Whilst industries evolve and new job opportunities crop up, several careers remain evergreen in their need by the general public. One of those is electricians, a trade that’s relied on by many households up and down the country.
It’s important for an electrician or those looking to enter the trade to provide all of the information that a prospective customer is looking for when shopping around for electricians.
With that being said, here are some key factors to consider when customers are looking online and offline for an electrician.
Qualifications and certifications
Qualifications and certifications are likely to be the first thing that a customer asks you for, and it’s important that you provide transparency. Displaying your qualifications and certifications upon first correspondence is helpful. You could also display these on your website if you have one too.
The essential licenses should be mandatory state-level ones, whether that’s Master Electrician or Journeyman credentials. These all help provide primary trust signals to your potential clientele.
To help maximize your opportunities in a modern market, emphasizing your expertise in certain areas like solar PV systems and EV charger installation is helpful. Safety badges displayed like a Google Guaranteed badge are a great indicator that your business has passed background checks and is therefore vetted by Google.
Experience in electrical work
Experience within electrical work is always reassuring to customers looking for experienced electricians. Look at offering specialized project portfolios, showing a wealth of experience across the industry.
Visual proof is also a good way of helping convert more leads to customers, too. Make use of before-and-after photos and short day-in-the-life videos where possible on social media to show your skills and work in action. This, again, helps to attract local customers and those further afield looking for specialized services.
Reviews and testimonials
Word-of-mouth is powerful, but you can’t always rely on it to happen organically as an electrician. That’s why it’s good to go after your satisfied customers for reviews and testimonials. Use software like Jobber or ServiceTitan to automatically request reviews via email or SMS as soon as the job is completed.
You could always ask for video testimonials for those willing to commit the time to sharing their experiences, especially for more complex projects.
Make sure you respond to all of your reviews, regardless of whether they’re positive or negative. Doing this will not only show your willingness to tackle construction criticism, but it’s great for improving local SEO rankings too.
Pricing and estimates
Most customers looking for electrician services are more likely to proceed more quickly with a job request if you’re upfront with pricing and estimates.
Upfront transparency is certainly favored by consumers, and so an upfront pricing model or rough estimates are better than being hesitant to give a quote or final balance until the work is done.
It’s worthwhile shifting the conversation and language to make any fee seem less of a major expense. Digital estimating is also worth making use of, offering online bookings and instant digital estimates for those who would prefer immediate interaction.
Response time and availability
Response time and availability are incredibly important in this fast-paced environment of the working world. Most households want to get electricians in and the job completed without too much hassle.
That means a fast response time is going to provide you with that much-needed competitive edge. Highlighting 24/7 emergency services available can increase conversion rates significantly, as well as utilizing AI tools to help provide follow-ups to queries when you’re out-of-office for the day or evening.
By using such tools and technology, you avoid any leads from going cold when you’re already out and operating in the field – or when you’re fast asleep in bed.
Guarantees and warranties
It’s useful to promote packaged services and yearly maintenance plans to tie in customers where necessary and applicable. The benefit of guaranteed check-ins and a more personalized service plan can be attractive for many customers looking for a reliable electrician. It also helps to build long-term customer retention.
Warranties are a helpful inclusion to provide as part of your service. Explicitly state to your customers what labor and parts warranties are available. This helps to reduce the perceived risk for any homeowner investing in expensive technologies or complex systems that cost them a lot of money.
Picking the right electrician is important, and so it’s good to be able to offer all of the above for customers. That way, you increase your chances of being picked amongst what can often be a competitive industry to operate in, not to mention one that can come with its ups and downs if working for yourself.
