How Can I Offer a Home Maintenance Subscription Plan for My Handyman Business?
Coming up with a good home maintenance subscription plan is crucial for all contractors who would like a stable income. While it takes some initial effort to set up, the day-to-day running of your subscription plan is very easy, especially if you purchase a good home service software that allows you to automate contract creation, scheduling, and invoicing.
To get started, you will need to choose what type of service and plan you want to offer and come up with a pricing model. Once you've set up everything and drawn up contracts, you can let your customers know about the new product you're offering. To make the most of your subscription plan, you should market it to both existing and new customers.
Choose what Type of Service You Offer
There are several ways to set up a home maintenance subscription plan. Some contractors choose a time-based model, so they make themselves available to their customers for a set number of hours per month. This is a good idea if you'd like to limit the time you spend at one person's home or business or if you have frequent customers and would like to offer them a discounted rate for signing up with you long-term.
More commonly, handymen choose a package model, which includes a number of services you promise to perform annually. For example, you can include tasks like replacing light bulbs, maintaining appliances, cleaning gutters, testing safety equipment like carbon monoxide detectors, and fixing leaky faucets. Most customers prefer this plan because the service is guaranteed. However, your hourly rate will vary depending on how much work you have to complete.
Come Up with a Pricing Model
If your business is small, you could start with one price, but most companies offer several options. The basic one only includes simple and quick services, while the most expensive option requires significantly more work. When coming up with a price, you should consider your area, how far you will have to travel to your customers' homes, and what indirect costs you'll have to cover.
Don't forget that you will also have to maintain your vehicles and equipment, which experience more wear and tear if you visit more customers. Additionally, you should consider putting a cap on your services. Make it clear that the customer will have to pay extra if they need a very expensive or time-consuming repair. Since homeowners are often concerned about hidden fees, you should make your pricing model as transparent as possible.
Create a Contract with Your Home Service Software
Before you can market your plan to your customers, you'll have to create contracts for each level of service. Make sure to include exactly what tasks you will be doing and at what intervals you will visit the customer, so there is no confusion. List your emergency contact number and write out what emergency services you are willing to complete. You'll also need to specify what performance standards you have to achieve and what happens if you fail to meet them.
If the work is not completed correctly and on time, the customer should get a discount or a refund. This reassures homeowners that they will get a lot of value for their money and that their rights are protected. Finally, it's important to structure your plan in a way that allows for automatic renewal. Customers will either pay once every month or every year, and it's best if the payments are collected automatically.
Market Your Plan to New and Existing Customers
When you've come up with a solid contract for each type of service you'd like to offer, you can launch the new plans and market them to your customers. The best way to get started is to clearly display the information on your website and send out an email to your existing customers. You can also call up the most loyal homeowners you work with and explain the new plan to them.
Once you've maximized your existing network, it's time to attract some more homeowners. There are various ways of marketing your services, and the best strategy depends on the nature of your business and your location. Some successful options are leaving flyers in shops frequented by potential customers, renting ad space on a billboard or in a newspaper, advertising online, and putting information about your services on your van.
What to Keep in Mind
As you can see, setting up a home maintenance subscription plan isn't very complicated, especially if you use a good software and automate the billing process. But in order to succeed, you need to keep several things in mind. Most importantly, you should be aware of the laws and regulations in your area. What are your rights when a customer doesn't pay for your services? And what are your responsibilities towards the people you work with?
The easiest way to make sure you're not putting yourself at risk is to have a lawyer read through your contracts before you send them off to clients. That way, you can be sure the documents don't include misunderstandings or vague language that could potentially cause a legal battle. Additionally, you should hire an accountant who can help you stay on top of your tax situation.
Offering a home maintenance subscription plan is one of the easiest ways for handyman businesses to build up a regular, stable income. To get started, you should figure out what type of service you offer and how much it will cost. Then, you can use your home service software to create and manage your contracts.
Get in touch with us at ServiceBox to find out how our software can simplify your life and allow you to focus on serving your customers better.
