At HomeStars, we are dedicated to empowering the home services industry through our platform by offering seamless organization and features to improve efficiency for our valued Pros. We aim to help facilitate maximum leads for Pros, foster business growth, and support their presence within the HomeStars platform. With this goal in mind and to help you focus on the leads that matter most, we’re thrilled to introduce our new and improved Lead Inbox. This latest update is made to simplify connections and offer intuitive organization and enhanced functionality. Our revamped Lead Inbox is geared towards optimizing inbox management and provides our Pros with a clearer understanding of their ROI at HomeStars.
What’s New About the Lead Inbox?
The updated Lead Inbox aims to streamline the lead closure process for our Pros by introducing an intuitive folder system. The goal of this system is to prompt action on each lead at every stage, with easy navigation within your inbox. We have made several enhancements to the current display and made navigating your lead inbox a smoother and easier process. There are also informative call-to-action buttons to help facilitate all the actions you can take on your leads.
The folders are broken down into three categories and will display the lead count within each folder:
- New
- Active
- Archived
The “New” Folder:
This folder is where all your new leads and service requests will be. Any unread messages on leads will be displayed with a blue notification badge next to the tab label. As a Pro, you can either “Accept” or “Decline” the lead. The lead will then move to another folder through your inbox, depending on what action you decide to take.
For Declined leads:
- Pros can decline a lead in this folder, and the lead will automatically be moved to the “Archived” folder
The “Active” Folder:
This folder aims to drive engagement and hiring actions between you and your leads. All leads that were “Accepted” in the “New” folder will be displayed here. Lead statuses in this folder will either be “Accepted” or “Hired.” Only “Hired” leads will be highlighted with “Hired” status. All new messages from homeowners will be marked as unread and display a notification badge.
For Accepted leads:
- Pros can take the action to indicate whether or not they were hired for the job
For Hired leads:
- Pros can move the lead to the “Archived” folder after indicating that they were hired or not hired for the job
- Pros can send a Review Request
The “Archived” Folder:
This folder has multiple filters, depending on what state the lead is in. The leads will be in one of these statuses:
- Hired
- Not Hired
- Declined
- Expired
- Cancelled
On a web browser, you can select multiple filters at a time to see where the lead stands. On the HomeStars for Pros app, you can select a single filter at a time.
New and Improved Features In Your Lead Inbox
The “Unread Counts” Feature
As a Pro navigating your busy schedule, it’s very common to overlook messages or messages you have not responded to yet while on the move. The “unread counts” feature aims to draw your attention to leads requiring action. Within each folder, you’ll find a blue dot highlighting unread leads next to the lead label, encouraging you to stay on top of these interactions. If a folder contains no unread messages, the badge option will not be visible, keeping your inbox looking clean and uniform.
Closed Loop Feedback
In the case that you take an action on a lead that transitions it between different folders, there will be an indication displaying this. This applies to the following actions:
- Accept
- Decline
- Hired
- Not Hired
- Review Request Sent / Archive
- Archive
Review Requests
As a service Pro at HomeStars, requesting reviews is a critical aspect of enhancing your profile and attracting potential homeowner leads. Our data reveals that 65.6% of Review Requests are sent within 0-7 days of confirming a job hire. However, despite this trend, the rate of Pros receiving reviews from leads has remained relatively stable since 2021. To address this, we’ve added several enhancements to optimize the Review Request process to provide an easier method that services all the different actions you can take as a Pro.
The revamped Lead Inbox is designed to easily integrate these actions by synchronizing the ‘Hired’ status with the option to ‘Request a Review.’ Once you’ve indicated that you’ve been hired within your Lead Inbox, you will be prompted to send a Review Request. This feature is accessible from both the “Active” and “Archived” folders, ensuring continuity across your inbox. A job must be completed before requesting a review. By creating this connection between hiring actions and review requests, this new feature aims to streamline your experience, declutter your inbox, and encourage consistent upkeep.
When a Review Request is sent, the button is grayed out and will read, “Review Request Pending” or “Review Requested” to enhance clarity on the status of your reviews.
Closing Remarks
By refreshing the HomeStars Lead Inbox, we are not just enhancing functionality – we are changing how home service Pros connect and succeed. By improving our ability to capture crucial data surrounding job closure, we’re empowering our Pros with insights that can truly transform their businesses. The revamped Lead Inbox will help Pros understand their ROI, foster successful habits, and guide our Pros towards success. We hope the revamped Lead Inbox provides intuitive pathways for Pros to close the loop on leads, prompt closure actions, and encourage behaviors that benefit Pros and homeowners alike. To learn more about the new Lead Inbox, get in touch with us today or connect with your dedicated Customer Success Manager at HomeStars!