Tasmanian Mobile Locksmiths win new business with Podium

The challenge:

Hobart, a city of roughly 250,000 people, is home to an impressive 11 locksmiths. For father/daughter run business Tasmanian Mobile Locksmith and General Manager, Emma Dooley, standing out in a crowded, competitive and cut-throat market was a challenge. “When I came in we were struggling to get ahead of our competitors,” Emma says. “The best way I could do that was through reviews.” Emma tried various tactics, all of which added to her already busy workload and had limited success. Eventually Emma onboarded Podium, and their competition is now a thing of the past.

Podium’s role:

Through Webchat, the business can quickly communicate with their customers – many of whom are contacting in an emergency – while Reviews allows them to secure the valuable feedback Emma was so desperate for. “People only contact us if they need us. They’ve lost their keys or they’ve locked themselves out of their house, for example. They need us immediately, and with text we can communicate with them straight away. Text is instant. People want an answer and they want it now.”

For the customer, the communication is instant, and for the business the benefits have been too. Through Webchat, Tasmanian Mobile Locksmith has generated 250 leads in just 12 months. “Roughly 70% of our leads turn into work,” Emma explains. “Those leads are incredibly valuable, but we weren’t getting them before – it was lost revenue. Using Podium has really helped us open the line of communication with our customers.”

And it’s through text that they’re able to quickly and conveniently request reviews, too. “People comment on how simple it is. They could do it in their sleep if they wanted to. None of our competitors come even close to us for reviews. I get a lot of people knocking on my door trying to put products under my nose, but I’m a lifelong Podium customer now though!”

The results:

Since implementing Podium, Tasmanian Mobile Locksmith has established itself as the industry leader in Tasmania. It has done so by:

• Securing over 260 new Google reviews through Podium – a 5x increase in 12 months
• Generating 250 leads through Webchat, with a conversion rate of roughly 70%
• Increased its Google rating 4.9* to 5* with many referencing their customer experience and responsiveness

For Emma, it’s about more than numbers, it’s about building a healthy and growing business. When the business onboarded Podium, it was in the process of getting a third van on the road. Initially, Emma was concerned about not having enough work to justify another van. However, thanks to Podium, she needn’t have worried. “The regular leads we get through Podium are awesome – we actually need more vans. Now the owner of the business is on standby in his car because there has been so much demand!”