In the past 12 years, I have taught dozens of companies how to market and sell online more effectively, and I have experienced firsthand the incredible power of self-service tools. In this article, I will share with you the five top self-service tools and give you some examples of great tools in action to inspire you to try them for yourself.
According to Gartner, "75% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free sales experience," and this is a trend that has sharply increased in the past few years. In comparison, in 2020, 33% of all buyers already desired a seller-free sales experience — a preference that climbs to 44% for millennials.
While that number will vary by industry (with wide disparity in the consumer sector), other studies (including Forrester and Google) have shown that buyers will complete 80% of their decision-making process before they are willing to contact a salesperson.
In other words, as a business, you need to make the buyer's journey for your prospects as easy as possible by providing educational content and enabling them to make as many decisions or take as many actions as possible independently.
Self-service tools on websites are interactive features that allow potential customers to gather information, make decisions, and take actions without direct interaction with sales representatives. These tools empower buyers to navigate the purchasing process at their own pace and on their own terms, aligning with the modern consumer's preference for independent research and decision-making.
For prefab and modular house construction companies, as well as businesses in other industries, implementing self-service tools can yield several benefits:
Increased customer satisfaction: Buyers appreciate the ability to explore options and gather information independently, leading to a more positive customer experience.
Time and resource efficiency: By enabling customers to perform tasks themselves, businesses can reduce the workload on their sales and customer service teams.
24/7 availability: Self-service tools provide round-the-clock access to information and services, accommodating customers across different time zones and schedules.
Improved lead qualification: As potential customers interact with these tools, businesses gain valuable insights into their preferences and needs, helping to qualify leads more effectively.
Accelerated sales process: By allowing customers to progress through the initial stages independently, the overall sales cycle can be shortened.
Scalability: Once implemented, these tools can serve multiple customers simultaneously without additional strain on human resources.
Data collection: Self-service interactions provide businesses with valuable data on customer behavior and preferences, informing future marketing and product development strategies.
Competitive advantage: Offering these tools can differentiate a business from competitors who may not provide such user-friendly options.
By incorporating self-service tools, prefab and modular house construction companies can create a more engaging and informative website experience. This approach not only caters to the modern buyer's desire for independence but also streamlines the sales process, potentially leading to increased conversions and customer satisfaction.
Here's a detailed description of each self-service tool, along with examples and tips for creating effective tools:
Self-assessments are interactive tools that guide users through a series of questions to help them evaluate their needs, preferences, suitability, or readiness for a particular product or service. In some cases, self-assessment tools help a buyer determine their technology adoption maturity level (see assessment below) or benchmark themselves against their peers to understand where they are.
These tools typically use algorithms to analyze user responses. The outcome is personalized scores or results based on the user's responses, including individualized recommendations or insights.
For a prefab or modular home construction company, a self-assessment tool might evaluate factors like budget, desired square footage, preferred architectural style, energy efficiency priorities, and lifestyle needs. The tool would then suggest suitable home models or provide guidance on the next steps in the buying process.
Self-selection tools are designed to help users navigate through a range of options to find the most suitable product or service. These tools typically use a step-by-step process, filtering options based on user input at each stage.
Self-selection tools are especially useful in scenarios where there are a lot of product options to consider and the potential buyer isn't familiar with the options or their impact on the end product or service.
In the context of modular construction, a self-selection tool might start by asking about the type of building (residential, commercial, etc.), and then narrow down based on size, budget, timeline, and specific features. The tool would progressively filter available options, ultimately presenting the user with the most suitable modular building solutions.
It doesn't always have to be fancy and can be as simple as filters on your catalog. For example, Haaven allows prospective buyers to choose the country they would like to build in and then further narrow down their choices by budget, number of bedrooms, etc.
Cover also offers potential buyers the option to enter their address to check if they are in the service area of the company. This allows potential buyers to immediately self-select whether or not they can build their ADU or Tiny House with the company.
Other examples could include:
One of the best examples is the Riverpools & Spas "Which is the right pool type for me?" quiz which allows you to pick the right type of pool for your backyard based on your preferences and lifestyle (e.g., do you have pets in the pool? are you willing to do weekly maintenance? etc.).
This might be my favorite of all the self-service tools because I personally find it the most useful. Self-configuration tools allow users to customize products or services according to their specific needs and preferences. These tools often visually represent the personalized product, updating in real-time as changes are made.
For a prefab or modular home company, a self-configurator might allow users to modify floor plans, choose exterior finishes, select interior fixtures, and add optional features like solar panels or smart home systems. Users could see a 3D rendering of their custom home that is updated in real time as they make changes.
One of the best self-configurators I have seen so far is the FDomes Glamping configurator. You pick the base model you want to buy, and you can customize everything you want: change the color of the canvas, add curtains, change the position of the door, add interior modules (like their stunning bathroom, kitchen, or bedroom modules), add windows and even a fireplace. Not only does the configurator visually represent the changes and update the pricing instantly, but it also does a great job explaining the options so buyers learn a lot while configuring their dome.
Another much simpler self-configuration tool is Abodu's configurator. Here, you pick the base model, pick the exterior color, and add some additional options to configure your house. Ultimately, you can save your design or schedule a tour to get started.
Other examples could include:
Self-scheduling tools enable users to book appointments, consultations, or demos without direct interaction with company representatives. These tools integrate with company calendars to show real-time availability and manage bookings efficiently.
A modular construction company might use a self-scheduling tool to allow potential clients to book site visits, virtual consultations, or in-person meetings with sales representatives or designers. The tool would ensure that appointments are distributed efficiently among staff and that all necessary information is collected in advance.
Below, I embedded my meeting-scheduling tool powered by HubSpot, but you can also use TidyCal, Calendly, and even Google Calendar.
Other examples of how to utilize self-scheduling tools might include:
Self-pricing tools help users estimate costs or calculate potential return on investment for products or services. These tools take into account various factors specific to the user's circumstances to provide personalized financial projections.
For a prefab home company, a self-pricing tool (think price, ROI, savings calculator) might allow users to input their desired home size, location, and selected features. The tool would then calculate an estimated cost range, breaking down expenses for materials, labor, site work, and optional additions. It might also compare these costs to traditional construction methods or calculate potential energy savings over time.
Even if you have hundreds of options or your houses are highly customized and a detailed pricing calculator might not be possible, you can build a tool that allows your potential buyers to pick a house type and enter the desired square meters/feet and a zip code. You can calculate the buyer's expected ballpark range by breaking down the costs for the modular components, shipping/transport, onsite assembly, foundation, and other expenses. This can even be as simple as calculating 20% on top of the modular costs for assembly, etc.
Below is a quick savings calculator I built with a tool called Involve.me. This tool helps companies compare the cost of outsourcing their marketing versus bringing their marketing function in-house:
In addition, you might want to try out our HubSpot ROI Calculator. Another tool I really like is ScoreApp.
Other examples of price calculators might include:
These detailed self-service tools empower potential customers to gather information and make informed decisions at their own pace. By implementing such tools, prefab and modular construction companies can provide a more engaging and informative website experience, potentially increasing lead generation and conversion rates.
By implementing these self-service tools, prefab and modular house construction companies can significantly enhance their website's effectiveness in engaging and informing potential customers. These tools not only provide valuable information to users but also help businesses capture leads and gain insights into customer preferences and behavior.