How to Become Tesla Certified Electrician

Posted on February 10, 2021 | by K Hopkins

Please note: We do not certify electricians for Tesla. You will need to contact Tesla for more information or questions.

tesla certified installer If there’s anything we know about Tesla, it’s that they keep doing better and better. This leads to more people wanting to join the movement for sustainability by owning one of their sleek vehicles.

More EV drivers on the roads increase the need for home charger installations. It’s not surprising because a home charging station offers convenience and reliability. This is where hiring an electrician for the installation also comes in.

The term Tesla certified electrician simply means an electrician or company that has undergone training by Tesla and is certified as a capable installer.

Becoming a Tesla certified electrician comes with many benefits such as:

Having the certification shows that you invest in your career as an electrician and you probably have more knowledge and experience than others in your field.
You get to stay updated with the latest trends in consumer and industrial electricity.
You will be shown to EV drivers in your area as a Tesla certified electrician.
Tesla always recommends that owners get their charging equipment installed and serviced by one of their certified electricians.

How to become a Tesla certified electrician

When you decide this program and its certification are just right for you, you’ll have to apply for it. The application is done via the Tesla website and you will be required to fill a form. Here is some information Tesla will ask you to provide in the form:

Your full name
Email address and phone number
Region
Address
Company name
Products you will work with
The number of installations you hope to install in a year?
Company address
Website
Number of employees
The certifications/licenses you currently have
Insurance document

The data may depend on if you are an independent electrician or electrical contractor/company. Further directions will be given after you submit the form. Due to great interest, the form and program may not be available at any given time.

What to expect?

As a Tesla certified installer, you would often be required to take the pictures of your completed installations and send them to Tesla.

You would need to have an electrical license and be an electrician to apply for this certification.

Please note: We do not certify electricians for Tesla. You will need to contact Tesla for more information or questions.

The Electric Connection is proud to be featured as a Tesla certified installer. We are currently installing multiple Tesla and other electric vehicle charging units and receptacles daily. It’s usually a simple job for our electricians to tackle and we’re happy to help out! Complete this simple online form for a free quote emailed to you in minutes.

How Do You Get A License To Be a Los Angeles Electrician?

Posted on July 17, 2020 | by K Hopkins

los angeles electrician Becoming an electrician is a wonderful career choice. It involves repairing, installing, replacement, and maintaining electrical components in businesses, homes, and buildings in general.

According to a BLS report, “the median annual wage for electricians was $55,190 in May 2018.” The BLS May 2018 data also includes that the annual wage of an electrician in California was $69,320.

You can get a license to be a Los Angeles electrician in any of the 5 licenses that fall under the electrical category for California. Most of what is needed to acquire the license are similar, and we have outlined the differences below. The 5 licenses include;

General Journeyman Electrician

A journeyman electrician is someone who works under an electrical contractor. The job description includes installing, maintaining, or constructing electrical systems under the National Electrical Code. To apply for a general journeyman electrician license (and any license on this list), you will need proof of,

“successful completion of an apprenticeship program approved by the California Apprenticeship Council, the federal Bureau of Apprenticeship Training, or a state apprenticeship council authorized by the federal Bureau of Apprenticeship Training to approve apprenticeship programs, in the classification for which certification is sought”

This experience itself comprises at least 8000 hours of working under an electrical contractor. The application costs a fee of about $175 and is non-refundable. This license is provided by the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE).

Residential Journeyman Electrician

A residential electrician provides electrical services to residential buildings such as homes, hotels, and motels. This license is also issued by the DLSE. You will require proof of experience as stated in the quote above for a general journeyman license. The experience itself comprises 4800 hours of work under an electrical contractor. The fee for the application is also a non-refundable $175.

Voice, Data, Video Technician (VDV)

A VDV technician is one that requires at least 4000 hours of work experience under an electrical contractor in installing, constructing, or maintaining electrical systems that “falls within the scope of the National Electrical Code, Articles 725, 770, (non-composite cables only), 800 (non-hybrid cables only), 810 and 820”.

The conditions for the proof of experience are the same as stated for the general journeyman electrician and so is the application fee of $175. The license is issued by the DLSE.

Fire/Life Safety Technician

The job description is exactly what the name sounds like. A fire/life safety technician’s experience is quite similar to that of a VDV technician. It requires 4000 hours of working under an electrical contractor on systems that are “covered in the National Electrical Code (Article 760) and the National Fire Alarm Code”. The license is issued by the DLSE and fee for the application is $175 with no refunds.

Non-Residential Lighting Technician

As a non-residential lighting technician, your job is to repair, service, and maintain all existing and non-residential lighting fixtures including the installation of retrofit upgrade fixtures. Your proof of experience provided should include at least 2000 hours of work experience under an electrical contractor. The license is issued by the DLSE and fee for the application is a non-refundable $175.

What is an Electrical Contractor License?

hiring electricians Electrical contracting is a wide and successful industry. It has a value of over $130 billion annually. There are over 70, 000 electrical contracting companies and over 650, 000 electricians in the United States. They serve both residential and commercial electrical needs.
An electrical contractor license is a license that allows the licensee to hire other licensed electricians, bid for electrical projects, and apply for relevant permits for jobs. Almost every state requires an individual electrician or company to obtain this license before they can provide electrical services.

Obtaining this contracting license varies between states. However, the individual electrician must be a master electrician. If it is a firm or company applying for the license, then they must present a master electrician who will be responsible for the contracting activities of the firm.

Requirements to Become an Individual or Business Electrical Contractor

Complete electrical apprenticeship to become a journeyman electrician
Meet all your State’s requirement to be a certified journeyman
Earn a master electrician license
Apply for the electrical contractor license and fulfill the requirements

Eligibility for an electrical contractor license

For an individual to be eligible for this license you must meet the following criteria;

You must pay the required fees- this refers to the application fee and license fee which may vary across States
Have insurance with a reputable insurer
Commit to an educational and safety training
Complete the necessary forms
Possess the qualifications, training, and experience of a qualified electrician
You must agree to comply with all the State guidelines, legislative requirements, and the codes of practice

The projects a licensed electrical contractor can handle

COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS
A licensed electrical contractor can take on huge or small tasks within a commercial and industrial setting. These include working on schools, hospitals, office building, factories, and much more. Electrical contractors can bid competitively for these tasks and can also be hired as permanent members of the design-build team. The services they will provide to these buildings include the design and installation of panels, electrical systems, wiring, electrical equipment, and more.
RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS
Residential projects are the most lucrative business for electrical contractors because homes have evolved to need more customized electrical services. There are integrated communication systems, security and entertainment systems in modern homes. An electrical contractor can perform electrical upgrades, installations, wiring, renovation projects, and more in residential settings. Some projects may require permits which the license enables the contractor to obtain.
SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE JOBS
An electrical contractor can provide this to both residential and commercial settings. The contractors would need to service, maintain, and repair electrical systems. Sometimes such tasks are complete within a day or hours and have a flat rate cost.

The Electric Connection is a licensed electrical contracting company. We hire only the best electrical technicians to work for you. We are professional about our tasks and guarantee a satisfying service each time. You can call on us to handle any electrical tasks you might have. Our electricians ensure they get it right the first time, to save you cost, stress, and time.

How to Get Reviews as an Electrician

Posted on January 2, 2020 | by K Hopkins

get more reviews as electrician Perhaps the reason your potential customers always choose the competition over you is nothing more than online reviews. Research says that a whopping 86% of customers read reviews for local businesses before making a decision. In recent times an equally large number of customers decide based on good reviews.

How do you think this plays out for your company who probably don’t keep tabs on their online listings? Or ask for reviews? Or respond to the reviews they get?

Not a good picture is it. Reviews are a part of all businesses now and apparently, they are here to stay. The question is how you can get in on this business trend and get reviews as an electrician.

Read on to know.

It starts with establishing your online presence

Reviews end up on your website or review sites like Yelp and Google my Business. Claiming your listings on any of these sites helps you control your review game. Have a social media presence as well where customers can easily reach out with comments. Social media makes it easy for you to see the signs of a fire before it starts – if you know what I mean. By being in control of your online presence you can direct customers to leave reviews on these sites or minimize the damage of a negative review.

Provide excellent service and customer experience

It’s easier to get reviews and positive ones when you provide excellent service and customer experience. Go the extra mile to ensure you are certified, experienced, and insured. Arrive promptly, well dressed, and perform a neat job. Customers value and enjoy services that are smooth, stress-free and courteous. Strive to create a wow impression from the first touchpoint you have with the customer. Electrical services that turn out efficient and hassle-free are great initiators for positive reviews. When this is covered then you can have the confidence to move on.

Ask! Just Ask!

Several review platforms are against soliciting for reviews from clients, but mostly they are against using incentives or forcing clients to leave reviews. After a job well done, you can use emails, cards, letters, or face-to-face contact to remind the client to leave you a review. Infuse humor, politeness, and make it easy by sharing a quick link to your review page.

Many customers who have a good experience often forget or are reluctant to leave reviews. But the troublesome ones or those who feel they have had a bad experience won’t skip a beat. They will find you anywhere and review you. So you see asking is of the essence to reel in as much good as you can.

To make things easier, use a program like The Review Generator to automate review requests and follow ups.

Reviews attract reviews

There is something called the herd mentality and for humans, it’s just sheer nature. People like to follow the crowd. If everyone is buying groceries from the store down the street, then others assume there must be something good going on there so they join the crowd too. The more reviews you have the more you can actually get because people get the impression that your services are so good all your clients leave reviews. They literally can’t wait to leave theirs too.

When the reviews do come, be sure to respond consistently and promptly. Showing your presence and connection encourages other clients to leave reviews too.

Are Online Reviews Important for Local Search?

Posted on July 19, 2019 | by K Hopkins

contractor asking for reviews Your business reputation is invaluable to its success. And in recent times, consumers no longer want to hear how good your business is from you, they want a third party confirmation from users like themselves. This brings us to the ever growing importance of reviews for businesses.

Let’s check out some stats.

92% of buyers or consumers depend on business reviews to help them decide which companies to trust.

This means that if your business reviews contain more negatives than positives, potential clients will be skeptical and probably look elsewhere.

Now, not only do reviews affect purchases, but they also influence your local SEO or visibility. When you own a local shop, you want to be seen on online local searches to boost sales.

Studies have shown that 86% of consumers read reviews for local businesses before making any decisions.

Here’s why online reviews are important for local searches.

They show your business is genuine and offers good products- that is if there are positive reviews to speak for you.

The consistency and quality of online reviews make you seem relevant to search engines and increases your chances of showing up in top results. Not only do you need to have more positive reviews, but you must also have them consistently.

Studies show that over 40% of consumers only read reviews which are up to 2 weeks old. The implication of this is you would lose some prospects if your last review was a month ago.

Some online reviews are keyword rich. Trying to rank higher in searches all by yourself can be daunting but with rich and consistent reviews, it can become much easier. Some customers tend to speak about the service when they leave reviews. This applies to both positive and negative feedback. These service keywords go a long way in local searches and can improve rankings greatly.

How to get reviews

The reason most businesses avoid the subject of reviews or suck at it is that asking for reviews can be tough. It is not an easy feat to convince most people to feel interested in leaving feedback about your business.

This gets worse for positive reviews because customers who feel they had a bad experience waste no time in letting the world know about it. So, how do you get your clients to leave reviews especially good ones? The team at The Review Generator has compiled a few tips to guide you.

Delegate a team to this task.
Remember not to sound too formal, pushy, or needy when asking for reviews.
Create a template text to send as emails or messages to customers. Try to include links to the review page in these messages.
Set up a review page customers can visit to drop reviews and see other customers’ feedback too.
Claim your listings and business profiles on review sites to help you monitor your online reputation.
Respond professionally and interactively to reviews online.

Good practices to help maintain your online reputation with reviews

Never buy or write fake reviews.
Respond appropriately to negative reviews. They are a necessary evil that proves your authenticity and tests your professionalism.
Try to get keyword rich reviews by encouraging clients to talk about the service they receive.

The Electric Connection proudly utilizes services by The Review Generator. This reputation management service allows The Electric Connection to collect a variety of feedback from all our clients. We strive on customer satisfaction so when a problem arises, we want to know. The Review Generator allows us to reach out to our customers for feedback, get more positive reviews, and take care of any complaints from our customers privately.

The Importance of Gathering Reviews for an Electrical Company

Posted on June 12, 2019 | by K Hopkins

electrical company review Reviews are the lifeblood of any business and they won’t be going away anytime soon. They influence your brand reputation and can determine your business success. As a skilled tradesman, gathering as many positive reviews as possible is an essential success strategy. Many electrical companies do not recognize this and so do not take the necessary steps towards obtaining customer reviews.

In this article, we will discuss the importance of gathering reviews for your electrical company.

You can’t truly ignore them.
Whether or not you like it, customers will leave reviews, feedback, and comments about your business. Some might be positive, others negative, and very few will maintain a sort of neutrality. Ignoring your business reviews is an ineffective and dangerous action. It is almost the same as leaving your business unsupervised.

Keeping up with reviews about your company/service can be tough for a busy electrician, but there are ways to do it efficiently. Apply tools to monitor any mentions of your company and establish creative responses to both negative and positive customer reviews.

You forfeit visibility
Maintaining your online presence is everything in this day and age. The majority of your clients are online searching for electrical service, and if they cannot find you, they will choose your competitors. Online reviews help to improve your online visibility. Some prospects filter Yelp results by ‘most reviewed’ or ‘highest rated’. Hence, without as many positive reviews as your competitors, you will not be seen. Google equally provides search results using relevance sometimes influenced by positive reviews.
It is what customers are looking for.
You may believe that your services are one of the best. You can even write all about it on your website. The only problem is, customers won’t take your word for it. Online reviews are known as peer recommendations between customers because over 84% of prospects will use reviews to decide if they should hire your service or not.
Reviews can become a competitive advantage
Customer reviews can help you stand out in the way you desire. Great reviews that praise your business, mention important points and show satisfaction can establish your brand authority and increase business growth. Some happy clients may do this naturally, but others won’t. Create a strong review game that gets you what you want. Encourage customers to leave reviews that highlight the issues you helped them solve.

Don’t push, only ask strategically and politely. You can also do this yourself when you respond to their reviews.

At The Electric Connection, we stay updated on customer reviews and feedback. We provide quality services to satisfy clients and ensure availability to respond to their feedback. Client feedback on several platforms is a testimony of our brand authority in the electrical niche. You can check out our dedicated customer review page to see for yourself.

The Review Generator can help you reach out to your customers easily to get more reviews on your public review sites. They offer a one month free trial and has helped The Electric Connection connect with our customers to get more positive reviews online.

Should I Ask My Customers to Leave Reviews?

Posted on January 14, 2019 | by K Hopkins

electrician reviews The survival of most businesses depends on building trust and loyalty with clients. When a potential customer finds your service attractive, they wouldn’t be in a hurry to hire you because they still require some assurance that you are worth the investment of time and money.

Unfortunately, in an online business or website, you cannot be physically present to apply your skills of persuasion. This means that you must put a system in place to convert visitors to leads.

Business reviews are part of the most vital ways to convince a client that they can trust you, especially when you offer electrical services. Statistics show that about 85% of customers view online reviews from strangers and make their decisions based on them. Hence, electrical service reviews from satisfied clients help to grow your business and establish your brand authority.

Although customer reviews are important, they are not so easy to get. As an electrical contractor, you may wonder if it is okay to ask your customers for reviews. The answer is yes. Some clients are reluctant to leave reviews while others may forget all about it. When you have a client that doesn’t leave a review, you have to develop a way to encourage them or ask subtly.

If you have been in an online business long enough, you would discover that asking customers for reviews may be beneficial but it is also daunting. Here are some tips on how to ask customers for reviews.

Engage your Clients
Customers are more likely to leave reviews- and positive ones – if you engage them on a personal level. Try to connect with clients fully and ask questions that show your concern for their satisfaction. This rapport makes it easier to encourage clients to leave reviews.
Review Emails
Asking for electrical service reviews via email requires a direct approach. You can put together a message body that says how glad you are to work with the client. Include something about the importance of reviews and subtly ask for one.
Ask when you receive customer praise
Some satisfied clients may find it difficult to dismiss their joy. They can offer praises after the job is completed. Take this opportunity to ask them for feedback or review. Ensure that you respond politely and with equal gladness to hear of their satisfaction. When this conversation is established, request that they take a few seconds to show this satisfaction in a written review.
Provide links
To make clients feel comfortable with leaving reviews, you can provide direct links in an email or message to them. This lessens the chances of reluctance and allows the client to leave a review without hassle or wasting precious time.
Never Push
Despite your efforts to create a seamless system where customers can leave electrical service reviews, there would be those that are quite determined not to leave one. When you encounter such clients, there’s no need to push or force them. Simply let it go and encourage them towards return patronage.

There’s is a fine line between asking for an electrical service review and demanding one. While it is fine to develop ways to ask your clients to give reviews, it is wrong to use pressure. Employ suitable tips and be sure to learn what works best for you.

Reviews for Electrical Contractors

Posted on October 30, 2018 | by Kim Hopkins

electrician reviews In addition to providing services to homeowners and business, The Electric Connection is proud to offer advice to other electrical contracting companies.

One of the most important factors when it comes to gaining more customers is having an abundance of positive reviews. While most everything is done online today, word of mouth is still the most powerful element when it comes to getting the job. Since everyone is digital these days, word of mouth turns into stokes of the keyboard. It is easier than ever for your customers to tell other potential customers how well (or not so well) you did on the job. In today’s marketing, online reviews are yesterday’s references and can either help make or break your business.

What Makes Online Reviews Important?

Websites like Yelp, Google My Business, and Angie’s List play a huge role in the success of a business. All of your potential clients are searching them daily to find the best electrician in their area. If you have less than a five-star rating, you will likely be left in the dust. Why do these review sites have such a big impact on getting you business?

Reviews left online are highly accessible. They’re easy to find thanks to Google, mobile apps, and new features on popular social media sites, like Facebook. Type in any company’s name plus the word review and you’ll be lucky if one of these sites don’t turn up.

Online reviews are also very visible. Even before a potential customer clicks a link, they are able to see how your business is rated right from the search results, some times without even typing your business name.

SEO can also be affected by the reviews left online. Google likes to see highly rated companies in their search results. If you have more stars on your Google My Business page than your competition, you will likely show up above them on maps.

As you can see, online reviews definitely have a huge impact on your business and how it is seen online. A study shows that roughly 72% of customers trust online reviews as much as they would a personal recommendation. It’s important to reach out to your customers for feedback on how the job went. Once you get a lot of online reviews, you’ll have a ton of new work rolling in.

The Electric Connection believes in quality and offers a lifetime guarantee on all our work. We are fully licensed, bonded, and insured. In each of the last few years, we earned the Angie’s List “Super Service Award.” We are proud to display on our website over 100 reviews by satisfied customers.