ElectricalBossPro Blog — Generator & Maintenance Plans

Generator Maintenance Reminders by Text and Email: Night Before, On the Way, Arrived

A yearly visit is easy for a customer to forget. They signed up months ago, the generator has been sitting quietly in the side yard, and now a van is pulling into the driveway. If nobody told them, they might not be home to open the gate, or the dog is out, or they are on a work call wondering who is in the yard. Reminders fix that, and they do it without the office making a single call.

Reminders Ride Along With Billing

Card on file, covered in Card on File and Auto-Charge for Generator Maintenance Plans, takes care of the money. Reminders take care of the visit. Together they mean a plan customer can go a whole year without needing to call you, and still have the visit happen and the bill paid.

ElectricalBossPro sends automated reminders and alerts by text and email. Customers choose which alerts they want.

The Three Customer Alerts

Customers can pick from three alerts for their visits:

• Night before. A reminder the evening before the scheduled visit, so they know to leave the gate unlatched or keep the dog inside.
• When they're next. A heads-up when the tech is heading to their stop, so they can be ready.
• When the tech arrives. A text when the tech gets there, so nobody is surprised to see someone at the panel or the generator.

Some customers want all three. Some only want the night-before reminder. Letting them choose means the alerts are welcome rather than annoying.

On the Way and Arrived, From the Tech App

The “on the way” and “arrived” texts go out on their own from the tech app as the tech works the route. The tech does not have to type a text or call ahead. They tap through their day, and the customers who want alerts get them.

In the customer app, customers can also see today's route on a live map: “You're stop 12 of 20 — the crew is 5 stops away.” For a homeowner waiting to let a tech into the garage to reach the panel, that is far better than a four-hour window.

Replies Go to the Office

Customers will reply to reminders. “Can you come Friday instead?” “New gate keypad number is 4417.” “Dog will be in the garage.” Replies come back into two-way texting in the office, where someone can answer, reschedule or update the access notes on the property.

That keeps the conversation in one place, attached to the customer, instead of on a tech's personal phone. When an access note changes, the office updates the house record, and next year's visit shows the new note on the job card.

Reminders for Due and Overdue Visits

Not every reminder is about a scheduled day. When a plan visit comes due on the Waiting List, the office can send a text or email to the customer to set up a day. That is especially useful for overdue visits, as covered in Due Now vs. Overdue: Working the 7-Day Grace Window on Maintenance Plans.

Before storm season, a short text to every generator plan customer who has not had their visit yet is an easy way to fill the schedule: “Your yearly generator visit is coming up. Reply with a good day this week or next.”

Those office texts are personal, not automated, and that is part of why they work. A customer who gets a short, friendly message from a real person at your shop is more likely to answer than one who gets a generic notice. The reply lands in the same two-way texting thread, so whoever picks it up has the whole conversation in front of them.

Keep Texts Short

ElectricalBossPro plans include a monthly text allowance: 500, 1,000 or 2,000 segments sent and received on Start, Pro and Crew. Short texts make that allowance go further, and they are easier for customers to read anyway. “Your generator visit is tomorrow. Please leave the side gate unlatched.” says everything it needs to.

Email is a good fit for longer messages, such as a note explaining what the yearly visit includes or a follow-up about recommendations from the report.

Fewer Missed Visits, Happier Customers

The practical result of good reminders is fewer wasted trips. A tech who arrives to a locked gate and nobody home has lost a stop. A customer who knew the visit was coming leaves the gate open, puts the dog away, or texts back to move the day. Customers also notice the professionalism. A company that tells you when it is coming feels like a company that has its act together.

For how reminders fit with plans, the Waiting List and billing, visit the ElectricalBossPro generator maintenance software page.