If you have read one or two of the other Good Service Design posts, you will know the format by now. If not, what I do is just look at three randomly selected web sites for the category of service and assess the good points and the bad points from a pure service perspective. What interests me, is the ability of the web site to offer me real service - meaning that it must do something rather than just show me information. I am not commenting on the style or look and feel. I just want to find good examples of how the service experience can start on the web - meaning that the company in question have thought about their audience, their needs and are really trying to generate new business for themselves using their web channel.
The web channel is really important in this case. If you are a plumber crawling around under a floor trying to fix pipes you cannot answer your phone - and if you cannot answer your phone you cannot accept work - and if you cannot accept work....well you get the picture. So the web could/should/would be a great way to handle enquiries so you can get on with the job you get paid to do. Lets look at a few...
Kodin Putkimies (www.kodinputkimies.fi)
Helsinki, Finland
Well, well, well - what can I say. This is the classic quickly prepared web site that basic is as good as an entry in a phone book. The site does nothing more than tell you that this company are a bunch of good plumbers and if you need them call them - 24 hours a day.
The site has four pages with a feedback form at the end. It lacks information about call out rates, standard pricing, types of work completed, references, happy customers, availability or the exact area served (apart from a vague reference to Helsinki metro area). On entering the site I just felt that no-one really cared about the web as a way to generate business - it just looks like they had to have a web site so it was the minimum for the minimum price. I would be very surprised if it generates business, but I am happy to be proven wrong.
So, not a very inspiring start - is this the shape of things to come?
Good: They actually have a site!
Bad: Nothing else you can do except call them
This site is much better. There are a few things I will pick up later, but notice the phone number on the right with the standard hours shown below. The links are also promising, with a clear menu that highlights the type of work they do under services; the rates for different types of work under About Us and important information for residential and corporate customers, such as their qualifications and certification.
I really like this site. It has very strong calls to action and small touches like the special offer box. Clearly this company does more than just plumbing as well, so they are exploiting the fact you visited to find plumbing services to tell you what else they do. As any good tradesperson will tell you, most jobs need more than just a plumber.
H2 have also added a contact form in the contact us section and have at least asked where you found them. This is important information if you have a limited advertising budget and most people who enquire will fill it in honestly.
What I think is lacking here is some indication of how busy they are, when they have someone available and a way to order work. Personally, if I already know the cost per hour for a particular type of job I just want to order it. I would suggest that H2 added this type of capability to their service and really let the site work harder for them. Overall, the site does give a good service impression and put me in the frame of mind that I would consider this company.
Good: clear contact information, good description of services offered, use of cross-selling, publishing their hourly rates
Bad: lacking ability to order a job, customer references would add more credibility, missing busy meter to show how full their order book is (always a good sign)
24/7 Singapore Plumbers (www.24hrsingaporeplumber.com)
Singapore
If you are ordering a plumber in Singapore looks like it is a phone rather than a web experience . This site focuses the users attention on getting off the web asap and just calling using the toll-free number and supports that with long and detailed description of the services they offer. Once again, I feel this site is a wasted opportunity, as they clearly have a good service orientation (long established, 24 hour service, toll-free number, 90 day warranty), but they fail to convert that to an online experience that is as good.
Singapore is a relatively small place, so if it were me I would be showing the location of my 20 plumbers on a map. Just have them check-in with foursquare so you can plot their next job more effectively...or go one step further and have the web site send the jobs that arrive from the web site to the plumber that is closest with a free slot in the job sheet. The technology to do this is cheap and the effect on the business could be immense.
This site really wants to provide information, so there is a detailed list of rates for particular jobs. Once again this is a wasted opportunity - adding an "order" button next to the job type could boost the bookings and ensure that the customer is clear about the costs before they purchase.
One other area that could be useful would be a fault reporting screen for issues that should be covered under warranty. By asking customers to register for the warranty and report issues in a standardised way, 24hr Singapore Plumbers could improve the tracking of faults and perhaps save themselves money from repeating problems.
I kind of like the kitch style of the site, but I figure this is down to a lack of investment. It is sooo 90s....but I also want to congratulate them on really trying to be service oriented without knowing how to convert from old-school phone book ads to a web service that works for them.
Good: trying to be service-focused, good rate card, lots of information
Bad: missing the order buttons, the "call us" approach
To summarise this little dip into the random pool of plumbers web sites, I would say that they are wasting a precious resource. As a highly mobile and often unavailable profession, plumbers have a lot to gain by using the web to act as their assistants while they do the real work. If I were constructing a web service for a plumber it would:
- show the availability of the tradespeople
- show the current or last location
- offer a clear rate card for the services offered with good descriptions and very visible order buttons
- include an "emergency channel" that would allow customers to ping a direct SMS with their information to the nearest plumber in my team
- offer a warranty service with an issue reporting channel
- provide information on minor maintenance issues - perhaps as video guides
- show video testimonial from satisfied customers (taken with a simple camera phone)
- offer a subscription service for annual/bi-annual check-ups to try to prevent problems occuring
- make calling a last resort if the site cannot answer
Again, I feel the goal here is not to create a piece of wonderful technology, but to focus on the fact that the web is becoming the first place we look. If your web service is not as good as your professional service, then I may not buy from you. So, when thinking about your business put yourself in the shoes of the customer and consider what they want TO DO on your web site, and not what you want to tell them. You will earn a whole lot more.
Good Service Design!
