Steve Payne
Yet another online contractor referral service
Canadian ContractorSmartReno, who we have never heard of, proclaims itself the "leader" in the field
Below is a press release from Canada NewsWire about yet another contractor-finding service online.
We have no idea where the claim comes from that “SmartReno” is… “the Canadian leading player that helps people find qualified contractors.” We have been publishing for 16 years and had never heard of this service until we got this. Maybe we are just in a grumpy mood. Still, you got your publicity, SmartReno…
MONTREAL, May 18, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ – No need to look all over the Internet to find the best renovation contractor, it is now possible to find one directly through Facebook Messenger! SmartReno, the Canadian leading player that helps people find qualified contractors, adds as of today Messenger as a new customer service channel, becoming one of the first Canadian businesses to offer this innovative service.
The customer service team of SmartReno will now allow renovation project requests to be submitted via a Messenger conversation – in addition to the more traditional phone conversation or the online form. Simply by engaging in a Messenger conversation, a SmartReno advisor will be able to assess the needs of the client and help define his request. Then, as for any other project request, SmartReno will identify 3 to 5 contractors that are qualified, available and interested to submit quotes, all this within 24 hours.
“The trend towards mobility and instantaneity are definitely accelerating, and it has become natural for us to allow our clients to reach us whenever they want, through a communication channel that they know well and use regularly. In addition to interacting directly with our advisors, our clients will benefit from this more personalized and informal service”, said Andrei Uglar, Founder & CEO of SmartReno.
The addition of Messenger to the SmartReno platform broadens its service offering in its efforts to be the top-of-mind resource to help people throughout their renovation project. As a reminder, SmartReno Financing Plan has been launched earlier this year with the objective of offering its clients the opportunity to finance their renovation project over multiple years.
About SmartReno
SmartReno is changing the way homeowners search for contractors for their home improvement projects. The service allows people to describe their project in one place, then receive within 24 hours, and completely free of charge, several contractors who are best qualified and available to quote and execute their project. This matching is optimized through a real-time, multi-variable algorithm developed in-house, which identifies the best local contractors for a given project. Following the acquisition of its main competitor last year, SmartReno expects to receive about 70,000 project requests in 2016, for an aggregate value of $300M. SmartReno maintains an exclusive network of about 5,000 contractors, in which only those who offer superior performance stay.
See video on how the service works : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20ZJWgte-Ws
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Hello Steve I don’t want in any way to sound Bias regarding referral networks,BUT, from a person who has been involved and asked for advise from IE: The Blue ARMY, Dial One, Mr. Renovator, Mr. Build, BCAA At Home, Home 2000, to name a few, their isn’t going to be any that will survive unless they have a NAME BRAND with QUALITY, TRUST, & CREDIBILITY. After many years of Radio & T.V. I can Honestly say I enjoy every day going into the office to mentor our staff and help our Home Owner Members of my Shell Busey “House Smart” Club with their service contractor needs & their inquires about their projects. I just celebrated 20 years in the referral service and operate with a .5 complaint ratio. All our service trade members have to pass a criteria survey developed by myself and we spot check to insure the QUALITY of work completed,we offer this service FREE to the home owner and charge the service contractor a yearly fee for our service. In closing the REFERRAL BUSINESS IS NOT “JUST THAT EASY” all of the above mentioned are NO LONGER in BUSINESS. I love your magazine and E NEWS keep up the great work MORE exciting things to come,the more the merrier trying it on for size will only make it more sustainable for those who really care about the home service customers. “IT’S JUST
THAT EASY” SHELL
I am a contractor from Edmonton and used a company out of Ottawa called Servicely for a few years. Great guys and all worked well. Then they were bought out by Smart Reno. Nothing but problems. I don’t use them anymore.