In our latest webinar, we had an insightful discussion on how Point Loma Electric and Plumbing increased their booking rates by 15% using Hatch AI. This deep dive featured practical advice, real-world experiences, and direct insights from experts who are seeing significant success with AI-driven solutions.
View the full recording here.
Webinar recap
Meet the experts
The session was hosted by Kristen, Hatch’s Head of Marketing. Our speakers were Chris Bache, CEO and Co-founder of Hatch, and Chelsea, the Call Center Supervisor from Point Loma Electric and Plumbing. Chris set the stage by sharing how Hatch AI works to improve customer service interactions, while Chelsea offered a firsthand look at how her team leverages AI.
Point Loma’s operations
Point Loma Electric and Plumbing operates a call center from 7 AM to 7 PM, Monday through Saturday. Chelsea manages a team of four call takers who handle a diverse range of responsibilities: inbound and outbound calls, sales follow-ups, scheduling, and managing customer interactions. The team’s setup means efficiency is essential, and they need to be on top of every lead that comes in.
“Our CSR team is our front line for customer communication,” Chelsea shared. “We don’t just take calls; we also handle follow-ups, reviews, and even promotions.” This comprehensive approach made AI an appealing solution to streamline processes and boost productivity.
How they're using AI (and maintaining human touch)
Point Loma uses Hatch AI across multiple touchpoints in the customer journey, from initial lead follow-ups to post-service review requests. Chelsea explained that the AI handles the first interaction and automatically engages leads, saving valuable time and resources. “The AI secures the conversation, so if a lead responds while we’re not available, the bot has it covered,” she said.
The AI ensures that every incoming lead is responded to within seconds. And whether it's for scheduling services or following up on estimates, the AI keeps customers engaged without overwhelming them. Point Loma has fine-tuned these automated messages to ensure relevance and maintain high engagement.
Chelsea emphasized the balance between automation and the human touch: “We have the bots handle the initial outreach, but our team steps in as soon as a customer is ready for more detailed interaction.”
ServiceTitan integration and Google LSA
A key component of Point Loma’s strategy is integrating Hatch AI with their CRM, ServiceTitan, as well as with other lead sources like Google Local Services Ads (LSA), Yelp, and Angi. This seamless integration ensures that leads are managed efficiently, and data flows smoothly between platforms.
“ServiceTitan is our main CRM, and Hatch pulls data from there to optimize our speed-to-lead process,” Chelsea explained. She noted that Hatch’s ability to integrate with Google LSA was especially promising, given the importance of quickly engaging leads that come from those ads.
While Point Loma is still in the early stages of using Hatch with Google LSA, they’ve already seen promising results. “It’s too soon to share detailed metrics, but the speed and convenience of the integration have been game-changers,” Chelsea said. The ability to instantly respond to a lead who clicks the “message” button on a Google LSA ad is a crucial advantage.
One of Chelsea's favorite workspaces in Hatch right now is her "Abandoned Call" workspace. Being able to create a campaign that reaches out to customers whose call they've missed has been a major asset to the team.
Best practices for AI setup and testing
Implementing AI is not a “set it and forget it” process. Chelsea shared how her team approached this with patience and diligence, investing time to test and refine their setup. One of the key tools they used was Hatch’s testing playground, where team members could practice conversations with the AI.
“We intentionally played the role of difficult customers,” Chelsea laughed. “We wanted to push the bot to its limits and see where it struggled.” This testing allowed them to preemptively address potential issues and fine-tune the AI’s responses.
Chris added, “When you bring on a new employee, you train them and give them time to learn. It’s the same with AI. It’s a learning process, and the bots improve over time.”
Handling challenges and building trust with AI
Gaining team buy-in was one of the initial hurdles. “Our team had to trust the bots, and that took about 30 days,” Chelsea admitted. She explained that call takers were initially reluctant to let AI handle leads, but seeing the AI secure conversations during off-hours or when they were on lunch breaks won them over.
One of the strategies Chelsea used was starting small. “We began with just a few campaigns, focusing on speed-to-lead responses,” she said. Once they saw success there, they gradually added more complex workflows, like missed call follow-ups and review requests. This gradual approach minimized resistance and allowed the team to adapt.
Chris highlighted the importance of this trust-building phase: “You have to let the AI make a few mistakes so that you can correct it. Once it’s trained, it becomes a powerful tool that saves time and boosts productivity.”
Avoiding message fatigue
A common concern with automation is over-messaging customers. Chelsea shared how Point Loma addressed this issue: “We had to adjust our messages multiple times and create specific audiences to avoid spamming people.” They refined their workflows so that the AI only sent relevant follow-ups, and they used opt-out options to respect customer preferences.
One of the biggest improvements came from setting up intelligent bailouts. If a bot couldn’t handle a customer’s request, it would seamlessly pass the conversation to a human agent. This ensured that every interaction felt personalized and valuable.
“Sometimes you don’t realize a problem until it happens,” Chelsea said. “But with Hatch, we can make adjustments instantly and improve the customer experience on the fly.”
Key integrations and Hatch AI roadmap insights
Chelsea shared how Hatch AI’s integration with ServiceTitan’s booking features has streamlined their operations. The AI can initiate bookings and fill in the necessary information, but the final confirmation still involves a human touch. “We like to double-check everything before booking a job,” Chelsea explained. “It keeps our team engaged and ensures quality control.”
Chris also revealed some exciting updates on the Hatch AI roadmap, including Voice AI for handling overflow calls. “Voice AI is getting really good, and it’s a natural next step for us,” Chris said. He also mentioned enhancements to data integrations that will allow the AI to make even more informed decisions.
Real results and continuous improvement
Since implementing Hatch AI, Point Loma has seen a clear uptick in productivity and efficiency. Chelsea shared a striking example: “Our missed call campaign is my favorite. Before Hatch, we had to manually reach out to every missed call. Now, the AI does it instantly, and we’ve already booked several appointments that we would’ve otherwise missed.”
The AI has also helped improve their response time on weekends. “Our office is closed on Sundays, but with Hatch, we come in on Monday to a full booking tab,” Chelsea said. “It’s a huge relief not to have to play catch-up.”
Chris closed the session by emphasizing the value of collaboration: “Hatch AI is here to support, not replace, your team. Our goal is to make your CSRs more efficient so they can focus on high-value tasks.”
For businesses looking to streamline operations and improve customer engagement, Point Loma’s story is an inspiring example of how AI, when implemented thoughtfully, can drive measurable success. If you’re ready to explore how Hatch AI can transform your contact center, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Key takeaways
- Start small and scale up: When implementing AI, focus on a few key campaigns, then expand as you gain confidence.
- Invest in setup and testing: You get out what you put in with Hatch. Take time to set things up right, really try to "break" your bots before publishing.
- Give AI time: AI bots need training and time to learn just like humans do. But the growing pains are worth it.
- Maintain a human touch: Use automation to handle repetitive tasks, but have humans step in for high-stakes interactions.
- Customize and refine: Adjust your messaging and workflows to avoid over-communication and ensure relevance.
Questions?
Hatch customers, reach out to your Account Manager here with any questions you have.
Non Hatch customers, you can find Hatch in the ServiceTitan Marketplace or book a demo with us here.