Throughout the years, the forces that have driven the plumbing industry to change and improve have been diverse. From competitors trying new things, to technological advances pushing boundaries, contractors have had to adapt, or get left behind. One driving force that hasn’t always been recognized, however, is the customer. Sure, good contractors and managers have Read more
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Throughout the years, the forces that have driven the plumbing industry to change and improve have been diverse. From competitors trying new things, to technological advances pushing boundaries, contractors have had to adapt, or get left behind. One driving force that hasn’t always been recognized, however, is the customer.
Sure, good contractors and managers have always taken into account that customer satisfaction is what keeps a business running, from invaluable word of mouth recommendations to the ever-profitable returning customer strategies, but the fact of the matter is that customers themselves have changed. Tech giants like Amazon and Facebook permeate every aspect of our culture and they’ve reshaped expectations so much that simply doing a good job just isn’t enough anymore.
The fact that customers expect so much from every company they interact with (even if they’re not a tech giant) has already been discussed and dissected. After all, 2020 was the year customer experience became more important than price. Now, the pressure is on plumbing and contracting companies to make sense of these expectations and find a way to implement changes. That, however, is easier said than done. How do you turn a plumbing company into Amazon?
This is where customer journeys come in. And no, that’s not a typo. We do mean customer journeys, as a plural. That’s because the complete sum of interactions between a customer and a field service business is not singular; their experience is made up of many interactions that require individual attention, but ignoring this fact is an error that many managers make.
1. The customer isn’t the most important one, they’re the only one!
For example, what’s the first thing a customer has to do in order to hire you? Book an appointment, right? Well, that’s the booking journey. How many steps are there to go from needing a plumber to having an appointment scheduled? Where do you lose customers along the way? How can you remove friction so that the process is so smooth, the customer never gets a chance to change their mind?
Basically, if you can turn your booking journey into something resembling Amazon’s “1-Click Buy” button, you’ll have significantly improved your lead conversion rate. You’ll earn more money for each dollar spent on getting leads to your website, increase your chances that the customer will continue through to the next journey, and encourage re-bookings in the future.
The same applies throughout each additional journey, as highlighted in the image above. The more points of friction you have, the more negative the overall experience and that’s even if the customer’s problem was fixed! It can be overwhelming (especially to smaller businesses) to take into account every single interaction, but by mapping the customer journey, it becomes far more manageable.
For example, in the booking journey we mentioned above, most people expect to book an appointment the same way they book a dinner reservation. Therefore, an automatic booking portal is the tool you need to offer that experience. A quote? Why would they wait days for the office staff to send one, or even weeks, when they’re so used to seeing prices online?
Providing instant digital quotes will impress the customer, help upsell them on premium plans (because they can clearly see their options and the benefits shown on multiple quotes), and save your admin time.
Learn more about online portals and customer experience here!
2. How do plumbing technicians benefit from great customer journeys?
The reason customer journeys will define 2021 as well as the coming years (a bold claim, we know!) is because despite the name, rather than targeting a single shareholder, it stands as a holistic strategy for a business.
From a technician’s point of view, an easy job is one they can do as efficiently as possible. That means taking as few trips back and forth to the office between jobs (ideally none), for the customer to be aware of the visit & available when they do arrive, and finally: to be able to support any query the customer may have, all whilst in the field.
When you’re aiming to offer a smooth pre-appointment, call-out, and inventory journey to your customers, all these imply having the right tool to make your technician’s day fly by. The customer is kept up-to-date via notifications so they know to be are available, and technicians can expect to know whether the parts the installation needs are available; these are just a few of the benefits that work to make everyone’s lives easier.
3. How does your office staff benefit from great customer journeys?
Frictionless customer journeys are tightly linked to the concept of customer self-service and business automation. Much like booking a stay on Booking.com, the customer does part of the work, whilst software takes care of reminders, invoicing, and even feedback requests.
On the customer side, they’re happy because they feel in control of their experience and can get results quickly with near instantaneous confirmations every step of the way, establishing peace of mind.
The admin side is where the greatest benefits truly lie.
Software automation can’t replace office staff when it comes to complex tasks and building relationships, but it can support them to deliver their best work by removing repetitive and time-consuming parts of their day, like emailing confirmations and double-data entry. More efficient admins means you can hire more technicians, and get more work done with the same amount of resources.
4. The Takeaway
All in all, customer journeys are a complex concept and no one expects a business owner to get it perfect from the beginning. However, as we move into 2021 and learn to live with the challenges we’ve faced in 2020, it’s true that customer expectations will continue to rise, but quality customer journeys can help you face them.
Digital tools are already a mainstay of our everyday lives and Commusoft is one that strives to make remarkable customer journeys a breeze for any contracting business. If you’re looking to learn more, check out our Customer Journeys page.
Cristina Maria is a Marketing Executive at Commusoft, a job management software company, where she helps educate and empower field service businesses to deliver a remarkable customer experience.
Propane heating systems have an edge when it comes to comfort, efficiency, and emissions On average, more than half of a household’s annual energy consumption is used for space heating and air conditioning, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Seasonal and energy-intensive uses can vary based on geographic location, home size and structure Read more
Propane heating systems have an edge when it comes to comfort, efficiency, and emissions
On average, more than half of a household’s annual energy consumption is used for space heating and air conditioning, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Seasonal and energy-intensive uses can vary based on geographic location, home size and structure, and energy sources used. Because of higher space-heating demand, homes in the Northeast and Midwest regions consume more energy on average than homes in the South and West regions, for example. Additionally, larger homes and families tend to use more energy overall than smaller households.
There are more options than ever for home heating, and there are several different factors to take into consideration when selecting the best system for your customers. Whether your customers are looking to reduce energy consumption and costs, decrease their carbon footprint, or enjoy more comfortable home heating, propane-powered systems can provide a reliable solution for homeowners across the country. According to data from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), more than 7.5 million households rely on propane for primary or secondary home heating.
Here are three key advantages of propane-powered systems to share with your customers next time they ask about home heating solutions.
Homeowners can save more on energy costs with propane
The efficiency of a home heating system can greatly impact its utility costs. For homeowners looking to reduce their energy consumption — and their bills — high-efficiency propane furnaces are a great choice. Propane furnaces offer best-in-class efficiency, with ratings from 90 to 98 percent. Further, ENERGY STAR-qualified propane furnaces are up to 15 percent more efficient than standard propane models and can save up to $75 in energy costs each year, according to data from PERC.
In a comparative analysis of residential heating systems, Newport Partners, LLC examined the performance of seven heating systems in 16 different locations for new and existing homes. Each system was analyzed and compared in terms of its first cost, energy cost, emissions, and simple payback period. The research revealed several cost advantages to selecting a propane furnace, including low annual energy costs. Notably, the annual energy costs of a high-efficiency propane furnace were $1,650, which is 10 percent lower than standard-efficiency ASHPs and 14 percent lower than heating oil furnaces. When used as a backup for an air- or ground-source heat pump system in the place of electric heating coils the efficiency of the systems is also improved and further protects homeowners from rising utility costs when temperatures drop.
Beyond annual energy costs, propane systems offer more competitive upfront costs and payback periods, too. High-efficiency propane furnaces typically cost less to purchase and install than heating oil and ground-source heat pump systems. Additionally, homeowners purchasing a high-efficiency propane furnace for a new home in a cold climate could recoup their initial costs in two years due to low equipment and energy costs. By contrast, it could take a homeowner more than 20 years to recoup the initial cost of a ground source heat pump system through energy savings.
Propane systems provide warmth and comfort
Comfort can often be a deciding factor for homeowners. They want systems that can provide comfortable, consistent heat. Fortunately, propane furnaces are perfect for eliminating cold pockets in a home. These systems heat air to a higher initial temperature, getting to a homeowner’s desired temperature faster and maintaining it more effectively.
Because propane-powered furnaces heat air to 115–125 degrees Fahrenheit, they make the indoor air feel warmer and more consistent than heat from air source heat pumps (ASHPs), which often supply temperatures lower than 100 degrees Fahrenheit and are more affected by cold outdoor temperatures.
Propane systems support environmentally-conscious customers
When making decisions for homeowners heating systems remember those customers are placing more of a priority on reducing their carbon footprint. One way that homeowners can decrease emissions is by having their home’s systems and appliances run on propane instead of electricity.
According to data from PERC, residential propane furnaces can emit up to 50 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than electric furnaces and 12 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fuel oil furnaces. Further, propane-powered furnaces produce up to 35 percent fewer nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and 82 percent fewer sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions than electric furnaces. And in colder and mixed climates, high-efficiency propane-fueled furnaces produce at least 26 percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions compared to standard-efficiency electric air-source heat pumps. It is extremely important for you to be prepared to educate your customers about these differences and not leave them out in the cold.
To learn more about the benefits of propane heating systems, visit Propane.com/Furnaces-Boilers.
Bryan Cordill is director of residential and commercial business development for the Propane Education & Research Council. He can be reached at bryan.cordill@propane.com.
Some brands become so popular people begin to refer to all products in the category by that name, such as Kleenex or Band-Aid. Similarly, push-to-connect fittings weren’t quite as popular as they are today until Reliance Worldwide Corporation (RWC) introduced them to the U.S. market nearly 20 years ago. It revolutionized the category and made Read more
Some brands become so popular people begin to refer to all products in the category by that name, such as Kleenex or Band-Aid.
Similarly, push-to-connect fittings weren’t quite as popular as they are today until Reliance Worldwide Corporation (RWC) introduced them to the U.S. market nearly 20 years ago. It revolutionized the category and made the work of contractors and plumbers quicker, more efficient and more reliable. Now, SharkBite brass push fittings are the industry standard for push-to-connect plumbing— so much so that some people refer to fittings from other brands as SharkBite.
SharkBite’s Journey to the U.S.
After seeing the success of its push-to-connect fittings in Australia, water control and plumbing solutions manufacturer RWC introduced the fittings in the U.S. market as the SharkBite push-to-connect plumbing system in 2004. Today, SharkBite has become so popular that it is estimated a fitting connection is made every 2.5 seconds, according to the manufacturer’s data.
Fittings That Pushed the Boundaries of Plumbing Tech
Before push-to-connect technology, plumbers could only rely on soldering, gluing or using a specialized tool to connect pipes. These methods are sufficient in some cases but can be challenging when transitioning between different pipe types or installing in tight spaces.
To address these issues, SharkBite designed its push-to-connect fittings to connect different pipe types such as PEX, copper, CPVC, PE-RT and HDPE in tight spaces without special tools, crimps, glue or soldering.
Further Advancing Push-to-connect Technology
With SharkBite’s success, especially as a solution for emergency repairs and pipe transitions, RWC continued to build upon its innovations in push-to-connect technology:
- SharkBite introduced its own brand of durable yet flexible PEX pipe into North America. The pipe enables quicker leak repairs compared to rigid copper pipe and is often quicker to install in tight spaces.
- The company launched 1-1/4 in., 1-1/2 in. and 2 in. SharkBite fittings, which gives contractors who work on commercial projects the ability to work quicker using push-to-connect technology.
- SharkBite launched EvoPEX fittings. The groundbreaking PEX-only fitting system for meter-to-fixture installation allows for faster and more reliable installations on new construction jobsites.
A Connection You Can Trust
Plumbers can trust the secure fit of a push-to-connect fitting thanks to its tight-sealing o-ring, pipe-locking stainless steel grab ring and corrosion-resistant brass body. All of its parts work together to make a 3-second connection long-lasting, and the fittings require no tools, can be connected in wet lines and are compatible with multiple types of pipe.
SharkBite’s Legacy
Every new product SharkBite introduces is created to empower contractors to work smarter, not harder. By reducing installation times, SharkBite gives contractors time back that they can spend on parts of their job that require more resources, like growing their business and investing in their workforce.
Michael Kornegay is the SharkBite product manager at RWC — a market leader and manufacturer of water control systems and plumbing solutions for residential, commercial and industrial applications.
You might be surprised to know that more than 50% of the reported work-related injuries in the United States are due to manual handling. This is specifically true for those employees who work in construction, transportation, agriculture, and storage. These people are at greater health risks and are more likely to suffer from some sort Read more
You might be surprised to know that more than 50% of the reported work-related injuries in the United States are due to manual handling. This is specifically true for those employees who work in construction, transportation, agriculture, and storage. These people are at greater health risks and are more likely to suffer from some sort of injury. This is why purchasing safety equipment from a lifting equipment store can be quite beneficial. The lifting equipment contributes to a company’s safety standards while significantly reducing the risks of work-related injuries.
Read on to learn more about some top steps to ensure safer ways to lift and handle.
Assess the Environment and Work Situations
Before the employees start with their day, they ought to consider the weights that they are to lift in connection to the distance that they are to cover. This means that a thorough assessment of the situation is an essential step to safer lifting and weight handling. This also includes measuring the distance from the pick-up spot of the load to the point where it is to set down. The employees should refrain from lifting more than what they can safely manage. The frequency of their activity also plays a role in their well-being. A careful assessment of the work situation and workload includes evaluating what can be lifted safely and what will require lifting equipment. Lifting equipment can assist with the mechanical completion of the task instead of laboring with it manually. You might also want to switch to mechanical help for the coverage of greater distance.
Rearrangement of the Task
If the task at hand seems dangerous, it is always worth checking whether it can be rearranged instead of hot-headedly proceeding with it. If greater risks are involved, the employees might want to avoid lifting load altogether. Precautionary steps have to be taken so that potential risks of injury can be minimized. For instance, if a heavy load is involved, the employees might want to rearrange the task to push the weight instead of pulling it. The inclusion of more resting points in the face of more distance is also a good idea to minimize the potential risks of injury.
Rearrangement of the task includes the assessment of the nature of the weight. If a heavy load can be broken into smaller units, it will ease the task and decrease work-related injury risks. The employees also need to assess whether they can grasp the load easier by getting a better grasp on it. Another idea might be to pack up sharp items into solid boxes to prevent the objects.
Safer Lifting techniques
The implementation of safer lifting techniques includes the addition of lifting equipment. These will decrease the pressure on employees while improving their productivity. More work can be accomplished within less time, without imposing the risks of getting injured or damaging the loaded items. In addition to lifting equipment, the employees need to focus on adopting better and more stable body postures during their tasks.
Use these tips to keep customers comfortable this winter Do you know how to ensure your tankless water heater installations perform optimally this winter? Tankless water heaters — known for their on-demand hot water, low energy use, and compact size — are popular among homeowners. Propane-powered systems offer an additional advantage: they can be installed Read more
Use these tips to keep customers comfortable this winter
Do you know how to ensure your tankless water heater installations perform optimally this winter?
Tankless water heaters — known for their on-demand hot water, low energy use, and compact size — are popular among homeowners. Propane-powered systems offer an additional advantage: they can be installed virtually anywhere.
For customers located in regions that experience snow and frigid temperatures, there are a few considerations for HVAC professionals to keep in mind to ensure their customers’ comfort year-round.
Here are eight tips for specifying, installing, and maintaining tankless systems in cold climates:
- Size the unit for the cold. As temperatures drop, more time and energy are needed to heat water to the desired level. To ensure customers’ tanks meet demand throughout the year, it’s important to know how they’ll perform in cold weather. For example, in Washington D.C., a unit that can produce 8.5 GPM on a hot summer day will only produce 5 to 6 GPM on a cold winter day.
- Design for the coldest conditions. Be aware of how low ground temperatures can go and how much water a household will need. Also consider the difference between the set unit temperature and the ground temperature, also known as the Delta T. The bigger the gap, the lower the unit’s flow rate will be.
- Bring it inside. Many tankless systems have some degree of built-in freeze protection. Check the product specs, and your region’s historical weather patterns, to determine where to install the tank.
- Vent smart. Proper venting is important. Installations should avoid freezing winds and have sufficiently long vent runs. In cold areas, the minimum vent run recommendation is six feet.
- Keep vents clear of snow. Before a snowstorm, remind customers to keep a few feet around the vent clear of snow. Some tankless models offer air intake from the outer pipe — if that’s blocked, the unit may turn itself off.
- Educate customers with recirculators. For customers whose systems have a recirculating loop, remind them to turn off that function when bad weather is on the way. If the vent termination is snowed under, the unit will eventually power off with an error code.
- Consider condensation. Drain condensate from condensing units into a conditioned space to avoid drain freezes, which will cause the unit to turn off.
- Be ready with backup power. Many tankless systems need electricity for freeze protection and ignition. A propane standby generator can help ensure that customers’ hot water will continue to flow, even during a power outage.
For more information about propane tankless water heaters, visit Propane.com/Water-Heating.
Bryan Cordill is director of residential and commercial business development for the Propane Education & Research Council. He can be reached at bryan.cordill@propane.com.