H AVE YOU R SAY
Paul Linenberg | President | Gotcha Covered
Maintaining Customer Relationships Through Innovative Technology “Virtual appointments became the new frontier for our franchisees. We quickly developed and shifted our marketing message to promote virtual appointments.”
To survive and thrive, we knew we had to make changes to adapt to this new business climate to ensure we stayed connected to our customers and franchisees. Both play an important role in the overall accomplishments of a franchise.
Virtual Appointments Paul Linenberg
Uncertainty. That was one of the biggest difficulties to overcome when the COVID-19 pandemic struck early in 2020. Businesses didn’t know how long it would last, the overall impact it would have on the work climate or the potential effects on profits. From my personal life experience, uncertainty is always the hardest business atmosphere to work in. For Gotcha Covered, as was the case for many companies, there was a moment in time where the demand for our product decreased and decisions had to be made.
Franchising USA
We were able to maximize technology early during the pandemic. Virtual appointments became the new frontier for our franchisees. We quickly developed and shifted our marketing message to promote virtual appointments, allowing our customers to know that we were continuing to do business despite the limitations and restrictions caused by the pandemic. This move was key because it showcased to the consumer that Gotcha Covered was going to remain open for all their window treatment needs, and it provided a small sense of normalcy during a time where many were seeking that comfort. It also proved that we had developed a method of operating that allowed us to conform to all the guidelines and keep our customers safe. For any business that is currently working remotely, virtual appointments are a must if you want to continue providing the services your clients want and need.
Technology and Consultation Providing tools to our franchisees was paramount during the apex of the pandemic. We would not have been successful if our franchisees couldn’t maintain their relationships with the customers. Technology provided the perfect solution. Our proprietary software known as Gotcha Linked was repurposed and used to help our franchise owners run their businesses. The renovations to the software gave franchisees more resources for virtual appointments. Gotcha Inspired also became a resource often utilized to interact with prospective clients. The online tool helps franchisees learn about their tastes and preferences to ensure they provided options that the customer would love and enjoy. This not only provided much-needed information to the franchise owner but also made appointments more efficient and decreased the amount of one-on-one time required to move the client through the process. Zoom, Facetime and Google Duo made appointments easy as well. While everyone was on lockdown, we used these devices to communicate with customers. A big part of our business is home walkthroughs because we need to get a visual of the
