Our History - Our Beginnings
And What Happened Next?
Our history begins with our mission! From the very beginning, these basic, but important words describe what we have set out to provide for both the homeowners in our communities, and the service professionals in our network!
Quality Trust Safety Ease
Our Beginning
In Minnesota in 2004, The Service Guide started as an idea! The idea was to help local homeowners connect with quality local service providers.
The bigger idea was to help reduce the stress in this inevitable step for homeowners each time they would need help with home projects and repairs.
That turned out to only be the beginning!
Our Next Step
Big Change in 2008
Dial back your history and remember the year 2008. Customer Reviews were getting a lot of attention and were picking up steam online. There was a good reason for it.
Customer Reviews shared information that served as a strong indicator of quality, competency, experience and character of a business; all elements that build trust for the customer.
You're catching on, just as we did! In 2008, The Service Guide made a big change to our service and added a Customer Reviews feature along with a community building membership feature.
Here is what we learned next and how we responded
An "a ha" moment that shaped the company
Several years into the company, I realized that the homeowners that were using my service valued the same principals. Ironically, as much as great service providers and saving time were desired, it wasn't what mattered first. Instead, they needed confidence about their decisions, which meant they needed to TRUST themselves, as well as service providers they would ultimately choose to help them.
Any way we framed it, it was TRUST that mattered first and still does!
Everything we do points to the same place >
That people are looking for TRUST first and foremost!
From that point forward, our model has stayed true to our mission! We had been helping homeowners connect to expert service professionals, and now also to content, information, and an education, all based on that needed element of TRUST.
Consumers prove (and we are sure you know what we mean!) that TRUST is established in different ways and over time. A variety of experiences and information together help cement that confidence necessary to move the needles forward on any customer's mental trust meter.
Our Goal:
To curate TRUST BUILDING information for our visitors
Why does TRUST BUILDING information matter? How does it help you?
Trust Building information helps us because we all have our own mental TRUST METERS working for us, even when we don't realize they are there.
Human nature dictates when it is okay that we move forward, and when we cautiously stay back. Human beings naturally stay back when they are unsure of safety, and proceed forward once safety has been confirmed.
The same instinct takes over when we are looking for someone to help us, or when we need to make important decisions. In these processes, it is intuitive to try to eliminate vulnerability. To do that, we need trust building information to signal safety and trust.
These signals give us the coveted confidence and comfort levels we need, the assurances that bring closure to a decision-making process and allows us to make choices we need to make safely.
Our process helps you simplify yours!
We know at some point, that you will be trying to learn and discover information to help you make decisions about home projects and repairs. These decisions will not just affect your home. They will affect your wallet, as well.
Reliability
Reliability of content matters! We know the impact information you find can have on your research process and ultimately on the outcomes of your projects. That's why we take the time we do to curate the best content and experts so you can be sure the information you are processing with is some of the best information you can get.
Expertise
The experience and knowledge of people who help you matters! The experts in our Service Provider Network who have helped provide content, answers, and advice, have proven themselves to us, been vetted by us, and have confirmed their best interests align with ours, YOU! When you receive advice or solution ideas from our experts, you know you can trust them.
Quality
Quality of content matters! As a consumer, navigating your way through information only counts for you if you can rely on its quality! To us, content quality reflects accuracy, relevancy, and transparency.
Today, one of the best resources homeowners trust!
How can we be of help to you today?
