How to grow Checkatrade Trade membership
Create customer quotes
Custom website
Jobs Calendar
Supplies management
How can Checkatrade help customers in their daily processes?
Checkatrade typically is mentioned at 2 times in the customer life cycle.
1. When quoting for a job
2. When the project has gone well and they want a reference
Strategy & Roadmap.
Embedding Checkatrade throughout the customers project management will be key in retaining customers and growing the customer referral programme.
Visual & UX Design
Every element of these projects need to be built with a ‘mobile first’ mindset.
Development
Each element needs to seamlessly integrate with other spheres within Checkatrade’s core platform offering.
How to grow Checkatrade through loyalty…
Custom Websites
Most of the marketing requests from sparkies, builders and plumbers I’ve had regarding marketing has been based around website design. They want to be able to build a website from their phone from a template and update photos of projects without getting ‘ripped off’.
Ease of Implication
With a structured platform and clearly defined CMS boundaries this project has the potential to really encourage those sitting on the fence. ‘And I get a free website’... it also makes leaving Checkatrade a more difficult decision, as other competitors aren’t able to offer this service. ‘I don’t really want the hassle of changing and redoing my website’.
Jobs Calendar
If Checkatrade managed the jobs calendar you can also embed other reminders, ‘request a referral’, or include suggested pop-ups to help customers win work i.e. click here to send Mrs Thomas a case study or a quote reminder. So many jobs are lost because the quotes aren’t followed up.
If Checkatrade can get involved in this middle stage and automatically save trade customers time and help them win work, it offers them real value for money. It also means they can book in projects on the phone there and then.
Quote Software
Productivity, Business
One of the frustrations trade customers have is having to go home log on and get on a computer to write a quote at the end of the day. Quote software like Qwilr, and panda docs have already created the blue print for easy drag and drop quote systems. If a Checkatrade customer can create a quote in his van after the appointment quickly and easily, and send it off before heading home. You are making his life easier, and you are in the next stage of his customers process, not just stage one. There is the potential to link in with a company like Qwilr or Panda Docs to create and API .
If it is automatically linked in with the jobs calendar it could even provide reminders to go and purchase products required for that job the next day.
This also has the potential to save them the hassle of chasing payments, and payment handling could be managed from the software, i.e. taking deposits, and ensuring trade customers get a deposit up front as it is held by a trusted name Checkatrade. More importantly, it means Checkatrade could take another slice of the pie with the financial handling of deposits, and a %commission of the project. Benefiting the trade customers, as they are more likely to get paid, and Checkatrade getting a % of projects for effectively being a trusted middle man.
Conclusion
This is the time to develop bold and courageous digital strategies that not only make Checkatrade more leads but ensure they are embedded within how trade customers run their business.
Mobile App Development
All of these ideas stem from a ‘mobile first ‘audience.
Roadmap & Strategy
A key time to jump ahead of the competition through serving Checkatrade’s customers needs not competing for radio adverts.
Backend & API Development
There are so many other opportunities to tie in trades to the checkatrade brand. Including custom APIs with digital print companies like moo.com and solopress where customers can visually create business cards, flyers and van graphics all within their Checkatrade account.
