Opportunities for home services brands to level up their CX
From pest control to plumbing, and HVAC to home renovations, home services companies are in people’s homes at some of their most urgent, stressful, and high-value moments. That makes customer experience (CX) a critical differentiator. Yet, as our latest research shows, many home services businesses are missing opportunities to meet and exceed customer expectations.
AskNicely partnered with Centiment to survey more than 3,000 executives worldwide, honing in on responses from VP-level and above leaders in home services. We explored how they collect, use, and act on customer feedback, and what challenges stand in the way of truly customer-centric growth.
Here’s what we found.
When it comes to hearing from customers, email is the leader: 87% of home services companies collect feedback via email. Social media is close behind, with 84% reporting it as a channel, the second-highest rate of any industry, only behind automotive.
Phone interviews (51%) and SMS surveys (59%) lagged, despite SMS being one of the most effective ways to capture fast, high-response feedback. This gap highlights a missed opportunity for more real-time customer engagement.
In terms of metrics, CSAT (customer satisfaction score) dominates, with 86% of companies using it to measure customer happiness.Â
Timing, however, varies:
That delay means many businesses are missing the chance to fix problems in the moment.
The good news: 99% of home services companies say they act on customer feedback.
The not-so-good news: only 36% act within 24 hours.
Here’s the breakdown:
Considering that most customers expect acknowledgment of their feedback within a day, two-thirds of businesses are already falling behind before the real work begins.
Compared with other industries, home services trails leaders in fast feedback response:
Only 61% of frontline teams in home services have real-time access to customer feedback.
That means nearly four in 10 technicians, cleaners, and installers are expected to deliver great experiences without visibility into what customers are actually saying. Without that connection, businesses risk creating a culture where CX insights sit in the boardroom instead of driving frontline action.
The payoff for getting it right?Â
Consider Shine, who use AskNicely to give every technician real-time feedback:
“The AskNicely platform gives our frontline technicians the feedback they need to feel empowered to give world-class service to each customer and the app is so FUN to use.” – Chris Fisher, Shine
Despite recognizing the importance of customer feedback, only 15% of home services companies have a fully integrated, real-time feedback analysis system.
The rest are left piecing together surveys, spreadsheets, and manual reports, slowing down response times and creating blind spots. Without a centralized system, leaders are making big strategic decisions without a complete picture of the customer experience.
There’s no debate: home services leaders overwhelmingly agree that better CX leads to better business results.
Respondents cited improvements in:
In short, CX is a proven driver of growth and profitability.
Our research shows that home services companies are collecting plenty of feedback and believe in its business impact. But the industry is falling behind in three key areas:
The companies that close these gaps will be the ones to win customer loyalty and market share in 2025 and beyond.
The customer experience platform is built for home service businesses.
Whether your teams are on a house call, fixing a furnace, or trimming a hedge, AskNicely helps them deliver a winning experience, every time. By putting real-time feedback in the hands of your frontline teams, you empower them to act quickly, feel confident, and wow customers in the moment.
AskNicely gets you up and running in 30 days, with measurable results in 90.
Join other home service companies that lead with customer experience.Â
“The rework cost we are saving alone pays for the tool and we have a lot more we can do now that we have AskNicely.” — Dane Dellenbach, Sr Director of Strategy and Innovation, Aptive EnvironmentalÂ
