Just the Tip

For tradespeople, success hinges not just on technical expertise but on the quality of their relationships with clients. In a market where skills are often on par across the board, delivering exceptional customer service can set a tradesperson apart from the competition. Not only can excellent service enhance client satisfaction, but also it can foster repeat business and build a stellar reputation, all of which are essential for sustained success.

Below, we’ll go over seven tips for enhancing customer service and promoting stronger relationships in the trades.

1. Provide Clear Communication

First and foremost, being clear and communicative is crucial in the trades industry, where the specifics of the work might not be easily understood. Effective communication involves keeping clients well informed about job details, timelines, possible disruptions and progress. The better communication, the fewer misunderstandings and dissatisfaction. By making sure clients are consistently updated and feel listened to, tradespeople lay a foundation of trust and respect, which is indispensable for maintaining long-lasting business relationships.

2. Manage Expectations

Transparency from the start is key to building relationships as well. Tradespeople should be open with clients about what can realistically be accomplished given the available resources and time. Discussing limitations and setting clear, achievable goals right from the first meeting helps prevent client frustration with the final outcome. This approach also builds trust and minimizes the risk of negative feedback, thereby safeguarding the tradesperson’s reputation.

3. Exceed Client Needs

“Wowing” clients involves going beyond the basic requirements to provide service that adds real value to their lives. Whether it’s accommodating a client’s schedule or providing additional maintenance tips after the job is done, these actions enhance client satisfaction and loyalty, increasing the likelihood of repeat business and recommendations. For example, in sewer repair, a tradesperson might offer a complimentary follow-up inspection to confirm everything is functioning correctly and there are no further concerns. This approach makes the customer feel well cared for and valued.

4. Provide Proactive Problem-Solving

Generally, this relationship-building strategy requires anticipating potential issues and addressing them before they become problematic. This might mean advising on future risks to a plumbing or electrical system and how to avoid them. Showing foresight in this manner demonstrates that the provider is invested, not just in the immediate job but also in the client’s long-term welfare. This approach works to solidify a tradesperson’s reputation as thoughtful and reliable, encouraging clients to develop a lasting professional relationship.

5. Personalize the Client Experience

Making the whole process feel made to order can make a world of difference. This approach entails showing respect as well as a thorough understanding of individual client needs and preferences. It goes beyond remembering names; it’s about adapting communication styles, integrating personal preferences and showing genuine interest and respect for their space and time. Personalized service makes clients feel uniquely valued and cared for, significantly enhancing their overall experience and satisfaction.

6. Offer Flexible Solutions

Being able to accommodate different budgets and needs demonstrates a tradesperson’s adaptability and commitment to client satisfaction. By tailoring solutions to individual circumstances, tradespeople build stronger relationships and enhance their reputation as considerate and client-focused professionals. This flexibility can significantly increase client trust and encourage long-term loyalty.

7. Follow Up Consistently

Regular check-ins with clients after the completion of a job help confirm they remain satisfied. This is not just to address potential issues but also to offer continued support and advice. Such follow-up can transform a one-time job into an ongoing service relationship, providing tradespeople with a steady stream of loyal customers.

Cementing Success Through Service Excellence

Strong client relationships are the backbone of a thriving trade business. Putting these tactics into practice helps guarantee that clients are not only satisfied but also delighted with the service they receive. This in turn builds a better relationship and even encourages positive referrals.

Put simply, by prioritizing top-notch customer service today, tradespeople are investing in a prosperous and reputable tomorrow.

Kareem Haddad is the owner of Absolute Rooter & Plumbing, a family-owned and operated company that has been improving the plumbing systems of Orange County and surrounding areas since 2010.

Continuing their ongoing partnership, NASCAR legend Ward Burton worked hand-in-hand with State water heaters to install a Premier^® AL Smart Hybrid Electric Heat Pump Water Heater into his family home, built in 1999. The Premier AL HPWH doesn’t burn fossil fuels, but instead draws heat from the surrounding air. The unit also has backup heating elements for occasions when additional hot water is needed.

In the months since replacing his commercial electric water heater with the Premier AL residential HPWH, Burton has saved up to $300 per month on his electric bills. Homeowners who replace a residential electric unit with a Premier AL residential HPWH can expect to see savings of 75% or more on energy bills.

“I am thrilled to be working with State again to replace my commercial water heater with the Premier AL unit because of the undeniable efficiency levels this heat pump water heater provides,” says Burton. “My wife and I are excited to have such a premium product which has already begun to lower our monthly electric bills.”

Ward Burton is widely known as the winner of the 2002 Daytona 500. Burton then retired to become a TV personality alongside his son and fellow NASCAR driver, Jeb Burton. The Burtons are avid outdoorsmen who host the popular Crossroads With The Burtons series on The Sportsman Channel. Their passion also led Ward to create the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation in Halifax, Virginia. The State Tankless Water Heater with X3^® Scale Prevention is also installed in the foundation’s facilities.

“The Premier AL heat pump water heater is an exceptional choice for the Burton family. The unit boasts up to four times the efficiency than a standard electric water heater, and features whisper-quiet operation around 45 dBA,” says Jeff Storie, A. O. Smith marketing director. “In addition, it’s installer-friendly with both top and side connections — and it also offers some cooling and dehumidification around the unit.”

The Premier AL unit has four convenient operating modes: efficiency mode (heat pump only), hybrid mode (both heat pump and electric elements), electric mode and vacation mode for conserving energy when homeowners are away.

“I need a State water heater in not only my home but every other property that my foundation owns or I own,” says Burton. “We’re very loyal to State because of the good people I have worked with, fantastic service, and the top-of-the-line product innovations.”

By Dave Dunbar, Retired – National Sales Manager at General Pipe Cleaners

Recently, we have posted a series of blogs with the title ‘How Not to Break Your Stuff, where we shared best practices from contractors who excel at keeping their drain cleaning machines operational and profitable. After looking at some of the feedback that we got from that series, we decided to write this ‘tongue in cheek’ guide to breaking your equipment as fast as possible. This article is designed for plumbers and drain cleaners who want to destroy as many machines, cables, push rods and accessories as possible, and will be invaluable to contractors who need to show a huge annual loss for tax purposes, or who have more money than they know what to do with. All others are advised to do the exact opposite of these top five suggestions!

1. Simply toss your drain cleaning machines and snakes into the back of your truck as soon as the job is over with no cleaning or lubrication, and don’t give them a second thought until the next drain cleaning job. Ride them hard and put them away wet! And whatever else you do, never put Snake Oil or any other lubricant on the cables! I’m sure that cable will look as good as new the next time you go to use it!
2. Pretend that your drain cleaning cable is a battering ram and force it down the drain as hard as you can! Or, better yet, if you have a power feed on your machine, just shove the feed control lever into forward, step on the foot pedal, and then check your social media for a few minutes. No problems!
3. Never use a starting tool…just put your biggest, baddest cutter on the end of your cable, ram the snake down the drain and hope for the best. After all, size matters in this line of work, and it’s important to show the clog who’s boss!
4. Never use anti-freeze in your pump during the winter months. It takes way too much time, and after all, time is money! If you drive really-really fast to and from the job site and only do the bare minimum when cleaning the line, you can have that high pressure water jetter back in your heated garage before the pump head has a chance to freeze. Absolutely probably!
5. Why use a thirty-dollar cutting tool to clear an obstruction in a pipe when you could use a three-thousand-dollar camera head? After all, the camera head is right there in the pipe, and that hunk of concrete that you’re looking at probably only needs a little nudge to push it out of the way. Besides, it’s just a video camera that you’re shoving down a clogged sewer, what could possibly go wrong?

Based on nearly a century of experience, we’re pretty sure that all these suggestions will have the intended effect of destroying your stuff as quickly as possible. Try doing the exact opposite and see what happens! For more information, call the Drain Brains at 800-245-6200, or visit drainbrain.com.

By Dave Dunbar, Retired – National Sales Manager at General Pipe Cleaners

Roots are your sewer pipes’ worst nightmare! Tree roots are constantly in a state of hunger and thirst, searching relentlessly for water and nutrients. Both are abundantly available inside the drainpipes that lead from our homes to the septic systems or municipal sewage treatment plants that process our waste.

Root hairs are tiny, sometimes only a few cells wide, but they grow quickly and can sense the vibration of running water. When they squeeze through a small crack or crevasse in a drainpipe and find what they are looking for, they begin to grow and expand. Over a period of months and years, this unrelenting pressure on the pipe expands the initial crack and begins to cause severe damage. Before you know it, you have a tree root blocking your drain and the pipe is leaking like a sieve. When a plumber or drain cleaner encounters a pipe in this condition, ignoring the problem is not an option. Depending on conditions and circumstances, there are several strategies that a professional can use to solve the problem.

Here are the top five ways of dealing with root incursions:

Replace or Reline the Infested Pipe

If a drainpipe has lost its structural integrity, obviously, the best solution would be to replace it. Modern plastic pipe, when properly installed, will be far more waterproof and durable than what is in the ground at the present moment. Or, if digging a trench through the customer’s property is not the most convenient solution, there are a multitude of pipe relining products and strategies that are almost as good. Because replacing or relining is a foolproof solution to the problem, a growing number of municipalities across North America mandate replacing leaking pipes whenever the property changes hands. If this is the case, the contractor and customer have no choice.

However, despite replacement/relining being the best engineering solution to the customer’s problem, it will certainly be the most expensive. So, if the contractor’s plans are not mandated by municipal statutes, there may be a number of factors to consider before recommending this course of action. For example, how old is the customer, and what is their financial situation? How long do they intend to keep the property? Are there geographic considerations that make other options more attractive? If none of these other considerations prevent it, then pipe replacement remains the best solution.

Cable Drain Cleaning Machine

Although replacing or relining the pipes is a foolproof solution, the most commonly used method of removing and cutting roots is a cable style drain cleaning machine like General Pipe Cleaners’ Speedrooter 92. Much of this has to do with cost and expediency. For a few hundred dollars and two hours’ time, the customer is usually rewarded with a functioning drainpipe. Contrast this with enduring several messy construction days and perhaps tens of thousands of dollars for a pipe replacement job. It is a small wonder that, after doing the math, customers continue to pick the drain cleaning option despite the fact that it does not fix the underlying problems that allowed the root incursion in the first place. Any cracks, crevices, or separations that existed in the pipe before using the snake are certainly still there. These openings act as inducements for more root incursion, as well as allowing inflow of rainwater, which contributes to sewage overflows into our rivers, lakes, and oceans. At best, snaking a drain to remove root incursions is a temporary solution. However, as we will see, there are things a contractor can do to increase the effectiveness of this option.

High-Pressure Water Jetters

Another tool that can perform many of the same functions as the drain snake already mentioned is a high-pressure water jetter, which has become the go-to tool for a lot of professionals for issues in any large drain. Like a cable-style drain cleaning machine, jetters have ways to mechanically remove roots from the inside of a pipe.

First, there are Chain Saw Nozzles that convert the kinetic energy of the high-pressure water generated by the pump to spin a chain saw nozzle at the end of the hose. These chain saws can rotate at speeds up to 30,000 RPM, more than enough to buzz through the toughest root incursions. If the pipe isn’t completely filled with wood, then a high-performance nozzle can often do the trick. These jetter nozzles are designed with the same technology used to make nuclear submarine propellers and convert almost 100% of the water’s energy to high-pressure streams that cut like razors.

Although high-pressure water jetters are also a temporary solution to the problem of root incursion, they have the advantage of preparing the pipe for more thorough inspections or pipe relining. When a professional gets done jetting a drain line, it will look like a new pipe again!

Flexible-Shaft Technology

Flexible-Shaft machines utilize a swiftly rotating wire coil inside a flexible hollow tube or hose that is connected to a cutting device on the front end. Because these cutters rotate at approximately 2,000 RPM, Flex-Shaft machines are adept at milling, pipe prep and root removal. For this reason, they are used extensively in the pipe relining industry, and have also become popular with plumbers and drain cleaners whose only goal is to cut and remove root incursions.

Flexible-Shaft machines tend to be used in tandem with pipe inspection systems, giving the contractor pinpoint control over the root cutting process. Like the snake style machines and high-pressure water jetters previously described, using a Flexible-Shaft machine to cut roots is a temporary solution to the customer’s problem. However, as already mentioned, they are often used for milling and pipe prep in the relining process. When utilizing the proper cutting tool, they leave the pipe in perfect condition to adhere to the material used in the pipe relining procedure. Testing has shown that pipe relining is often just as effective as pipe replacement at repairing the damage done to sewer pipes by root incursions.

Root Killing Solutions

Root Killing Solutions are chemical or biological products that the contractor introduces into the affected pipe to kill existing roots and inhibit further growth. While there are quite a few products available to the professional, most recommend that they be used either within one hour after cutting the roots with one of the methods already described, or after 8 weeks. Many contractors will recommend a thorough drain cleaning session with their snakes, jetters or Flexible-Shaft machines coupled with a root killing product. They will then attempt to lock the customer into a bi-yearly or annual preventative maintenance contract to reintroduce root killer to keep the problem at bay. This strategy can be a highly effective alternative for customers who do not wish to spend the money for a pipe replacement or pipe relining job, or do not plan to own the property indefinitely.

Most contractors do not lock themselves into using just one of these strategies when dealing with root incursions. More and more professional drain cleaners seem to have snakes, high-pressure water jetters, Flexible-Shaft devices, root killing products and sewer inspection cameras on every truck. As technology progresses in the field of plumbing and drain cleaning, contractors have more and more options available to them.

Remember, staying abreast of all the developments in our industry will give you the flexibility to successfully address the unique features of every job and every customer!