Calls don't cut it

Information is power. (You’ve heard that before.) But when you can access real-time details regarding sales leads, labor hours and production status, you can make the type of just-in-time decisions that improve profitability.

Lawn & Landscape spoke with two companies that shared how they implemented customer relationship management (CRM) technology so they can be smarter about running their businesses.

Stepping up retention.

 “Did we talk about this last year?” an account manager might wonder when suggesting enhancements or potential projects on a property for the coming year. No one can remember every detail of every conversation, especially if a client has been on board for years.

That is, unless the team has information at their fingertips, says Jonathan Thrift, president of Carolina Creations Landscapes in Shallotte, North Carolina.

 Thrift says the client retention rate is a sign that his system is working. “We have always had good retention rates, but now we are seeing 95 to 98 percent retention, which is fantastic,” he says.

 What’s more, client relationships are stronger, he says. “We have two customer appreciation days a year, and I have seen more and more clients coming to those,” he says. “And, they know their account managers better.”

Take-away tips
Talk to peers. Thrift tapped into a network of peers to find out what systems they were using, and he has turned to his industry colleagues with questions about the software. “Reach out and ask, ‘How do you handle this?’” he says.

Keep training. A CRM training session is held bi-monthly to keep the team up to date and to review basics. Sometimes, the company will use YouTube how-to videos.

Choose for yourself. “Compare notes and see what might work for your company,” Thrift says, adding that the key is to find a system that suits your needs. Then, he says, “don’t fight it.” No system is effective unless everyone is on board and uses it.

From a revenue perspective, the company has grown every year since it implemented the system.

“Account managers can look back and see a history of all phone calls, from meetings and proposals to offering work.” Thrift says.

That’s the “did I mention new plantings” conversation Thrift referred to earlier. “We’re not standing there wondering if we had the conversation before.”

Technology is here to stay, he says. “You might as well embrace it. That’s the motto we have lived by. Use technology to the best of your ability and make it work for you.”

Go with the flow.

How many leads does the sales team turn into opportunities? What’s the status of projects in the production process? How many (and which) jobs are closed out?

Many managers are so consumed by daily tasks that they bypass the big picture of the sales and production cycle. And, for lengthy jobs that require months to complete, there’s greater chance of losing track of time – and money.

At Southern Scape in Alabama, using a CRM tool has changed the way managers understand and react to information. “It helps us make on-the-fly adjustments,” says Denny Langston, general manager and partner.

For example, while installing a major landscape package at a commercial site, he reviewed tracked data and noticed labor overages, specifically with tree installation.

“There were hundreds of 2.5-inch caliper trees we were putting in and it was taking us, for whatever reason, too long compared to the estimate,” Langston says.

So, Langston reviewed the numbers with the production manager. “We made the decision to invest in an auger and start auguring instead of hand-digging holes to get our labor hours back in line,” he says.

Mid-project adjustments like this can make the difference between profit and loss.

Langston says Southern Scape opted for this technology when its consulting group introduced it. What’s attractive is how the program follows the company’s sales and production from beginning to end.

“Our process flows through this one integrated system,” Langston says.

Leads are inputted, along with all of their contact information. Once that lead progresses to an opportunity, the sales team tracks this and notes once that opportunity is qualified. “We figure out what the prospects’ needs are and how we can meet those and eventually (the lead) goes to a proposal stage,” he says.

Take-away tips
Gain buy-in. Langston says it took about 18 months to get everyone on board with using CRM software. The best way to get the team hooked on the system was to simply have them start using it.

Train it. Training webinars, videos and hands-on sessions with a consultant helped Southern Scape implement their software.

Set the example. “When the top buys in, everyone else starts buying in,” Langston says. “We let everyone know, ‘This is what we are doing moving forward.’”

A pricing tool helps with estimating, which is performed by an estimator who enters the “flow” at this point and inputs the scope of work and every step that must occur for the project to reach completion.

 Projects move from account managers to project managers, who continue to use the system for tracking progress until the final walkthrough. “I can see what’s going on at any time and it’s real-time information,” Langston says.

Langston doesn’t want to micromanage his people. But he can stay involved by having the information and redirecting teams if and when necessary.