample opportunities if you're not.
As busy landscape business owners. we typically send out a lot of estimates — only to later forget about them.
Although, failing to follow up on an estimate is a huge problem. After all, you have no idea if the customer got the estimate. Plus, even if they did get the estimate, they might forget about you too.
By failing to follow up on every estimate, you run the risk of leads choosing the competition instead.
With Service Autopilot Automations, you can set up an automated follow-up campaign and customize it to meet the needs of your business.
For example, you can send automatic email and text reminders until leads let your landscaping business know whether or not they've decided to hire you.
As a result, you can stop letting estimate follow-ups fall through the cracks, and watch sales skyrocket.
When you get automations, search the marketplace for, "Perfect Estimate Follow Up" for a free automation from Service Autopilot.
Also, if you're unable to complete estimate follow-ups on your own, then check out "RBS-01: Estimate Follow Up With Prospecting. This has SendJim voicemail bombs built-in and allows clients to request follow ups in 10 days, 30 days, or the following spring.
If you're not having clients autopay by credit card, then you're truly missing out on one of the best ways of ensuring a consistent cashflow.
By making autopay a standard practice in your landscaping business, you'll:
In turn, you'll get paid when services are rendered so you don't have to wait to be paid. Which means, if a client doesn't pay on-time, then you can immediately pause or cancel their services.
Many businesses choose to charge on the same day of service so that they don't complete work without getting paid.
By combining autopay with automations, you can ensure cashflow and debt collection are problems of the past.
For example, collections automations can be triggered based on a failed credit card charge or an invoice being past due.
In addition, customers can be reminded via text or email that they have an overdue bill. Also, to-do's can be automatically created to notify your team to stop their service or send them to collections.
Search for, "017 - Cash Flow (Invoice Past Due)" in the Service Autopilot Marketplace. This is a free automation from Service Autopilot.
Also, if you're unable to complete the collections follow-up, then check out, "RBS-03: Office Automation." This is a collections office automation, which also automates other routine office tasks.
I've been in the landscaping industry for two decades, and I know how it is.
In the spring, you're so busy picking up the phone for new clients you sometimes forget to take care of existing ones.
For this reason, customer automations is one of my favorite secret weapons.
Triggers, such as, "job was completed" or "estimate was accepted," are automatic ways to routinely follow up with every client.
Which means, every time you complete a job, a follow-up is triggered. I've found texts work great for these types of follow-ups.
For example, "Hi, this is Justin with RI Lawns. Just touching base with you to make sure you were happy with the mow our crew did for you yesterday. Let us know if there's anything else we can do for you."
As you're trying to win new clients, existing ones will really appreciate these personal follow-ups you find time to do during the busy season. Although, if you automate it, you won't need to find the time to do it.
Keep in mind, these texts can be substituted, or sent in conjunction with, a voicemail or email.
Clients often can't decipher automated from a real, personalized message. Plus, even the clients who can will still appreciate this personal touch you've made to ensure they know they're not forgotten.
In addition, feedback forms can be automatically emailed after each completed service.
A positive score can trigger a review request to automatically build your online reputation. Likewise, a bad score can trigger an apology text, or even mail a gift card.
Search the marketplace in Service Autopilot for, "RBS-02: Customer Service Automation."
This automation ensure you touch base with clients on a monthly basis. It'll help you stay up-to-par with the new clients you worked hard to convert.
Using these 3 automations, you're already eons ahead of the competition.
Depending on the size of your company, these automations alone can easily replace a part time office person, and/or make your office person hyper-productive.
More importantly, these automated tasks ensure critical things aren't forgotten in your landscaping business.
I believe these are the 3 most powerful automations available. However, there's no limit but your creativity (or the creativity of an advisor) as to what these automations can do for you and your team.
For example, you can easily automate equipment tasks, employee tasks, and HR activities through the creative use of the CRM system:
Now, you have the ability to begin harnessing the limitless growth of Service Autopilot Automations today!
Related: The Best Lawn Care Software Can DOUBLE Your Growth
Originally published Nov 5, 2020 7:00 AM, updated June 28, 2022 11:15 AM
Tags: Business Operation, Featured Post, Software
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