Consumers no longer turn to the yellow pages, newspaper ads, or direct mail to find the best service contractors. Instead, they turn to Google to answer the question “Who should I call?” To address this change ServiceTrade is happy to announce an integration with Nearby Now, a tool that helps the best service contractors showcase their great reputation online and improve local search results. […]
Service contractors need the cloud, but over and over again we see companies that are confused or unsure about how moving to the cloud will affect the operations of their business. Change is scary. As human beings, we are wired to avoid change, especially when it concerns a switch from what we are use to. Cloud […]
Unless you’ve been living under a rock recently, you know that Uber is a taxi service start-up that connects drivers with folks who need a ride. As a business, Uber connects riders and drivers (just as a taxi service does) and they collect a 20% fee on top of what is paid to the driver. […]
If you expect customers to find you online, they must be able to find you online. Sounds like circular logic, but it is true. Google is always shifting their rules to make their search engine more valuable to users and advertisers. You have to keep shifting your website to avoid being pushed down the […]
As the Internet shrinks the world and arms consumers with information on how much things should cost, the service contractor’s service area will shrink as well. Customers will have information on which contractors are nearby, and they will make judgments on who can likely deliver the service for less due to lower expenses for travel time. Customers will also […]
Operating a business in a vacuum is a handicap. There’s a limit on information you can gather about smart business practices when you are swamped with managing the details of your enterprise. How helpful would it be to have “partners” in your business that are constantly on the lookout for solutions to your most challenging issues? […]
– Apologies to Ben Franklin – . The actual quote is “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” If Mr. Franklin were alive today, there’s little doubt that he would add a third item to this list – Software as a Service (SaaS) …aka Cloud Computing. Why is […]
What does it mean when two of the biggest names in Internet technology jump into the service contracting business? It means that service contracting is a huge and lucrative market that is due for a shake up (or a shake down, depending on your perspective). Amazon and Google are both taking on initiatives that will […]
Want More Service Call Leads? Deliver More Service Calls! There is an old saying in sales “Activity yields Activity”. The more outbound calls you make, the more inbound calls you receive. The more conversations you have, the more clients you will gain through the insights those conversations yield. The same holds true for service calls. […]
The history of software applications for service contractors is dominated by accounting applications. Controlling the business was the first priority for computer deployment. I believe the next wave will be about collaborating with the customer via the Internet to deliver amazing customer service. The accounting application – the control point for your business – is […]
