TruGreen UX + CRO
Problem
We work with TruGreen and are paid a fixed price per lead, but realized hundreds of leads were being rejected and our cost per sale was steadily increasing. This problem was made even more challenging since TruGreen’s off-season quickly approaches after summer and the need for lawn care drops off significantly. I thus sought out to investigate the cause of the rejected leads in order to keep a positive relationship with TruGreen and ensure this problem was solved once and for all. Due to a limited timeframe and minimal interaction with TruGreen, the first step I took in solving this problem was to develop a clear strategy to facilitate the end goal.
Goal
The overarching business goal for our team and TruGreen was to reduce cost per sale and increase conversion rates, thus in turn generating more qualified leads.
Competitive Analysis
Key Themes
Saving time
Money back guarantees
Expert credibility
Envy of your neighbors and curb appeal
User Research
After a deep-dive into TruGreen’s top competitors, I set out to take that knowledge and carry out user research. Conducting user research is always vital when uncovering user experience problems. In this project during COVID-19, we used HotJar to help identify trends on the current landing page and optimize what is working and what isn’t. This included user testing and usability testing via click-tracking and scroll heat maps and recordings.
Data Analysis
Although the fundamental challenge in this project was limited access to company data and metrics, I thoroughly analyzed the backend of the CRM data they granted me access to. Equipped with user data collected over the last 2.5 years, I organized and synthesized the information. I identified 5 distinct patterns within the system that prevented the user experience from being successful.
From this, I was able to synthesize both the qualitative and quantitative user data into actionable insights that aligned with the business and user goals of the project. I translated these findings into a plan for the information architecture, and created sketches, wireframes, and user journey maps. I presented these findings to my team and together we collaborated and outlined the most impactful solutions. Following this conversation, I designed new wireframes, mockups, and prototypes for the project. With the designs finalized, I created the dev specs for the project and started working directly with the developers.
Findings
I created 3 solutions for the project, which were subsequently rolled out via separate A/B tests based on baseline conversion rate and the minimum detectable effect. Two of the A/B tests were successful and projections for yearly cost per sale are much lower and have exceeded client expectations.
Through my user experience research, I was also able to identify an unexpected factor on our intake form that was regularly costing the company thousands in lost sales. What I found were simple, yet pervasive issues that began in 2018 and over time resulted in decreased leads and the loss of profits just shy of $50,000. The two data-entry issues that could have been avoided were:
Postal codes with invalid zip code +4 digit format
Correct: 27608
Incorrect: 27608-1003; previous form accepted 9 digit zip codes
Phone numbers with invalid format
Correct: 919-917-3272
Incorrect: 1919191-9393109-2; previous form accepted unlimited digits and no designated area code