There has been an increasing volume of discussion about the use of Customer Relationship Management or CRM software in remodeling. Many of the remodeling industry leaders are in the media advising remodelers to get their business organized now so that they can be pro-active as the economy returns. I can lend some credence to this advice from my experience.

 

Case Franchisees are very adept at using our CRM piece as a hub of their operations and they take full advantage of it. Many people who inquire about our Handyman and Remodeling Franchise are surprised to learn that we do a lot of kitchens and baths, window replacement and other projects that one would think are specialty in nature.

 

So, how do our franchisees do this with so much competition from specialty remodelers and others that are competing in this space? The answer is surprisingly simple. Case Handyman and Remodeling Franchisees answer the phone and have a process and a system to collect customer information, make a sale such as a small handyman project or schedule an appointment for an estimate. In most cases, the information is entered into the computer on the spot. Once the project is completed, Case Franchisees stay in touch through various marketing media and they stay top of mind with their clients. So for many franchisees, the other remodeling contractors don’t even get a look at the business, specialty or not.

 

I have witnessed this over and over and have seen the power that having a CRM application provides. I also believe that our Franchisees do a great job of staying on top of their marketing activities. The CRM piece allows them to flesh out what’s working and what’s not in real time and they can make good decisions on where to spend their time and energy in marketing. Our CRM piece also does scheduling, which allows the Franchisees to schedule salespeople, carpenters, subs and designers while on the phone.

 

I would agree with the many remodeling industry leaders who are touting the business benefits of using a CRM software package but there are other personal benefits such as being organized and having less stress in your life.