Industry Blogs

A recent survey has suggested that 80% of customers online will check out the reviews before they decide to buy a product or commit to using a service. That’s important because it means if there’s an issue with the reviews for your business, then it could lead to you losing a lot of potential customers. This might even be the reason why your plumbing company is struggling to make the profits that you hoped for when you opened up shop. To tackle this issue, you need to explore why your plumbing company is getting negative reviews. More often than not, this occurs because your company is falling down in key areas and customers want to see improvements. 

Believe it or not, clients don’t tend to leave bad reviews out of spite. Either they feel like they have received a low-quality service, they think they have been treated unfairly, or they want to provide your business with criticism so that you can improve. A lot of businesses shy away from reviews hoping they will go away. Instead, you should be using them as a tool and a way to move forward with your company.

Let’s take a look at some of the key issues that customers might have focused on in their reviews for your service and the right steps forward that you should consider. 

Efficiency

One of the first elements that you should focus on is the levels of efficiency in your business model. When a customer contacts a plumber, it’s usually due to an issue that they need to resolve as quickly as possible. This could be a problem with a blocked toilet or a system in their home that has stopped working completely. If you are providing your solution to commercial clients, then a plumbing issue could mean that they are forced to close their doors due to health and safety. That’s why it’s essential that you can offer them a rapid solution and this should start from the first point of contact. 

Even as a local service business, you need to have a great website and this should be set up the right way. It needs to have a solid structure and ideally should follow the three-click rule. Essentially, a customer should never be more than three clicks away from what they’re looking for on your business website. Correcting issues with the structure of your site can be complex and expensive. The good news is that there are shortcuts you can explore. For instance, you might want to think about installing a chat pop-up software on your website. This means that customers can immediately get the answers that they need and potentially connect with a member of your team. 

Of course, this should just be the starting point when working to improve efficiency levels. You might also want to consider ensuring that your team members are working effectively and are always on task. One of the best ways to do this is by creating a work schedule using the available software. The right schedule will guarantee that jobs are completed on time, without delay, and to the right quality standards. You can have a work schedule for larger commercial projects to ensure that everyone completes their role. 

It’s possible that if you are running a large plumbing company, then you will have multiple workers in the field at any given time. If that’s the case, then you should consider using a shared platform. The right platform will allow you to quickly track the work that your team members are completing and whether they are staying productive in the field. It will also allow you to manage different projects at the click of a button. 

Peace Of Mind 

A big question that you need to ask when you are working to improve your plumbing company for customers is whether you are giving them peace of mind. A major concern for customers is that they are going to be left out of pocket with your service. You need to show them that this won’t be the case. You can do this by ensuring that you have the right insurance coverage in place. That way if there is an issue that needs to be resolved you will be financially protected and so will your customers. Premiums can differ depending on the company that you choose so it is worth exploring a few different options here, before settling on the right one for your business. 

Another way to provide peace of mind is to make sure that you are vetting and checking your team carefully. You need to ensure that there aren’t any red flags here in terms of safety and security. One of the best ways to do this is to use a recruitment manager. That way you can make sure that you only get the best people working in your business model. Don’t forget you can advertise that you have put these security measures in place and ensure that is a key point customers associate with your brand. You just need to guarantee that your customers feel secure when they choose your service and don’t end up double guessing themselves. 

Transparency is another aspect to keep in mind here. Customers want to know exactly how much a plumbing solution is going to cost and that the price isn’t going to change in the long term. Often this is about ensuring that employees know how to interact with customers and ensure that they are being as clear as possible. While it’s important not to treat the clients as though they are stupid, team members will need to break down the jobs so they are easy to understand and make the cost as clear as possible. 

Quality 

Quality is a major factor that is always going to play into the reviews that you receive from customers. Are you delivering the level of quality that they expect from your company? If you’re not hitting the target here, then what can you do to change that? One thing to consider is the parts that you are using. Plumbing companies are always going to need to connect with a supplier to get the right parts. That’s true whether you’re fixing a valve or replacing a washer in a kitchen sink. It’s important that the parts you use are built to last. If you are worried about this, then you should check out the supplier you use carefully. Make sure to look at the reviews that they are receiving from other clients. Are they hitting the right marks? If not, then it’s worth shopping elsewhere even if it means paying a little extra. 

Don’t forget that you also need to make sure that you can rely on the supplier to deliver the parts that you need on time. Customers aren’t likely to forgive you if they have to wait weeks or even months to get a crucial repair because you couldn’t source a key part for their system. Again, issues with turnaround time should be present if you check the reviews of the business in question. 

The Right Price 

Finally, it’s worth ensuring that you are providing your service at the right price to customers. If you don’t do this, then they are more likely to complain that they are either being ripped off or gouged by your company. You might think that with the economic situation the way it is, customers will forgive you for charging a higher price. However, this is not the case as they too are feeling the squeeze. 

As such you need to make sure that you are checking the average costs on the market and make sure that you are matching them. If you can’t match them without putting your business under a considerable level of financial strain then you need to think about cutting costs in your company model. There are numerous ways that you can do this. For instance, you might want to think about using freelancers as part of your business team. The big benefit of freelancers is that you won’t have to provide them with any additional incentives as part of your business model. This is always going to make hiring them far more cost-effective. 

Another way to cut the costs in your business model would be to go a little greener. You could have a fleet of vehicles as part of your plumbing company. It’s likely that you’ll be covering the cost of the fuel and while you can claim this as a tax deduction to an extent it could still be adding a lot of money to your budget. To deal with this, you should think about investing in hybrids. These are always going to provide a massive benefit and save you a large amount of money in the long term. 

We hope this helps you understand the key improvements that you can make to deliver a better service to your clients. If you take these steps, you will be able to put your company in a far stronger position on the market and gain more support from a far larger customer base. 

People have been spending a lot more time at home due to the covid pandemic, and even though things are beginning to level out a little, it still means there is more plumbing work to be done because people are using more water and heating their homes more often. However, due to the unfortunate amount of people who have been put out of work due to covid, there are a lot more plumbers out there who have just started out and are eating into the sales of long term plumbers. There’s nothing wrong with this, it’s just business. But it does mean plumbers are looking for extra work. Here are some tips worth considering. 

Check Professionalism Standards 

This isn’t to say you aren’t professional. It’s just to reaffirm a couple of areas which you may want to pick up on. It doesn’t even concern the work you carry out (which will of course be to a high standard), or whether you’re using a tennant t7 or a titanium tubing cutter. It’s the simple things. Following up on a job with a text or email to ask how things are looking and whether the repair held or if it completely sorted the issue. This also builds on the chance of you receiving a positive review. Wearing shoe covers so you don’t walk mud through a home, keeping a mask on with regional regulations, etc. These little things are what can leave a big impact on a lot of people and lead them to recommending you to others. Keep them in mind and you’ll see more sales role in. 

Use Social Media

So many people will search for tradespeople on social media these days instead of searching on Google or Bing. That’s how powerful social media has become. It’s why you really need to ensure you have a presence. Set up your business page with a powerful logo and your key business information including number, email address, or instant messaging facilities. It also provides a great platform for reviews. If they find you on Facebook, when you’ve completed the job you can ask for a review on Facebook which will again pull in more sales. It’s a great way of interacting with your local community. 

Build Search Engine Visibility

Go to google and search for plumber in … (wherever you operate) and see what comes up. That’s where you need to be. On the first page, offering a free quotation, or no obligation quotation. How? You need a website, you can create one for free. You then need to build some useful content on your website. Being searchable is huge and will directly increase your sales. You can get help with this from SEO specialists but in reality you can do it yourself if you have the time so long as you can get some decent content on there. It also builds on the professionalism of you and your business. People do look for websites these days and having one will set you apart from those that don’t.

Have you been trying to figure out how you can keep your business going even when things seem like they are hopeless? Well, there are plenty of things that you can do in order to make this possible, you just need to know where to look and how to get there. It’s more important than ever that when things start to rain down on you, that you fight back and show that your business isn’t going anywhere. In this article, that’s exactly what we’re going to be talking about so keep reading down below if you would like to find out more about this.

Think About Your Customers

The first thing that you are going to need to do is think about your customers. Have you ever stopped to really thank them? Ideally, you want to create a loyal customer base wherever you can because these are the people who are always going to come back and stand by you. They will buy from you or use your service whenever they have a need for it, not choosing another business because they feel appreciated by you. You need to keep this up with as many customers as you can in the hopes that it is going to be enough to keep people by your side.

The thing that you will find is that when things start to get tough in the economy as a whole, people are a lot less willing to spend money. You need to make them feel comfortable spending their money with your business, and appreciation is the best way to do it.

Make Sure You Have The Right Suppliers

Another thing that you’re going to have to do is make sure that you have the right suppliers. Your business is going to need certain things in order to make the product you sell or complete the service. For example, if you need something like a butterfly valve, pieces of equipment, or a steady stream of a certain item, you need to make sure you’re getting it from the right place. You don’t want to have to pay a fortune for these things, but they still need to be of a high quality. If they aren’t, then it could jeopardize your entire business.

If you think that you are able to get the same quality product for a lower price, look into this option. At the end of the day, you want to make as much money as possible and changing suppliers could benefit your business in more ways than one.

Is Your Funding Stable?

You want to ask yourself whether your funding source is currently stable. It’s true that you are going to need money if you have any hopes of making money, and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. Of course, there are a couple of rare exceptions to this, but it’s more often than not the case that you won’t get far on the market if you are broke. It’s for that reason that you have to look at where your money is coming from and decide if it is reliable and can provide what you need.

If you are funding your business yourself, then this is going to be a look at your personal finances. If it’s an investor, you need a written contract. If it’s through crowdfunding, then there is never a guarantee of more money when you need it so be careful. Of course, there are more options, but these are some of the main ones that people use to fund their business.

Create Demand If There Is None

Finally, if there is no demand for your product or service, then it’s time that you made some. Generating demand might not seem like something that you can do, but we promise you it is. All you need to do is focus your marketing efforts, and ensure that people understand why they should buy from you. Let them think they need the product or service, or convince them that they do and they will come to you.

It’s not always possible to generate the right level of demand, but if you keep trying new tactics, we’re sure that you will get there.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you should be doing to keep your business going even when the going gets tough. It’s not always a simple thing to do, and it’s going to require quite a lot of dedication on your part, but we know that your business is worth it to you. We wish you the best of luck, and hope that your business survives all the bad times.

There’s barely an area of the economy that COVID hasn’t reached, and that includes the plumbing industry. Of course, there are areas of business that have actually thrived during the pandemic due to the nature of their business. 

The initial shut down of some areas caused smaller plumbing companies to shutter, especially those that made the majority of their income through renovations. But once the initial shock of the pandemic was was over, there has been a rebound in business that has been very specific to this sector. 

Here’s how COVID has affected the plumbing industry for better and for worse. 

The initial reduction of non-essential work

Throughout the pandemic, people don’t want non-essential people in their homes, potentially spreading the virus. Therefore a lot of bathroom and kitchen renovations have been put on hold. 

Of course, emergency visits still continued, with replacements of Grundfos pressure pumps, leaks, and blockages still needing to be tackled. In some areas, the number of emergency visits increased as people stayed at home more. People aren’t going to school or work and are staying together indoors for days at a time, putting immense pressure on plumbing systems. 

Businesses were also delaying essential maintenance on their systems due to temporary closure or trying to save money. This is undoubtedly going to lead to much larger issues further down the line as old systems develop big problems. 

However, due to many people fearing lack of job security or a reduction in income, house sales have suffered, with people instead deciding to stay put and improve their existing properties by adding toilets or bathrooms. 

The risk to workers 

As an essential service, plumbers have continued to work throughout the pandemic, giving them greater potential exposure to the virus. In particular, men who are older, or with pre-existing health conditions suffered from the virus more severely than a lot of other groups. 

Abandoned buildings need increased attention

Many buildings that are usually occupied have needed additional attention. The lack of use can lead to the failure of seals in the plumbing system which must be replaced to prevent substantial damage to the building. 

Customer communication has changed 

Large parts of the plumbing industry have been known to be a little behind when it comes to using the latest technology to communicate with customers. To the industry’s credit, it has adapted very quickly, adopting systems like live chat and video calls to conduct initial consultations with clients, thereby reducing the need for unnecessary contact. Beyond the pandemic, these new methods of communication are likely to stick around in some form as customers expect this type of service. 

Conclusion

The plumbing industry has not been beyond the reach of the effects of the pandemic and as a number of other trades, has had to adapt to very specific situations brought about by a sudden change in living and working patterns of the country. It’s yet to be seen how some areas will rebound after the restrictions are lifted in many states.