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Green Clean Maine

This successful small business had great demand and a strong reputation. But the lengthy, tedious estimating process was yielding disappointment and wasted time. We knew we could save everybody time and frustration with a sleek form. We were right. 

View the  Estimator Wireframe  ·  Live Website

The Problem

For nearly ten years, when Green Clean Maine got a new client lead, they called the prospect for a long and thoughtful conversation about their needs, how they lived, and how often they needed cleaning visits. A sales rep keyed numbers into a detailed spreadsheet as they spoke, crafting an incredibly accurate and detailed estimate. By the end of the conversation a bond had formed—and then the sales rep quoted the price. Too many leads balked and bailed—they'd had no idea that quality cost so much. The team was burning through time and goodwill. 

The Project

We needed a way to qualify leads in advance, saving long, potentially frustrating conversations. After I heard the full story of their intake process, I suggested giving clients a less specific, but "in the ballpark" estimate up front. The immediate assumption was that everybody would be scared off by a larger number—and they'd also lose all the warm and fuzzy equity the process created.

We crunched some numbers about the how much time and money Green Clean Maine was spending on courting leads, and how many they ultimately converted into clients. Then we looked at the considerable savings that came with offering a quote quickly. We knew that some leads would self-select out of the pool because of the cost—but those weren't the right clients for the business. That pivot in thinking made all the difference. 

Then we looked at the spreadsheet and saw that the final number was swayed meaningfully by just a few fields.  What if those three fields were where we started? 

I turned their macro-laden Excel document into a few questions with a few options on the homepage of their website that gave a quote (with a disclaimer!). What once took at least an hour now took five seconds. 

The Payoff

Prospective client leads who wanted the service and were not daunted by the price quickly committed to a short form and got a follow-up call from a Green Clean Maine sales rep ready to reel in a hot lead. 

The business immediately saw a major problem solved, saving time, money, and goodwill thanks to some thoughtful UX.