James Hardie Forms New Partnership with Hatch

Hatch, a messaging platform for home improvement professionals, has announced a new partnership with James Hardie Building Materials Inc., the largest global manufacturer of fibre cement products.

“Hatch has helped dozens of James Hardie dealers sell 7% to 10% more product so far this year,” Hatch CEO Chris Bache says. “With the partnership, we’re excited to help more dealers achieve similar results.”

Hatch offers software and services for both sales and customer service. Its business solutions include a shared inbox, automated messaging functions, and tools for automating appointments to “increase speed-to-lead, rehash unsold leads, and keep customers informed throughout their buying journey,” according to Hatch.

Hatch clients, James Hardie dealers overlap

Josh Carter, marketing manager, partnerships for Hatch, says the messaging service courted a partnership with James Hardie because the contractors that use their services most often work with the same materials that James Hardie sells. Many Hatch clients are already James Hardie dealers, and if they’re not, they could be, creating a natural symbiotic relationship. 

“We’re the one stop-shop messaging shop for home improvement,” Carter says. “The partnership is helping James Hardie partners close more sales, which in turn means they’ll need to buy more James Hardie products. It’s a win-win.” 

With the partnership, members of the James Hardie Contractor Alliance Program (CAP) will receive the following discounts: 

• Waived onboarding and third-party integration fees
• Free additional Hatch workspace for a sales rep or use case (e.g. rehash)

Messaging software for home improvement professionals

CAP members can buy the whole Hatch software, and from there, Hatch works with them to figure out what strategy they want to focus on. Some customers are more focused on instantly texting, calling, and messaging leads, while others are more interested in following up with clients that they give quotes, according to Carter. Either way, finding a streamlined way to handle business is imperative during the pandemic. 

“With demand being high for home improvement, the industry is just blowing up right now,” Carter says. “With that in mind, homeowners are needing to centralize all these communications with homeowners, and Hatch is helping them handle that chaos in one platform.”