How Optic-Kleer Improved Lead Capture and Closing Ratios with BidClips

Eric Howe is the president of Optic-Kleer, an auto glass franchise that’s been a staple in the glass world for more than 30 years. Established in the UK in 1991, Optic-Kleer has since opened locations in the United States, and has quickly become an established name in the auto glass industry at large as it has expanded throughout the country. We had the chance to talk with Eric about Optic-Kleer, BidClips, and how he’s seen improvements in his franchises since adopting the BidClips Platform. 

“We find if we’re really busy and don’t pick up the phone, they’re gonna go to the next site.” - Eric Howe

"We Want to Stay Busy"

Like many business owners, especially in a home service sector like Auto Glass, Eric was fairly cynical about new software, but always willing to take a look at new technologies anyways. “I’m always receptive to new technologies.” Eric recognized the tendency of online customers to quickly jump from site to site while looking for auto glass services, especially when a phone call isn’t answered, or a reply is slow in coming. “We find if we’re really busy and don’t pick up the phone, they’re gonna go to the next site.” 

Seeing the way BidClips’ lead capture tool keeps users on the Optic-Kleer Website, Eric was impressed when he discovered they could capture a customer’s attention, even if nobody was immediately available to pick up a phone. 

BidClips invites users to select their desired service, and leads them through an intuitive information submission process, where they can upload pictures, videos, and any detailed specs a shop might be looking for. “With BidClips, it has a way of enticing people to look further into your website.”   

Increasing Closing Ratios

BidClip’s usefulness doesn’t stop at being a simple lead capture tool; it’s also a significant factor in raising closing ratios. The lead capture process is interactive for customers, meaning they will most often follow through with their service requests. Eric says “once they leave information, they become engaged with us.” That engagement is only amplified as Eric’s team of sales professionals and techs uses the information they’ve gathered to quickly send professional looking quotes in no time. “Every BidClips [lead] we get, we close over 90%.” 

We’ve found our own stats to back this up. Leads that come through our online pop-up tool are 35% more likely to turn into a paying job than through normal website form submissions. For Optic-Kleer, it’s simply an upgrade to an already efficient closing process.    

Worth the Cost

To really understand how BidClips has helped Optic-Kleer, we talked with Eric about what their web leads looked like prior to using BidClips. Optic-Kleer was already massively successful prior to adopting the platform, but Eric did see a lot of positive change. It starts with having a great team. BidClips as a tool; by itself, it won’t single handedly improve your business, but when it’s put into the right hands, it’s a game-changer. 

For Eric and Optic-Kleer, it’s been the tool they use when they’re inundated with too many calls. “When we get a call, our closing rate is pretty high,” says Eric, right after complimenting Optic-Kleer’s excellent sales teams. But, he says, they simply aren’t able to answer the volume of calls that come in the way they’d like to. “To deal with those people we can’t just put the phone down and deal with someone else.” BidClips has given those customers a way to submit their information without having to talk to anyone on the phone. 

"I would say probably 75% of the people who contact us through BidClips leave everything, and once they do, we find the sale is almost a given.” - Eric Howe

What’s more, the service requests that are coming in through BidClips are almost always full of everything Eric’s team needs to send a quote. “I was pretty cynical about whether they would leave VIN numbers, or take videos, but I would say probably 75% of the people who contact us through BidClips leave everything, and once they do, we find the sale is almost a given.”

Eric says the price of the platform is well worth the revenue they generate from leads. The stats back it up; in general, CRMs are reported to have an ROI of around $30 for every dollar spent. With BidClips, there are even different plans to fit a business’s specific needs, meaning each company can tailor the platform to suit what they’re looking for. 

Better Customer Engagement

One of the features we touched on while talking was the messaging tool. As every glass shop can relate to, Optic-Kleer gets a lot of emails. “We get thousands of emails a day.” Dealing with such a large volume of messages can cause a lot of things to fall through the cracks, or simply be forgotten. With BidClips, every interaction is connected directly to each service request and sent quote, so there is a “trail of messages” to follow regarding every customer. “It’s simple for the customer and it’s simple for us.”

Software Everyone Should Have

Eric closed his time with us by explaining the usefulness of BidClips for his marketing team. “You have to invest funds into marketing,” he says. BidClips has helped to improve the look and functionality of the Optic-Kleer website, which to Eric, is well worth the cost. “The better you look, the more business you get.” 

For Eric Howe and Optic-Kleer, BidClips is an essential tool when it comes to lead capture, conversion, customer communication, and marketing. It has helped his team stay busy amid huge influxes of calls and service requests, given them easy access to customers and their requests, and provided tools to send out professional quotes and bids. 

“I try to eliminate all the reasons someone won’t use us,” says Eric. “Ultimately you want to look professional, this makes us look more professional.” As a tool to help businesses in the glass industry, Eric believes everyone should be using it. “Such a simple installation to put on your website, who wouldn‘t have it?”  

Want to learn more about what BidClips is doing for businesses, and how it could help you? Schedule a free demo to check out the platform for yourself!