I was making websites for plumbing and HVAC companies and that led to other marketing stuff like Google Ads, direct mail campaigns, etc. Just trying to do trying to solve the next guy's problem like you guys taught me lol. Then I started messing with automations using GoHighlevel, Zapier, and make.com. I also got a couple clients that were down to let me experiment with their ServiceTitan or their Housecall Pro.
After I ran a few text campaigns, people kept asking me about estimate rehash automations so then I went down that rabbit hole. Figured out how to make Custom Apps inside ServiceTitan and use the API scope to pull from a Custom Report that uses make.com logic to find the right data in order to trigger an outbound sequence. I'm super proud of it lol.
It's kind of a cool story. I'm not sure if I posted this elsewhere yet but basically a client (and friend) I made a website for was hurting for customers badly. I suggested we run an experiment where we run a plumbing inspection promotion. He couldn't answer his phone fast enough so I had to make some batching tweaks. I also tested with booking links and found conversions are way better when you follow this structure:
1) Send a non-markety "handraiser" text that invites, rather than pushes. For example:
"Hey {{contact.first_name}}, its Katrina from Dope AF Plumbing, our $1,200 full-home plumbing safety check is just $199 this week. We check everything — water pressure, toilets, drains, water heater, shutoffs + BioOne drain treatment. Only 10 vouchers available.
Reply YES if you'd like me to save you one"
2) When they reply "Yes", set the automation to respond respectively with the next response:
"Thanks for getting back to us! We’ll call you shortly about the $199 Full-Home Plumbing Safety Check."
3) Immediately notify the CSR (who should be on the lookoout to follow-up within 5 minutes:
"{{contact.first_name}} at {{contact.phone}} expressed interest in the $199 Full-Home Plumbing Safety Check. Call them now."
--
I have found that this simple, non-invasive, human-touch works waaaay better than booking links or chatbots. Maybe down the line I'll try with AI bots again, but for now... this is working like a charm. As long as the automation's logic is dialed in, this flow gives the best results.
Especially with the home service trades, people want to talk to people. There is something very special about the human touch. And will probably continue to be as the world becomes more dependent on bots.
I've come up with over a dozen promos that crush. "$199 Plumbing Safety Checks." "$49 AC Tune-Up & Air Quality Check ($350 value)." "You're awesome. Here's 10% OFF Your Next Service." "We Overstocked on Furnaces - Get Yours For $500 OFF Before The Cold Hits." "Apply Over $4,000 in Rebates OFF Your Next System Replacement." Etc.
BTW, the messaging above I've found works best for a 3-day sequence. By keeping the batches relatively small you can slide past any carrier compliance issues and maximize message deliverability.
Day 1 -> Simple invitaiton
Day 2 -> Soft nudge
Day 3 -> Final call
Anything more than that and you'll annoy people and get unsubscribes (which you don't want).
--
If anybody has any questions for how this could work for their business feel free to ask.
After I ran a few text campaigns, people kept asking me about estimate rehash automations so then I went down that rabbit hole. Figured out how to make Custom Apps inside ServiceTitan and use the API scope to pull from a Custom Report that uses make.com logic to find the right data in order to trigger an outbound sequence. I'm super proud of it lol.
It's kind of a cool story. I'm not sure if I posted this elsewhere yet but basically a client (and friend) I made a website for was hurting for customers badly. I suggested we run an experiment where we run a plumbing inspection promotion. He couldn't answer his phone fast enough so I had to make some batching tweaks. I also tested with booking links and found conversions are way better when you follow this structure:
1) Send a non-markety "handraiser" text that invites, rather than pushes. For example:
"Hey {{contact.first_name}}, its Katrina from Dope AF Plumbing, our $1,200 full-home plumbing safety check is just $199 this week. We check everything — water pressure, toilets, drains, water heater, shutoffs + BioOne drain treatment. Only 10 vouchers available.
Reply YES if you'd like me to save you one"
2) When they reply "Yes", set the automation to respond respectively with the next response:
"Thanks for getting back to us! We’ll call you shortly about the $199 Full-Home Plumbing Safety Check."
3) Immediately notify the CSR (who should be on the lookoout to follow-up within 5 minutes:
"{{contact.first_name}} at {{contact.phone}} expressed interest in the $199 Full-Home Plumbing Safety Check. Call them now."
--
I have found that this simple, non-invasive, human-touch works waaaay better than booking links or chatbots. Maybe down the line I'll try with AI bots again, but for now... this is working like a charm. As long as the automation's logic is dialed in, this flow gives the best results.
Especially with the home service trades, people want to talk to people. There is something very special about the human touch. And will probably continue to be as the world becomes more dependent on bots.
I've come up with over a dozen promos that crush. "$199 Plumbing Safety Checks." "$49 AC Tune-Up & Air Quality Check ($350 value)." "You're awesome. Here's 10% OFF Your Next Service." "We Overstocked on Furnaces - Get Yours For $500 OFF Before The Cold Hits." "Apply Over $4,000 in Rebates OFF Your Next System Replacement." Etc.
BTW, the messaging above I've found works best for a 3-day sequence. By keeping the batches relatively small you can slide past any carrier compliance issues and maximize message deliverability.
Day 1 -> Simple invitaiton
Day 2 -> Soft nudge
Day 3 -> Final call
Anything more than that and you'll annoy people and get unsubscribes (which you don't want).
--
If anybody has any questions for how this could work for their business feel free to ask.
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