Selecting a home connections partner for
your business may seem like a straightforward choice – after all, commissions,
process and even the names are pretty similar!.
When you dig deeper though, there are a lot
of differences and picking the wrong provider can damage your brand in the eyes
of customers and tenants.
Being able to trust your partner to do what
they say they will, do it effectively, and have your business and brand at the
front of their mind, are essential attributes to consider when considering a
home connections partner.
Here are a few other questions you should
ask to ensure you’re selecting someone who will contribute to the growth of
your business, not the erosion of your brand in market.
1.
What level of service will my customers
receive?
What happens once
your customer’s application is submitted is critical to how the service is
received and valued. An expert partner will have a customer service team of the
right scale and with the right skills – preferably technical connection and
utility knowledge. The strength of this team will result in a smooth process
for your customer and ultimately customer satisfaction for you.
Find out the
size of your provider’s customer service team, as well as the location and
hours of operation, to ensure that they are able to fully support your customers.
2.
What processes or functions are
in place to manage the utility company side of the equation?
It’s great that
your service partner can take the application, but the real proof of the
service is how they can manage the relationship with their service providers.
Things can and do go wrong on the utility service provider side, and your
partner should be able to demonstrate how they manage the relationship, fix
issues as they arise, communicate with customers and yourself, and even
proactively communicate with service providers to reduce issues in the first
place. Partners who do this well are also well placed to manage the
reputational issues if there is a challenge during the process.
3.
What do you do when something
goes wrong with a connection?
Things do sometimes
go wrong with utility connections, and in most cases these issues are out of
the control of your partner. This doesn’t make your customers feel any better
about not having power or gas when they move into their new property though.
Ask your partner
what they will do when things go wrong. Is there contingency to provide your customers
with compensation, can issues be resolved quickly, and who will take care of
the communications and risk? Make sure you know what the process is, and who is
going to be involved in sorting
it out. If it’s you or your business, question why that is.
4.
What happens to my customer
data?
Your customer
data and privacy should be key considerations when understanding how your
partner provides their connection services. Using customer data for purposes
other than those agreed is a breach of privacy. The consequence of this can be
significant, so your partner should be able to reassure you that your customer
data is only used for the agreed purposes.,
5.
What support can you provide
our business and property managers?
Aside from
ensuring that your partner is able to deliver a service worthy of having your
business name attached to it, you should also be asking what your partner can
do for you!
How easy is
their application system or technology to use? Do you have support (phone or
face-to-face) when you need it or have problems? How responsive is the provider
to questions or queries you have? How often are you likely to see a representative
– and is it the same person or a different person each time? A partner who
understands your business, has a good relationship with your staff, and has
industry knowledge, can be an extremely valuable, and a free resource for your
business!
6.
Outside commissions, does your
reward program provide flexibility?
Although commissions
are similar across the home connections industry, providers can offer
flexibility in their reward program structures and add value to your business.
Ask your partner
what the options are for their rewards program - can it be tailored to suit
your business objectives? For example, rewards programs can be a great staff
retention tool, or office incentive – how the rewards program is structured,
and how accessible it is, and the rewards are, could be key questions for your
partner. Offering your staff the option of a rewards card or VISA pay wave card
for example could mean a lot more than having points locked away and
inaccessible.
The value of a great home connections service
partner really can’t be understated. A great partner works to grow your
business and its reputation and is an expert and leader at what they do.
Why not ask your partner these six
questions and evaluate what you might be missing out on, or what risk you could
be running?
Direct Connect have been partnering with
over 3,200 real estate agents throughout Australia, to deliver home connections
services to their customers for over 10 years.
They have connected over 1 million Australians in that time, and are
committed to providing a service to movers and agent partners that exceed their
expectations.
Direct Connect are the only home
connections service endorsed by the Real Estate Institutes across Australia.
Click here for more information about Direct Connect
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