In the rapidly evolving landscape of day to day bureaucracy, one thing has become abundantly clear: the era of paper-intensive processes is gradually fading away, making room for the digital revolution. Many of us have come accustomed to signing our amazon deliveries via digital squiggle or filling out forms online. Even in France, where parts are often accused of being a couple of decades in the past when it comes to paperwork, now files tax returns, fines and energy bills online. With so many things turning digital, we have taken this opportunity to look at the benefits of doing this in the world of Chimney sweeping and having realised how it can improve our own services, we have decided to pull the digital trigger.
Booking confirmations and reminder emails
It has happened on a good handful of occasions that we have turned up to a property and the fire has already been lit, preventing the chimney from being swept that day. A couple of times we have even been responsible for getting people out of bed when knocking on the door. Thanks to our new business software, having to remember your chimney sweeping appointment is now a thing of the past.
When making your appointment with us, you will receive an email confirming your appointment with the date and time displayed clearly for you to see. Of course, this email will remain in your inbox for you to check at any point as you see fit but you still need not commit this to memory thanks to automated reminder follow ups. In the week leading up to your appointment, you will receive an automated email reminding you of your appointment time and date and information on how to prepare for your sweep.
The day before your appointment and if you have given us your mobile number, you will receive a final reminder in the form of a text, 24 hours before your appointment is due to start. Confirmations and reminders are included as standard but if you would prefer not to have them or would only like a selection of them, please let us know and we can toggle them on or off to suit your preferences
We’re on our way
If we have your mobile number, you will be alerted to when we are en route to you. Our digital software will calculate our travel time between appointments and will give you an ETA for when you can expect us. What’s even cooler if you will also receive an optional link to track our arrival. In real-time you can see our position and the route we are taking to get to your property. Track my arrival is reliant of having a secure internet connection so if we have stopped moving on your map, it is likely we have lost connection (Something we all know happens all too often in rural France). Once connection is re-established, your map will update along with the ETA.
Digital certificates and Invoicing
From the day Jennings Chimney Sweeping began, we have always issued invoices digitally but now we will be able to send any and all documentation all together, including your ‘certificat de ramonage’. These can of course still be printed out for anyone that likes to keep physical records of these things but for the majority of people, this will mean no more filing paperwork away after your appointment and equally easy retrieval should you ever need to access these documents.
Online payment
Thanks to our new software’s integration with global payment processor Stripe, we are now able to take payment by card, during your appointment. You can now also pay your invoice online following a link sent to you alongside your invoice after the conclusion of your appointment. You can find out more about paying your invoice online here.
Tips, tricks & Info
Our website has had a makeover! Among changes to the design of the website you will now also find a ‘Tips, Tricks & Info’ button at the top of the website. This new section of our website is full of all sorts of information about all things wood burning, any relevant news and is full of tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your appliances – you are actually in the Tips, Tricks & Info part of our website now by reading this blog! We have conducted a few experiments recently such as ‘We Tested 5 Stove Glass Cleaners. Here’s What Came Out On Top’ where we share our findings and plan to conduced more in the future.
We look forward to seeing you soon where we aim to continue providing the high level of service you have come to expect from us, this time, armed with our new tablet.
