Every day, High 5 Plumbing would get calls from customers who just want an estimate of the price for a job. But the Denver-based contractor doesn’t give a quote without seeing the job first.

“Any plumber who gives a price over the phone is just doing what they call ‘bait and switch,’” says High 5 Plumbing President, Levi Torres. “This means, I’m going to give you a price over the phone, but once I get there, it’s going to change because every situation is different.”

This meant High 5 was missing as many as 10 leads a day. To plug this hole, it looked for a way to quote accurately without seeing a job in person, exploring virtual chat as an option.

In 2018, the company launched the virtual service High 5 Live, where customers can have a video chat with a technician to show what needs to be installed or fixed, from leaking pipes to sewage overflows. They then get a cost estimate at the end of the session.

While this worked for High 5, the process wasn’t straightforward for customers. The company had to use 10 different video conferencing platforms, complicating the process of booking and joining a video chat.

Streamlining the Process of Providing Estimates

It was only after trying BlueJeans Meetings that High 5 realized the virtual service could be much better.

“BlueJeans made it very simple. The fact that customers didn’t have to download an app — that they could just get a link and join a meeting — that made us realize that the platform was what we needed,” says Torres.

“We no longer have to ask, ‘Hey, what app do you have?’ Now, it’s like, ‘Sweet, we’re going to send you a link and you click on it.’”

Since then, High 5 has been using BlueJeans Meetings as the sole video conferencing platform for its virtual service. This has streamlined the process for virtual estimates, and reduced the amount of time staff spend booking a video chat with a customer from 17 minutes to just a few.

Switching to BlueJeans Meetings has eliminated any confusion customers had when scheduling a video chat, according to Marketing Director Claire Doyle.

“We have Millennials all the way to Boomers. So, with all the different generations of customers we have, it’s important for our call center to be able to just send a link.”

Reducing Costs and Saving Time

Importantly for High 5, it’s no longer missing so many leads a day — and it’s turning more of them into customers.

The company estimates that about 70% of callers who would have said no to an in-home appointment opt for a video chat.

“We can also add these callers to our customer base, which we wouldn’t have been able to do without the High 5 Live option,” says Doyle.

There has also been a massive reduction in cost by performing estimates virtually instead of in person, adds Torres.

“No matter where you are in Denver, you have to drive 20 to 30 minutes to a place and then back. By doing video chats instead, we’re saving on hourly pay, on fuel costs, and on vehicle maintenance. That has made a drastic difference.”

Technicians have likewise saved a great deal of time.

“If they’ve had a prior discussion about a job, they can maximize and better manage their time,” says Torres. “They don’t have to drive 30 minutes to a house and end up not doing any plumbing work because the customer just wants to know how much it costs to remodel their basement.”

Read the full case study here.

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