Customer Service - Is it that hard?

I recently met a potential customer - And I say "Potential" - when he inquired and signed up for ELMS Personal Edition and our 30 day free trial only to find out very quickly that this service was not exactly what he was looking for.   This is a new product and it never happened before.   He called the next day wondering why the pending $24 charge was on his system.

This is a valid question.  I called my processor only to find out that it is a pending transaction and will disappear in a couple of weeks.  I also found that I have the ability to deny the transaction remove it from his statement.  This is great, I have control and I learned something today.   I took care of the problem and documented the process for the other guys.

I quickly informed him of what we discovered (turnaround 30 minutes) and that we took care of it.  I lost a potential customer and it won't be the first, but we learned how to better serve people.

I received, later that day, an email with gratitude for our customer service and a full explanation why ELMS PE was not working for him.  It has nothing to do with our product.  I am still shocked and very grateful that someone took the time to appreciate our work even if they are not our customer.

What a good start to the weekend!!

ELMS PE is your ticket out of spreadsheet hell!

ELMS Software has just released ELMS Personal Edition (ELMS PE).   ELMS PE is for the independent remodeler or contractor that needs to organize their sales process, generate estimates quickly, and present a professional image for their company.  ELMS PE uses the same technology as the successful ELMS Advantage Online product.

Spreadsheets are used by numerous remodelers and contractors around the country.   I have seen many spreadsheets that have various functions including tracking sales, managing leads, and estimating products.  I must admit - some of you are very creative , but there are some serious limitations a growing company may encounter when using spreadsheets:

• Spreadsheets do what they do well, but they don't do exactly what you may need.   (i.e. integrate your sales leads and jobs).


• Extending spreadsheet functionality may be costly if external resources required for customizations (call me - I know the business and have a software development and consulting company)


• Sharing spreadsheets among multiple persons becomes difficult.   "Who has the most recent update?"


• You must copy the spreadsheet to every computer you work on.  Sometimes we can use network drives, but this has limitations when working remotely.


• Training new sales persons, estimators, etc... is difficult even if it is clear to you.  You know all the tips and trick - you put them there


• Where is the button that prints the reports - Customer specifications, detailed estimates, Sales Analysis, & Design Agreements?

ELMS PE is your ticket from spreadsheet hell!  ELMS PE is designed to help your business:

• ELMS PE will organize your sales, leads management, and customer relationships.  ELMS PE helps ensure that you address each and every sales lead and/or prospect without leaving potential customers by the wayside.   ELMS PE will help show where your marketing and sales efforts are best utilized helping you to build a best of breed sales process that can be communicated and taught to your (soon to be)  new salespersons.

• ELMS PE is designed to help you generate estimates quickly.  Many contracts are won just because a company responded to the customer very quickly.   ELMS PE has a task database with over 1500 tasks that systematically guides you through the estimate building process.   You will no longer leave tasks on the table that ultimately kill your profit in the end.  Do  you account for all costs that occur on the job?  ELMS PE allows you to copy estimates from one job to another giving you yet another opportunity to generate estimates quickly on similar jobs.

• Create professional reports including Customer Specifications, Detailed Estimates, and Design Agreements that include your logo and business information.   These reports will create a consistent and professional image for your company while speeding up the process and allowing you to respond to the customer faster.

ELMS PE is affordable.  Start with a free 30 day trial and no contracts.  Continue to use ELMS PE for only $24/month - That is less than 80 cents / day.  We guarantee an entire year investiment your first sold contract or we refund your last month of service.

ELMS Personal Edition and ELMS products will grow with your company.   You can easily upgrade to ELMS Advantage Online and share customer and job information among multiple employees.  Continue to add functionality as you need and only pay for what you use.

Warranty tracking can be a new avenue for marketing!

Does your remodeling company warrant all labor in it's contracts with the homeowner to be free from defects for a specified period of time?  Most remodelers practice  this policy and use this benefit in their sales presentations and marketing efforts.

A Warranty tracking system allows you to track customer claims against any warranties.  These systems  provide good information and metrics for your business.

Consider this - A warranty system that automatically sends emails or produces reports showing current customers that are half-way through their warranty period.   This is an excellent opportunity to contact the homeowner and see if there are any fixes that are needed.  This puts you in front of the customer again, promotes your focus on customer service, and positions your company for the next job.

ELMS Advantage Online is in the process of adding the warranty tracking system to its popular online estimating and leads management service.   Warranty tracking is sheduled to be released at the end of July 2010.