Phones Pro Dials Up All the Right Numbers for Express Electrical in Southern California

As a company that focuses solely on solving customers’ electrical problems, numbers matter a great deal to Express Electrical Services, says owner Mario Campirano.

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“I'm a big believer that numbers don't lie,” says Campirano, which is why he chooses to use the data-driven power of ServiceTitan software to service more customers and grow his Southern California business.

“I'm an electrical contractor. I'm not plumbing, I'm not HVAC. We don't depend on repeat customers as much as plumbers and HVAC do,” he explains. “The majority of calls that are coming in on a daily basis are new customers, and we have to give them that wow factor.”

To consistently deliver the “wow factor,” Express Electrical relies on ServiceTitan’s Phones Pro to automate and streamline the call-booking process, track how many calls convert to sales, and  know exactly when to coach his team to improve performance.

“With Phones Pro, it's all under one hat. You don't need to go searching somewhere else for it. You don't need to go pull a report here and then match it up there. It's all here under one scope,” Campirano says. “And you can physically look at it and say, ‘It's all here. It ain't lying to me.’”

As a self-described “nut freak” when it comes to understanding the numbers or key performance indicators (KPIs) for his electrical contracting business, Campirano simply wanted an accurate reporting tool to show him true conversion rates for the company’s call center.

“For us, the goal is an 85% conversion rate. That’s what we’re looking for right now,” Campirano says. “Granted, no matter if you're using Phones Pro or not, the CSR agents can still cheat. However, with Phones Pro, it allows you to minimize the cheating.”

Campirano initially tried Phones Pro at Express Electrical when ServiceTitan launched the new product in 2019, but he dropped it after six months to give ServiceTitan time to work out a few connection issues. He returned to Phones Pro about a year ago, and says the add-on feature now delivers what it promises.

“Phones Pro has been great for us,” Campirano says. “It gives us more of an advantage, than a disadvantage.”

Why Express Electrical Chooses Phones Pro

To help improve CSR coaching and training, the managers at Express Electrical use Phones Pro to listen in on live phone calls with customers or review recordings after a call. This allows them to provide hands-on training for the people making the company’s first impression with new customers.

“I like the training part of this system because it allows us to get better on the phone, and we're allowed to track it,” Campirano says. “It allows you to pull KPIs on how your agents are performing, and look at a dashboard on how they're performing, which is great.”

As a numbers guy, Campirano wanted to “cut down on lag time” between a customer calling Express Electrical for service and actually speaking to a representative. After his team answers the customer’s call, he then can gauge the size of the ticket by how long the call lasts.

“If our agent is on the phone for less than three minutes, we know the average ticket is going to be smaller, versus being on the phone over three minutes and 40 seconds, our average ticket is going to be higher,” Campirano says.

And if the call lasts for five minutes or longer, the technician’s chances of closing that sale only increase.

“Because when you're on a phone call for five minutes, you're building value and rapport,” Campirano says. “Therefore, it turns the lead into a warm lead for my technician instead of becoming a cold lead.”

Third-Party Verification Line Protects Customers and the Company

When the pandemic hit, Campirano says he began hearing rumblings about price-gouging for gasoline and other products, so he tried to address it head-on by using Phones Pro to create a third-party verification line to ease customers’ minds.

“When every single one of our technicians sells a job, no matter the size of the ticket, the technician has to call in to that third-party line and pass the phone over to the customer,” Campirano says. “And they must call from the customer's cellphone number or the customer's landline.

“Our agents ask them questions to make sure they know what they're buying, they know this is a cash transaction, and this call is being recorded,” he adds.

Customers loved the extra layer of protection, Campirano says, so he continues to use the third-party verification line. Now, if someone calls in and accuses Express Electrical of taking advantage of a customer, for instance, Campirano or another manager can pull up the call recording and listen to the entire conversation and transaction.

“The one advantage Phones Pro has against the other call-management systems that are out there is that it automatically attaches itself to the job that it belongs to,” Campirano says. “You can record that conversation and make sure it's being directed and stamped onto the correct job with a timestamp.”

Express Electrical Increases Conversion Rates by 20% with Phones Pro

Campirano says the Phones Pro dashboard “marries the KPIs with service time” like no other platform on the market. The hands-on live training also allows his supervisors to take over the call, if necessary, to avoid losing a potential customer.

“Before, we didn’t have that tool,” Campirano says. “It also allowed us to get rid of lag time.”

With Phones Pro, Campirano says his team minimized how many times the phone rings before it gets answered by as much as 10 seconds, and the call conversion rate increased by 20%.

“If I’ve got to be on the phone and I'm hearing eight or nine rings before somebody answers, I'm already frustrated,” he says. “I'm going to be more of a happy camper if somebody picks up within the third or fourth ring.”

Answering calls faster and spending time with the customer to fully understand their electrical problem only sets up his electrical technicians for success out in the field. 

“We won't accept any of our techs with a 70% or lower conversion rate. It's got to be 70% or above,” Campirano says. “Phones Pro has allowed us to fluctuate between 72% to 75% out in the field, which is pretty good.”