Improving lead quality with more job questions
In the Service team here at hipages.com.au we often hear from our customers about what additional information they would like to see on the leads that we send through. Businesses get to choose which leads they take, so providing the right information is key to make sure that we are connecting the right trades with the right consumers.
Given a blank page to describe what you need doing can be a bit daunting and we know that home owners don’t always know what information is important to provide. To help with this we have started to add more questions on the form that home owners complete when requesting a trades person.
We now have detailed questions on over 75% of our categories and will continue to build on these, with feedback from our trades people who are of course, the experts in knowing what information they need to see.
Here are some of the categories that we have updated most recently. If some of these are categories you work in I would love your feedback on what we should add/change.
Have a click on the questions as some of them are dependant on your answers and some more may open up…
and here is a list of all service categories that have had questions added to the Get Quotes form in earlier in 2014:
Please send through your suggestions or feedback to [email protected] at any time.
Hi,
I need shed enquiries, someone needing a shed supplied to them or an extension to a shed.
Thanks David, I will pass this over to your campaign manager to have a look at the leads that you are receiving and what we can do to optimise that for you.
In regards to roof gutters. I would like to know if the client has trees that affect their home. as our gutter is specialised, leaf litter is a big selling point & a lot of the clients i have been receiving have had no need for leaf protection so our gutter is over priced for their needs.
Thanks Jeremy. Ill add that in for the next round of updates.
Hi Jeremy, I have added this as a question to the form, hopefully it helps – let me know.
Hi Katie,
There are all sorts of Architects – Commercial, Residential, Heritage,
ESD (Ecologically Sustainable Development)
Perhaps you might consider adding those Categories to your list ?
Keep up the good work.
Regards,
Tom Wilson AIA
Great thanks Tom. We have the Residential and Commercial question and I will add in the extra suggestions.
Hi Tom, I have added a couple more questions to the Architect form. Please let me know if you have any more feedback. Thanks
I would really like to see all of the jobs on the job board (on the app) have the actual lead price to make it easier to see if the lead is worthwhile, instead of just “ppl” … I dont understand the sense in this. I have listed under varied maintenance categories and there is just no way that i can remember the ppl for each category.
This is something i would really like to see changed in the near future.
Thanks for your feedback Adam, I will get your campaign manager to give you a call this afternoon to chat about this.
It would be good if you could list Subdivision Development as a separate and specialist category as we do the whole process inc surveying, town plannning etc. and would not take on a job for just the building design only component.
Regarding the last comment re Subdivision, that was intended for the Architect category.
This would also be relevant as a sub heading under Surveyor or Town Planner.
That’s a great suggestion Martin, I will pass that over to the content team to create a new sub category. Watch this space.
Hello Katie,
I look for leads for people wanting to buy outdoor furniture. I have had only one in 12 months, perhaps 8 other requests, for removal of furniture, repair of furniture, cleaning etc.
Why don’t outdoor furniture requests come my way? When we check, a Qld company came up in first 3 possibles.
Hi David, thanks for your feedback. I will have a chat with the marketing team to have a look at what’s happening in your area for outdoor furniture. I can see that people are clicking on your page, so maybe we can do something to improve the conversion to lead. We will be in touch to chat with you.
Interior design is also part of the interior architecture – architecture field so interior renovations – more than just finishes, styling and furniture – kitchens/bathrooms- we renovate everything but the load bearing walls. So adding an interior renovation to the architecture field and then guiding them to interior designers and interior architecture would be very useful.
thanks
Thanks for your suggestion Siobhan. That’s a great idea to have a look at how we can link the services. I will catch up with the content team and see if we can make that happen. Maybe asking the consumer if they also need an Interior Designer could work.
Hi Katie,
You might consider adding Modular Construction to your list of categories . Following the recent Adelaide Hills fires I provided an interview to Southern Cross news regarding design and construction of fire resistant homes for the rebuilding program. This will become one of the newest forms of construction in recent times as the Mgo Board (Magnesium Oxide) is not only sustainable, but extremely Fire resistant .
Thank you for your suggestion Jeff. I’ll have a chat with Craig our Editor about adding this as a category. He might like to call to get some information to add to the content if that’s okay?
I work in the area of traditional authentic fencing design. As the majority of Australias capital cities have a large proportion of the broad inner city built-form that pre-dates the 1940s it would be good to have a Heritage category for period sensitive customers.
I’ll definitely have a look at that Matthew, it sounds like a question or category that we should have. I hope to make some more updates next week.
Hi Katie,
Under Pool Maintenance category can you add:
Green Pool Recovery
Pool equipment
Thanks
Brett
Thanks Brett, I have added those for review in the next of updates. Hopefully next week.
More questions are great and will make deciding what lead to accept easier, BUT is HiPages going to discount the leads for planning & budgeting. ie: For the leads that state ” I am thinking of buying land, and would like to know how much it would cost to build XYZ”. If a customer called me direct, I would be more than happy to advise them, but will not pay $40.00 for a lead that will most likely amount to $0.00 and waste my time.
Hi Steve, thanks so much for your feedback. We know that leads will be of different value to you and we are working on ways to price them for you accordingly. Gathering this extra information is the first step towards that. You wont see a change in the pricing straight away, but it is definitely something that we are working on for the future.
Hi,
We specialize in installation of high quality HD security cameras for homes and business. These are the questions we always ask all our clients.
1. We’d like to find out if our clients want HD security cameras vs analogue security cameras.
2. Type of home; single or double story, heritage
3. Roof type; tiled or tin
4. Type of business; Retail, Factory, Office etc
These will help us greatly decide to accept the lead and assist us to quote our clients based on their exact needs.
Kind Regards
Precision Security Team
Great suggestions thank you, I have added these for the next round of updates.
I just want the leads to be emailed to me as well as the App just like I used to get.
This has been happening for over a month and is still not fixed.
Surely you have an over payed geek that can fix this problem.
Hi Julian, that sound frustrating. I’m not sure how much the geeks get paid, but we certainly should be able to fix that. I know that Kate has been working on finding a solution, and will get back to you very soon.
Hi Katie,
One thing i find every now again are people only wanting advice before they decide on if they are going to get something done. It would be good if we could try and do something here, as I’m more than happy to give friendly free advice about a project, but its not so great paying for a lead to find out someone just wants to have a chat.
Thanks Gerard for your feedback. This is something that we are looking at and would love to make work for you. I have passed this over to our product development team.
Hi Katie,
Absolutely, we have designed and assisted construction of these homes in the NT, SA, Jakarta ( indonesia) and have achieved not only 9.5 Star Energy Ratings, but also Cyclone Resistant to 300kph wind speeds and built to first Lock up ( 250 M2) in 14 days on site with 1 x carpenter and 2 x apprentices! look forward to speaking further….
Hi Katie
As a builder doing work ranging from new homes to minor renovations, there are a lot of time wasters using Hi-pages who don’t appreciate it costs us money to accept a lead so I would like to see more headings under ‘What is the status of the job’ such as ‘I’m ready to start”, “just want a quote”, “just thinking about it” etc.
All fields to be mandatory would also help get qualified leads.
Thanks for your feedback Paul, I have added this for review. We would certainly like to make it clearer for you.
what about painting contractors, hi pages always look after other tradies first.
Hi David, thanks for your question. Painting was one of the first categories to have questions updated, its one of my favourite forms with detailed answers. I’d love your feedback if you have ideas on other information you would like to see? Here is the form. Click on some of the answers and more questions will appear. http://www.homeimprovementpages.com.au/find/painters/get_quotes_simple
Hi Katie
As a handyman I have high end experience and can easily tackle a lot of jobs that are not advertised in my category.
There are handymen and handymen. Some are useless and do a an amateur job.
I am often called to fix their rubbish.
I guess anyone can call themselves a handyman and therefore I have to compete with them.
How can I distinguish myself so I can do high end jobs?
Hi Terry, we can definitely help with this. 2 of the biggest ways to set yourself apart are your profile page and your recommendations. I would really recommend sending through some information about yourself and the work that you do, and also some photos of work that you have completed, for us to add to your profile page. Every time you claim a lead we send a link to your page to the customer so the more information to help them choose you, the better. The same with recommendations, be sure to ask everyone to leave one for you. We will also call your consumers for you, so just let us know everytime you complete a job. I hope that helps you.
Hi Katie
More info is definitely required for the PPL.
As we specialise in the supply and installation of artificial turf ( as well as other services) we often are replying to leads with no detail as far as existing surface to be removed, access, area size, drainage, projected budget etc. Quite often we will reply to a lead that either requires such a small area 100′s of kilometres away that it is not financially viable for either party or I will immediately reply to find out the customer has decided on another option.
If the options of the above listed are much clearer in the PPl I believe this may work a lot better.
Regards Damien
Enviro Surface Solutions
Thanks for the great suggestions Damien. I will add these to the next updates.
Hello Katie
Here is an example of a job thats difficult.
How can one send a quote when one knows nothing regarding the conditions of the site apart from the type of hoist to be installed.
The clients need to be educated regarding their input for a request.
Its a waste of time paying the PPL so it gets ignored by me.
Job ID: 985645
Job Start By: Within a fortnight
Description: need a new hills hoist installed with old hole removed. please do not call me or email me unless you have a quote attached.
Hi Terry, I can see that this one would be difficult to quote on without more information and why you decided not to take this lead. We do get such a variety of requests in the handyman categories that really specific questions can be tricky. We will keep working on ways to educate the consumer on what information you need. Thank you for your feedback.
Hi Katie
As a builder I get a lot of people contacting me for jobs( new houses, extensions, additions, decks etc ) and they don’t have plans.
These persons need to engage a architect or designer before contacting a builder.
I think that the construction process needs to be explained more clearly, (builders are nor architects)
We don’t mind quoting on jobs that have plans, but trying to give a price on something that is in someones mind is impossible
If they should be talking to a architect about costings and the design stage and good from there.
Thanks for your feedback Alex. You will see a question asking about having plans and approval on some of the lead invitations – this will appear on more jobs soon. It would be really help if we can find out from more consumers and help them find an architect as well. We are also looking at ways to provide more information to help them with their project from the outset and your suggestions are great. Thank you
Hi Katie,
1. DOA’S Leads where you cannot even contact the customer shouldn’t continue to be billed.
2. SMALL JOBS. Feel sorry for these people looking for tradies . Who’s going to pay $30 for that sought of lead.
3. BIG JOBS. I would possibly pay a higher fee.
I think though a lower lead supply fee ($10?) and a fee on obtaining job ($30 ?)
perhaps price leads on on a scale from 1 to 10.
quick thoughts, cheers H.
Thanks for your thoughts Harry, really helpful. We are looking at pricing leads based on the job type and information provided, you may have seen some different pricing come through already. We will use your feedback on the project, thanks again.
You need a cat for electronic security, CCTV, Access Control, Security System rather than having them under Security Screens and Doors or Electricians.
Thanks for your feedback Peter. We do have a Security Category with your suggestions as subcategories – take a look here http://www.homeimprovementpages.com.au/find/security. Please let me know if you have feedback on this. We haven’t yet added additional questions, so your suggestions would be great. Thank you
Hi Katie,
I see that your changes to the lawn mowing category now give options for the client to choose “garden mowing” or “larger field mowing”.
These would be confusing for the client.
A better option would be something like “ride mowing”, “hand mowing” and “block slashing” as there is a huge difference between the three in terms of price, time, as well as which gardeners are able to do each type.
I’ve had some people ask for mowing and it’s turned out to be block slashing that they require, or had some expecting ride mowing when many gardeners don’t own a ride mower.
Great suggestions, thanks Keith – I have added that for the next round of updates.
Just a thought on electricians as I am one. Under sub category you could add Level 2, Metering,and Switchboards as I get people saying to me they need a level 2 electrician and not all electricians are level 2. Also on Type of Service “Level 2″ could be added as it is a specialized service that a customer requires. As an electrician I have been able to understand all of the requests that I have read on line so far so the questions that you have seem to be working.
Regards
Robert Lawrence
Great, thank you Robert. Good to hear that the questions are helping. I have added the level 2 request for review. Thanks again.
Regarding the PPL system, with all the rain of late we get dozens of leads for simple jobs like “a 5m length of gutter needs re attaching” With a PPL price of anywhere between $20-30.00
An average repair like this would only be about a hundred dollars so what is the point of paying $30 to have a 1 in 3 chance of making $100?
Regards,
Chris.
Thanks Chris. We are working on a project to price leads based on information given and the size of the job. You may also see some of these leads at a lower clearance rate if they haven’t been taken in the first round. Hopefully that will help you to claim more leads and do some of the smaller jobs. Thanks again for your feedback.
Hi Katie,
Another category that would have many sub categories , that I have not seen here is “Engineers”
( structural engineers, civil engineers, hydraulic engineers , mechanical engineers …… etc. )
You would be surprised how often they are required.
Or may be the list I was looking at ( above) is not complete ..
Thanks
Nick
Hi Nick, we do have structural engineer as a category, and we do need to working the questions. It looks like we should maybe add some more engineering sub categories as well. I will pass that over to Craig our editor to review. Thanks again.
Need to be able to delete multiple leads from the job board via the app at one time. I had to delete old leads today and one at a time takes forever. Waitlisted leads should clear automatically after a month.
Hi Michael, I know that’s a pain, it definitely on the list for app updates. I hope to be able to let you know that you can delete in bulk soon. Thanks for your feedback.
Hi Kate,
Automotive locksmiths we need basic details from the customers, not just “I lost my keys…”
To be able to service the customer best we need to know Make, Model & Year of the vehicle.
Also if all the keys are lost or they are just after a new spare key.
Thanks
Thanks for your request Mick, I have added this to be reviewed for the next round of questions.
It’s imperative that you list a service under air conditioning labelled “air conditioning cleaning/sanitisation” because it is actually a requirement by law to carry out maintenance to “safeguard” people from illness or injury” and people are getting sick from contaminated air conditioning systems and in extreme cases are dying. Under both the Building Codes of Australia 2008 & the Work Place Health & Safety Act property owners and employers needs to find a service that specialises in this.
We specialise in exactly this but we are getting air conditioning leads for mostly repairs and very few for cleaning/sanitising.
You will be surprised how many people and business are trying to find a service like ours.
Thanks for your feedback Kirstie, I will add this in the next updates and let you know.
We are a company of profesional Asbestos Removalists, quite often we find that clients are merely looking for prices to direct thier decisions, giving info & advice is a service we pride ourselves on being able to provide, however if we could know upfront if info & advice is all they are seeking, it would be great to be able to cover our costs in doing so, as the majority require site visits. An option where customers can select “consult only” would enable us to offer a more conclusive service with associated lab samples, reports etc. This would also benefit our clients
Hi Tim, That is something that we would like to solve for you, and its with the product team to review. Thanks for taking the time to message.
Hi Katie,
Under Carpet Cleaning the sub-categories could be laid out a little clearer for clients to be able to select more accurately what service the are looking for which in turn makes it more accurately which type of leads the tradesman wants sent to him
EG: Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning – Hot Water Extraction / Encapsulation / Dry Cleaning.
Rug Cleaning
Fabric Protection – Carpet / Upholstery
Leather Upholstery Cleaning
Sanitising or Deodorising
Hard Floor Cleaning – Timber / Tiles / Lino
Cleaning to Australian Standard 3733/1995 or Builders Clean?
To the Accredited Technicians this breakdown may make more sense because it defines each category more clearly.
Great thank you John for your feedback. This is next on my list to review.
Hi Katie
As we specialise in Aged and Disabled home modifications we would like to see under Carpenters – “Modifications for Aged or Disabled Persons”.
Thanks Michael – ive added that to list for review. Hoping to get started tomorrow.
Hi Katie,
Can you add the “State” to where you want jobs done. We recently received an inquiry from Forster N.S.W !! which could have been mixed up with Foster VIC.
We do travel around a bit but the next state is a bit too far !!
Hi Jeremy, thanks for your feedback. We do have the state question, so we must have made a mistake with sending that one out and as you suggest got the 2 Forster and Foster mixed up! Sorry about that.
Hello Katie,
We are Specialist in Cabling Data, Telephone, Optic Fibre & Coax. But we only ever receive enquirers for TV system installation. We are not in your list of service categories.
Hi Erich, sorry to hear that you are getting leads in different services than what you need. I’v added you in to a couple of extra categories, hopefully you will start to see some cabling leads.
Design drafting – Additions &/or renovations
Information required from the client before site visit:-
1. Site plan of existing property & dwelling in place.
2. Floor plan of existing residence.
3. Elevations & sections of existing.
Thanks for your suggestions David. I’ll add these questions to be reviewed in the next batch up updates.
Hey Katie,
For Architects I would like to see a question like “What spatial qualities and atmosphere would you like in your home project?
Thanks
Greg
Thank you for your suggestion Greg, i’ll put this update forward for review for the form.
I am an interior designer and sometimes get leads for those wanting a painter, a tiler or a a builder. For those wanting colour consultancy or styling, I wouldn’t think that potential clients would look under the architect field.
A section purely for Interior Design or Colour Consultant would be ideal.
Hi Lyn, Interior Design is on the next list of categories to add questions to. I hope to update you next week on these. Thanks for your request.
Hi Katie
The land surveying section needs to have more specific questions, for example;
What type of land surveying do you need?
-Subdivison
-Contour and Feature Survey
-Repeg
Thanks
Thank you Julian, i’ve added these in for review on the next updates.
I would like to know if a guttering job is for a “new construction” or “replacement of old guttering”, and if whether “metal fascia” is required.
Great suggestion thanks Mark. Ill add that in for the next updates. Thank you
Hi,
I would consider adding a tab for “Floor coverings”. In which customers can find stores who supply carpet, rugs, tiles, timber etc In fact all these titles can be subtitles under Floor coverings.
Thanks
That’s a good idea Rovsen, to have them all in one category. I will pass this over to Craig, our editor to review if this would work. Thanks for your feedback.
The additional categorisation is good for clarity.
With respect to stone masons, there are many different types just like there are doctors specialising in separate fields.
I frequently receive quote requests for kitchen bench tops which I do not advertise as a service.
Could you please look into specialist fields?
Kind regards, Damian.
Hi Damian, I will have a look at your categories today and make sure they are right for your business, and also will review the questions for Stone Masons to help with the lead invitations. Thanks for your feedback.
Hi Katie
Please could you make the filing and deletion of leads simpler. There’s no way to delete or archive waitlisted jobs from the accepted folder. Or to delete archived jobs.
I’ve called a few times about this and been told that it has been done remotely your end but it hasn’t updated on my end.
Best
Dave
Hi Dave, thanks for your suggestion, we do have this on the list of updates for the app. I know its a pain for you, and hopefully it will be pushed through soon. We will send through an update. Thanks again
Hello Katie
Comment similar to builder Steve (January 22nd)
$40.00 is far to costly when much more detailed information is required in order to submit an estimate and decipher those who are serious from the dreamers.
A phone no. in order to give advice and receive relevant job information prior is required.
Due to the time taken to visit the client and inspect a job site then collect and collate an accurate estimation, I am seriously considering a fee charge for presentation of the job quote that is later credited if the job proceeds.
Hi Alan, thanks for your feedback and suggestion. This is something that we were talking about yesterday. The team here do call a lot of consumers to get more information, but a way for you to ask questions could be great. In the meantime hopefully questions will help you choose which leads will suit you and we will work on getting more information for you. We are also looking at pricing leads depending more on the job type and information given. Let me know if you have any more feedback. Thanks again.
Hello Katie, I am a mobile welder and have noticed you do not have a welding catagory, it would be great if you could do something about this.
Regards,
Patrick hayes
Thanks Patrick. I have passed this over for consideration for a new category. There are a few criteria that need to be met, and Craig our editor will review it. We do have the Basic Welding category – I’ll check and make sure that you are in that as well. Thanks again.
Hi katie,
80% of my leads coming through for building works needs building permit’s and working drawings. However 79% of requests do not mention or reply to no in that category. There should be a better filtering process to guide these people so they follow regulations.
I will not click on anyone who needs building works done and does not have plans or permits in place. it’s a waste of time and money, as it is illegal to do the works in the first place.
They should be filtered to drafting and design before commencing to building.
Also having some estimations on your site so the customers can better gauge what things cost. I sometimes see people wanting a 50q deck with a budget of $1000-$5000. WTF
I see a lot of people that just waste our time, being un-realistic and not serious. i try to pick and choose but a good filtering system and price estimates would be a good way eradicate the serious from the non serious.
Other than than that I am happy with your services, and you guys are doing a great job.
Thank you so much for your feedback and suggestions Leigh. Really helpful, with regards to the questions and also the product in general. I have passed this over to the product team, I know they are looking at ways to educate consumers around what type of trade they need and what else is required before the quote request stage. You have probably seen our articles that are full of information. Keep the feedback coming
Hi Katie , I do glass sliding door repair eg, rollers, locks , Tracks, and supply & fit new glass sliding doors
which you don’t have this on your list .Can you look in adding this
Regards Craig
Thanks Craig, we definitely need to work on the repair category questions, and i’ve added your requests to the list. Thank you for your feedback.
Hi Katie
We specialise in building concrete swimming pools and spas and concrete pool renovations
Is it possible to have a sub title for customers to specify
1. Concrete
2. Fibreglass
3. or Vinyl above ground
Thank you
Robert
Absolutely Robert, that’s now on the list for the next updates. Thanks so much for your feedback.
Hi Katie,
I’ve been a member for 7 years and have had to constantly weed out or decline a large number of unqualified leads due to the broad profession category. My specialised service is Pool Leak Detection where I am amongst the category of pool maintenance & repairs. If you look at my history you’ll see the percentage of leads I’ve hade to decline compared to the ones I’ve accepted because the enquiries have nothing to do with what I do. I know other directory sites have “Pool Leak Detection” as a category or sub-category so I’m hoping HIPages could do the same.
But have to mention also that besides this, I’m happy with your service & site……
Hi Matt, thanks for your feedback. I will pass this over to Craig to look at whether we can create a sub category for Pool leak detection. In the meantime I will add this to the question suggestions for the Pool Maintenance Category. You will still need to decline the non relevant leads, but it should make it easier for you. Thanks again.
Hi Katie,
The new job board and additional information has been pretty useful.
But I’m still receiving way too many leads from suburbs I’m not interested in – need to stick to Inner West, City and Eastern Suburbs please. That shouldn’t included places like Hills District, Parramatta etc etc that seem to come through.
Also some qualification of consumer budget is necessary. I understand that often a client doesn’t have a clue about budget or their budget is completely unrealistic. However it would still be very useful to know for example, if a kitchen reno means a cheap reno of $10k or a more realistic reno costing $30k+.
Equally if a consumer is requiring help with a reno – you should ask if they need help with design, project management, styling and so on or is just the trades they need.
Thanks
Hi Judith, happy to hear that you are enjoying using the Job Board. Sorry to hear that you are getting too many leads out of area, I’ve chatted to Sam your campaign manager and he will be in touch. Thanks for your feedback on the job questions regarding budgets, I have passed this on for review.
Hey Katie,
HIpages has been great, love the app system. I just need more contracted cleans coming through, once off is ok but its not worth as much as continuous work. Offices to large buildings. If there is some way you can display how many times a week roughly then this would be great. I will also need leads coming through Brisbane area which I am not getting much come through. If there is contentious work coming through the city area from 10k radius would be great. I just need more opportunities from your leads and more info before I click yes.
Thank you
Kind Regards
Zynal
[…] Don’t worry he didn’t forget about you, Fraser has been interviewing some of our tradies to better understand what you need and want from the hipages service. As a direct outcome we’ve taken steps to reduce the number of low quality leads (tyre kickers) – like adding more questions to our form. Katie has written a great blog post explaining this further here. […]