Photo: JobberEvery time technology advances, it usually has some aspect of convenience to it where it has taken some process and made it better, faster or easier.
With smartphones ever-present and apps for almost any task imaginable, the need for landscapers to provide mobile solutions is increasing as consumers expect the same level of accessibility out of all their service providers.
“People expect to be able to get in touch with a service business using their preferred medium, which is increasingly online, and they want information and answers quickly,” said Nick Keyko, director of marketing at Jobber. “Your ability to pull up client records or availability on the spot, from your phone, is becoming table stakes for running a successful business.”
Keyko says that technology will continue to have an even bigger role in helping attract, retain, and serve more clients as time moves forward.
This means that in order to meet client expectations landscapers need to have tools available for customers to quickly and easily get in touch with their business.
“It can mean the difference between booking in a new job or losing out to your competitors,” Keyko said. “And once you secure someone’s business, you have to keep that ease of interaction going. That means reminding them about upcoming appointments through a medium that’s convenient for them and makes it easy and fast for them to pay you for a job well done. Folks aren’t writing checks and taking out cash as often as they used to, so is your business making it easy for them to pay online the moment they’re ready?”
Yet this technology doesn’t just make things easier on the customer side. Landscape contractors who use Jobber as their field service management software can use it as their portable office as well.
“When a client calls about booking new landscaping work, you can now pull up their client profile and review the quote you sent them two years ago on your phone, then send them an updated professional looking quote by email within minutes,” Keyko said.
Jobber was founded in 2011 by CEO Sam Pillar and CTO Forrest Zeisler who decided to create a platform that could help service business owners run more efficient businesses.
According to Keyko, Jobber stands out from other business management software by focusing on helping companies impress their customers from first contact to receiving and paying an invoice online immediately after a job.
“We’re really preoccupied with helping you impress your customers and make it easy for them at every touch point,” Keyko said. “We want to give you piece of mind, which ultimately trickles down to your customers, then they rebook your services and toot your horn to their friends!”
Jobber offers three different plans for companies based on their size and feature needs. The three plans are:
- Core (up to 2 users) at $69/month (annual)
- Connect (up to 10 users) at $129/month (annual)
- Unlimited (unlimited users) at $259/month (annual)
Keyko says that Jobber is particularly suited for landscapers with its client hub feature that allows clients to receive and review quotes and then request changes if necessary. Once approved, owners can ask for a deposit and e-signature.
“Landscaping jobs usually involve up front material costs, and you can make it easy for clients to cover those costs and demonstrate their commitment to the project, so you can get to work faster,” Keyko said.
The client hub is the most popular feature on Jobber, which provides 24/7 support to clients. Customers can access their landscaper’s client hub through a personalized link with each of their emailed quotes and invoices with no passwords to remember and reset.
“In a nutshell, client hub is a self-serve, online experience that allows consumers to view and approve quotes, pay outstanding invoices, access receipts, and request new work—all in one place,” Keyko said.
This helps provide clients the immediate interaction and mobile technology capability they are accustomed to on other on-demand services like Amazon and Uber.
Another feature allows landscapers to see their crew’s availability on their phone and book new work. Crew members can see detailed instructions and expectations at each job through the Jobber app, where they can also track their time and record their GPS location.
For those concerned about the learning curve of this technology, Keyko says that Jobber is user-friendly and includes an online help center and unlimited support.
“Every new customer gets a one-on-one training session with a product coach,” Keyko said. “By the end of that session they have a solid understanding of the features that will help their business the most, and they can schedule a follow up at any point if they want to check in.”
