How to Build a Better Tech Stack with Leap
When you go in to build your tech stack, aka the digital tools you use to support your business, selecting the right tools are essential to success. Ingage has partnered with Leap, the innovative app that digitizes every stage of the in-home sales process, to make it easier for our customers to win more business. We sat down with Tom Basch, the Head of Customer Experience at Leap, to share more about how we work together and why Leap is a key component of a better tech stack.
Ingage: Let’s talk about your background, how did you get started in the industry and how did you find yourself working at Leap?
Tom: After starting my own roofing business in college and joining the Marine Corps, I landed in project management and then roofing sales, before joining with HOVER. After 3 years there, I joined Leap in early 2020 as the Strategic Partnerships Manager and now I am the Head of Customer Experience. One of the reasons I really appreciate working at Leap is that we really focus on the customer experience and ensuring that their needs are not only met but exceeded.
Ingage: Considering you’ve always had your finger on the pulse of the home improvement industry, is that how you discovered Ingage?
Tom: I was introduced to Ingage by our customers, actually! There were quite a few customers that were coming to me asking “when is Leap going to integrate with my Ingage presentations?” I knew it was something we had to start considering so I connected with Jeff Mann, VP of Partnerships at Ingage, and we started brainstorming how to help customers.
Ingage: What was the most appealing part of working with Ingage?
Tom: For me, it was really about how well we aligned and Ingage’s openness to working together and finding solutions so our mutual customers can get what they need. When we first started talking about integrating our solutions, we knew there was a lot to be done behind the scenes, so to speak, with our tech teams. We had to think outside the box and come up with a more immediate and easy to implement solution. That’s how we developed the 4-finger-swipe where customers of Leap and Ingage can easily swipe between our apps on iPad which makes the in-home presentation a lot smoother. We continued to evolve and now have the ability to open Ingage directly inside the Resource section of Leap. We’ll continue to evolve and adopt new features as they become available!
Ingage: What solution have you seen Ingage provide for Leap users?
Tom: I think Ingage provides the opportunity for Leap users to be more professional and ditch the old PowerPoint Presentations and pitch books. The way our two companies really work well together is that we both provide a forward-thinking, digital solution to the way people used to do things. There are a lot of antiquated things that contractors do - from PowerPoint to financing - that Leap and Ingage have come in and put a new spin on to make their sales process more efficient and productive.
We’re promoting the fact that it’s time to up their game and arm their sales teams with something that will help differentiate them from their competition.
Ingage: There’s definitely a lot of competition out there in the industry right now, what are some of the other industry trends that you’re seeing?
Tom: One of the biggest trends right now is a new openness to adopt technology. For a long time, change was hard for many business owners in the industry, especially when it comes to tech. It can be really intimidating to take on something new and disrupt what they’re already doing. I hear it all the time, people will say to me, “I’ve gotten this far doing what I’m doing. Why should I adopt something new?”
At first, it can be hard for them to see the benefits, but then they start to talk to colleagues or friends in the home improvement market and realize that these companies are achieving record growth at an incredible pace. They’re scaling so quickly and the way they’re doing it is through different technology vehicles. We’re seeing that when leaders focus on their business instead of working in it, their eyes are opened to all the new opportunities and they’re ready to take the leap - if you’ll pardon the pun!
Ingage: Aside from having them talk to other leaders in the industry, what are some other ways you help guide business owners and leaders through the process of adopting new tech?
Tom: A lot of people get caught up in looking at new technology from a wide angle, which can be overwhelming. That’s why we start by helping business owners do an assessment of their business to determine the different gaps and opportunities they may have. From there, owners will often find that they need help in specific areas of their business like sales efficiencies, or training.
That’s where Leap can come in and share ways that they can start small by using just a couple of features, or in one specific office location, and begin reaping the benefits. We found that once owners and leaders do this, they expand their usage and end up seeing tremendous results. They start adopting more features and open it up to more locations, resulting in tangible benefits that the entire organization benefits from. Getting over the hurdle of change is hard, but it’s well worth it.
Explore how Leap can help grow your tech stack here.