Local moves are up, especially in Atlanta, Georgia. Friday is the most popular day to move. June is the most popular month. These are just a few of the facts from Moving Trends 2018, the annual report from My Moving Reviews. More than just facts and numbers, these trends could have big impacts on your moving business.
Looking Beyond Distance
Moving is all about getting from Point A to Point B. Traditionally, the greater the distance between those two points, the more expensive the move will be.
New data shows that price is still an important factor when moving, but it’s now determined largely by weight and services. Distance is becoming less of a dominating factor.
This gives your moving company an opportunity to shine. You can’t alter the number of miles between two points, but you can determine which services you offer and how you deliver them.
Each customer has unique needs, and more and more, they expect to be treated as individuals. According to the Gladly 2018 Customer Service Expectations Survey, 59 percent of people value personalization, making it more important than speed.
Providing a Good Value
People move for a lot of reasons. They’ve found a better job. They’re looking for a better environment to raise a family. Ultimately, they want a better life.
In 2018, 61 percent of moves were interstate moves, compared the 39 percent that were local moves. The most popular interstate route was from California to Texas. New York to Florida was the second most popular route, followed by California to Washington in third place.
People are moving because they hope to find better value in another place. They also want a good value from the moving company. Moving is an extremely stressful time, especially when people are moving to another state. They have to establish themselves in a new job and set up a new home, and they might have children dealing with new schools. There’s paperwork to complete and new people to meet. It’s draining. The last thing they want is a headache with their moving company.
People won’t put up with problems, but they’ll pay more to avoid them. The Gladly survey found that 92 percent of people say they’d stop using a company after three or fewer poor customer service experience, while 68 percent say they’d pay more if the company has a strong record of good customer service. When it comes to something as high stakes as moving, consistent communication and customer service are especially vital.
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