Guest Article by Jon Reyes

Make a Great First Impression

First impressions mean everything when you’re working on plumbing issues in people’s homes and businesses. Have a courteous representative take incoming service calls or be courteous and polite yourself and keep customers informed if there are any delays in getting yourself or any technicians out to them – delays do happen, how the customer takes this initial delay in your new relationship is all in the delivery of the news.

People are generally not in a great mood when they call in with plumbing problems. You or your staff should have a positive attitude, and assure them that their repairs will be done professionally, and in a timely manner.

When you arrive, it’s always a good idea to be wearing a clean uniform and look neat in appearance. Always wipe your feet or use booties when entering a customer’s home or business, without having to be asked – Even if you don’t do this in your home, people do have different takes on what they expect.

Always try to be polite and friendly with your clients, and this includes using please and thank you when they address them. It’s important to gather information from the customer, in order that they can affect a proper repair.

If you end up working in an area away from the people who live or work in the building, you might try listening to a radio to fill the air. Be sure that their radio isn’t being played too loudly and form an unapproachable barrier for the customer to come to you, you might miss something the client wants to ask if you are tuned in to the radio instead of the customer.

Go Above & Beyond on your Service Calls

You can recruit many customers, but if you don’t care for them in a proper way, all your advertising money may as well be flushed down the toilet. You need to be sure that you not only meet but exceed your customers’ expectations when they call you for an installation or repair.

Going above and beyond isn’t necessarily time-consuming or costly for your company. You can perform plumbing check-ups when you’re in a customer’s home or business for a service call. If there are any minor issues, you can offer to take care of them either at no cost or at a minimal cost for them. This could range from a quick and efficient drain cleaning to replacing an old aerator on a faucet.

Depending on your company specialties, you can spur referrals by word of mouth, if your current customers are satisfied. Going the extra mile helps retain current customers and also brings in new ones.

The one thing about plumbing issues or costs the people incur as a ‘one off surprise’ is that they tell friends and family about this nuisance and unexpected cost. Going the extra mile and pleasing a customer mean that you and your company are mentioned in that conversation to numerous people that they will one day have an issue requiring your services.

Your technicians should take the time to listen to the concerns of your customers, and then approach the problems professionally and in an orderly way. People appreciate it when technicians take the time to analyze the problems they are experiencing and offer them the best options. If they’re using a camera in their lines, for instance, they may be interested in the process. It only takes a few minutes more to help them understand what they’re doing and what they’re finding in the lines.

A good sense of humor is helpful in the plumbing business, too. Even though the work sometimes seems thankless, your steady customers will appreciate a positive attitude on the part of the plumber with whom they’re working.

Good plumbers help their customers to understand the root causes of their problems and answer any questions they may have. Explain the problems in English, so the customers understand what’s going on.

Cleanliness is vital if you want your customers to be happy about the job your employees do. Be sure they tarp anything that could get dirty, and take off your shoes if they’re working in muddy conditions outside their house. Plumbers should keep their tools laid out in a small area and clean everything up when they leave.

Take the extra time needed to diagnose problems that may arise while work is being done. Especially when working on old lines, there may be unexpected complications. Do the repair for the long term, not just for the day your technician is there. Give them the time to track down and repair any issues, while explaining to the customer what’s wrong.

Follow up

Before your plumber leaves a job site, have them leave them your business card, in case the customers have any questions, concerns or issues.

After your installers complete a job, you could call your customers back to be sure that they are still happy with the performance of their equipment after an installation or repair and really impress your name on to the customer’s brain. If there is an issue, you can address it immediately and resolve it, so that the customer’s overall experience will be a positive one.

If you want to enjoy a growing plumbing business in your town, you’re not the only company that has their eyes on that prize. If you have happy customers, they’ll tell their family and friends about your service, and gain you more customers without any extra work on your part.

Written by Jon Reyes. Jon is a guest author from Steam Shower Store and is a respected and expert voice in a plethora of health related subjects with over 10 years of writing under his belt.

Here’s a quick look at the Milwaukee Tool Cheater pipe wrench 48-22-7314.

When I first got my hands on the Cheater wrench I was blown away by its simplicity. I thought “Why hadn’t someone thought of this decades ago?!”

This wrench had the potential to replace my traditional, fixed-length wrenches but it’s not there just yet. Milwaukee is pushing the fact that this wrench takes the place of three wrenches but I’m not yet convinced. To me it’s either a short, medium length or too long of a wrench for 1/2″-1″ pipe sizes.

I’d prefer some modification to the handle to increase grip and control. With some improvement I’d be more inclined to use it up high or overhead. Check out a related Instagram post for more thoughts and comments by many of my followers.

If you look close you’ll see some chipped paint on the wrench head. I’m not sure if this is epoxy or powder coat but it’s chipped in about ten spots, rust will form there no doubt. I’ve had this wrench since June/July ’16. It’s been used weekly at least. I should have included this in the video: This wrench retails for $99. That’s a bit high in my opinion. I get why the pricing is set there, marketing it as a 3-n-1 but it doesn’t truly replace three wrenches and therefor I’d say the current price is upwards of $30 too high. Just my opinion. Please click the video below for a look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijoqAGaZ2CY

Uponor is making it even easier to provide the reliability, high-performance and efficiency of an AquaPEX® plumbing system for homes and multifamily structures with the launch of its new ProPEX® connections for water service applications. “With PEX installations in new-home construction surpassing copper and CPVC combined, we are continuing to provide even more solutions for designers and installers to incorporate the value of a complete Uponor AquaPEX plumbing system throughout a home or multifamily building,” says Jayson Drake, director, Plumbing at Uponor.

The new UL 1995-compliant safety controller puts facilities almost three years ahead of the November 2019 deadline that requires all HVAC access points to automatically de-energize the UV-C system when opened.

Prior to the prewired system, contractors would have to individually install and wire each access point via conduit, increasing labor costs. The new prewired controller offers HVAC contractors a plug-and-play system, which regulates up to six safety interlock switches/access doors, greatly reducing this labor-intensive procedure.

“With its newly-incorporated 24V Contact Controller, the RLM Xtreme is way ahead of the game in meeting upcoming UL 1995 standards,” says Dan Jones, President of UV Resources. “Ensuring operator safety is our priority, and the prewired controller significantly minimizes the chance of accidental UV exposure. Furthermore, the 50 percent labor savings more than pay for the cost of the new controller.”