Have you ever had the experience of someone telling you news that just leaves you in a state of shock? Something that makes you wonder, what really matters? Whether it relates to family, life, or even your job or business. For instance, my wife and I were at dinner a few weeks ago when I Read more
Business
Have you ever had the experience of someone telling you news that just leaves you in a state of shock? Something that makes you wonder, what really matters? Whether it relates to family, life, or even your job or business.
For instance, my wife and I were at dinner a few weeks ago when I received a call. It was from a friend letting me know that a mutual friend of ours had lost their son due to a pulmonary embolism. He was only 30 years old and was simply waiting at their home to have a nice family meal. The mother came into the room and found him on the floor, already passed from this life. We quickly made plans to head south to be with our friends to comfort them in their time of need.
When we arrived, we heard the whole story. Two days earlier their son had called their pastor and asked to have a lunch meeting because he had some questions about life and what happens when we die. Their discussion lasted for a good 90 minutes. Later that week at the eulogy the pastor said he was glad he took the meeting and believed their son got some things straightened out which gave the family some peace, even though he had passed from this life.
At the funeral service at their church, every pew was filled and overflowed. At the reception at their home later on, people had parked 5 blocks away with people lined up outside waiting to get in to share their love for this family. At one point a local restaurant brought over a large amount of food: shrimp, crab, and several desserts. The just left them at the door and said they cared and were thinking of the family.
You may wonder what all of this has to do with you and your livelihood. Perhaps quite a bit more than you know. We all get so busy with our own circumstances but may have no idea what others are going through and how can we show our support and love for someone going through difficulties in their life. This not only relates to friends but to co-workers, employees, boss’s, and customers.
Most of us never forget the people who have comforted us, shared in our sorrows, and encouraged us during difficult times and sometimes, even through tragedy. In most cases, you would esteem this person and care for them as well. Perhaps a boss would have greater respect for that employee, an employee may perform better to honor their manager or boss. Or a customer may become a customer for life and tell everyone they know to use your services and why they should trust you. All because you cared and comforted them during their time of need. We can all testify that we all prefer to by from people we like and people that are like us.
My message is this; be sensitive to your employees, co-workers, and yes, even your customers. We occasionally get a reaction from others that seems over the top. Perhaps an employee will be frustrated, a customer will immediately go off on a rant about how you are taking advantage of them, etc. Realize that it may not even be anything you have done. They may just be feeling the pressure of life and may feel overwhelmed.
So keep your composure and don’t react out of passion, slow down your speech, and discuss the matter. Or calmly clarify your position with compassion if they have misunderstood you. If they have overreacted, in most cases they know and aren’t sure of how to handle their current emotions. Ask them if there is anything they need to share or if they would be willing to allow you to offer any support for them. We do not know what tomorrow brings. If we live like it, we may have a happier boss, hard-working and trusted employees, and even more business with life-long customers who can provide the type of advertising money simply can’t buy.
Warmest Regards,
Jim Hinshaw
A big glass vase and a $5,000 check were given to Harley Perry of Bonita, CA on Oct. 2, upon receiving the national John Eberhardt Plumbing Contractor of Year Award from the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) and Delta Faucet Company. Perry owns and operates Perry Plumbing Heating & Air, which he started in 1977 Read more
A big glass vase and a $5,000 check were given to Harley Perry of Bonita, CA on Oct. 2, upon receiving the national John Eberhardt Plumbing Contractor of Year Award from the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) and Delta Faucet Company. Perry owns and operates Perry Plumbing Heating & Air, which he started in 1977. The family-run business provides a full range of plumbing, heating and air services to both residential and commercial clients throughout San Diego County while offering eco-friendly solutions for repairing systems without negatively impacting the environment.
Perry is also president of the PHCC Academy of San Diego, a federally certified school launched in 2009 that offers two and four-year programs for apprentices and journeymen. He is also a longtime active member, board member and former president of PHCC’s San Diego chapter.
The award, named after Delta Faucet’s late senior vice president of sales and marketing, is given annually to one recipient from a national pool of nominees. Perry received the honors on Oct. 2 during a well-attended awards ceremony held during this year’s weeklong conference of the national PHCC at the Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, Florida. “I was completely surprised to have received this top honor in the nation,” says Perry. “The award hasn’t found a permanent spot yet, but it will be put somewhere in our office.” Danielle Dorsey, executive director of PHCC San Diego says the award is well-deserved. “Harley is very devoted to the success of the plumbing industry.
Knowing that the present, older generation of plumbing technicians is on the verge of retirement, his goal is to support multi-faceted students who can articulate core academic knowledge with the latest technical know-how to become qualified plumbers.”
To arrange interviews with Harley Perry regarding the PHCC Academy of San Diego, cost-saving conservation tips or general plumbing matters, call 619-925-3794. Or to learn more about Perry Plumbing Heating & Air, visit www.perryplumbing.com.
Invoice2go, the App Store’s No. 1 mobile invoicing app, today announced the launch of its mobile payments feature, powered by Stripe Connect. Small businesses and freelancers who previously had to wait for cash or checks can now accept credit and debit card payments immediately through Invoice2go, giving their customers more ways to pay and helping Read more
Invoice2go, the App Store’s No. 1 mobile invoicing app, today announced the launch of its mobile payments feature, powered by Stripe Connect. Small businesses and freelancers who previously had to wait for cash or checks can now accept credit and debit card payments immediately through Invoice2go, giving their customers more ways to pay and helping them get paid faster.
The new offering is unique in that it brings the entire billing process seamlessly into one app, a game-changer for every U.S. business owner who has spent countless hours manually invoicing, collecting payment, and reconciling their accounts to keep cash flow in order.
Invoice2go has also hit a new milestone, with customers invoicing more than $1 billion per month, positioning the company to make an immediate impact on the more than 200,000 users who already trust the app to send their invoices.
As part of today’s announcement, Invoice2go has raised $15 million in Series C funding. The additional financing enables the company to aggressively widen its footprint in the Fintech space with the development of new features to fuel small business growth even further. The funding follows two previous rounds totaling $35 million, which closed in 2014.
The Series C financing was led by existing investors Ribbit Capital, who specialize in disruptive financial technology companies, and included Accel Partners, who have a track record of building startups into lasting category defining companies.
Micky Malka, founder of Ribbit Capital, said: “Businesses are interacting more and more through Invoice2go and we’ve been thrilled to be a part of it over the last year. We’ve now significantly increased our ownership through the Series C financing to further support what we believe is one of the most exciting financial software companies today.”
Invoice2go is trusted by business owners across all industries, from plumbers to personal trainers and creative freelancers. The app minimizes administrative work, with customers saving three hours per week on average, and helps users get paid seven days faster.
“No longer do America’s smallest business owners need to wait for a check in the mail. The ability to accept credit and debit card in a seamless way levels the playing field. They can meet the demand of their customers in today’s digital age, and improve their cash flow by getting paid faster,” said Invoice2go CEO Greg Waldorf. “There are more than 100 million small businesses around the world and we see opportunity for every one of them to operate more efficiently with simple technology designed specifically for them.”
“We’re thrilled to see Invoice2go begin offering credit and debit card transactions using Stripe Connect,” said Cristina Cordova, head of business development at Stripe. “Invoice2go is at the forefront of mobile invoicing, and today’s integration will make it easier than ever for their small business customers to get paid.”
According to a 2014 report from the Federal Reserve System’s Cash Product Office (CPO) on consumer payment choices, debit and credit card are by far people’s favorite way to make a payment, with 43 percent preferring debit card and 22 percent preferring credit card. Thirty percent prefer to pay with cash, and only three percent prefer checks.
A California-based video production freelancer, who had early access to the feature as part of a beta group, commented: “Now that I’m offering more payment options through Invoice2go, I’ve seen customers pay their invoices in as little as three or four days. This is a big cash flow improvement for me, and a better overall experience for my clients. It also eliminates the challenges I faced with checks, as most people expect 30 day payment terms, then wait 29 days and 23 hours to send the check.”
Invoice2go’s new in-app payment offering is available now. Download Invoice2go via the Apple iTunes store or via Google Play.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” css=”.vc_custom_1452405561304{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]At this point, almost everyone has used Yelp, or another online review site to look up information for places like restaurants and auto shops. Consumer-driven reviews have become a powerful tool for businesses to show demonstrate their worth to potential customers without having to spend any extra money on advertising Read more
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” css=”.vc_custom_1452405561304{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]At this point, almost everyone has used Yelp, or another online review site to look up information for places like restaurants and auto shops. Consumer-driven reviews have become a powerful tool for businesses to show demonstrate their worth to potential customers without having to spend any extra money on advertising. But for plumbing contractors, are prospective clients using these types of sites to get details on plumbing businesses before picking up the phone to get a quote?
Plumbing Perspective Magazine talked with Justin Guinn, a market researcher at Software Advice, an online resource that offers comparisons on field service software to plumbers and other service providers. We asked Justin to discuss the findings of his recent study that looked into this exact topic.
Most plumbers probably don’t focus or understand the “online” reputation of their business. Are online reviews on sites like Yelp really that important to their bottom line?
“In short, absolutely! Online reviews sites can definitely have direct impacts on the bottom line of a plumbing business. Our recent survey looked at how consumers use online reviews and found that 86% of customers will pay more for a service provider with higher reviews and ratings on these sites. The work needed to just get a basic profile established on Yelp or another one of these sites is minimal. So using these online review sites as a revenue driver is invaluable for a plumbing business, not to mention the exposure that can come from properly managing their online reviews profile.”
If online reviews have the ability to bring in more revenue, what are the kinds of things current and potential customers might want to read when researching plumbers online?
“It’s clear that online reviews sites have the potential to increase revenue for plumbing businesses. Thus, it’s important to optimize profiles on sites like Yelp, Angie’s List or Google+ Local. And again, if you don’t have one yet, they don’t take long to set up. Once that’s in place, plumbers need to ensure their profile contains the information that consumers are looking for most: our study found that quality of service provided (87%) and service costs (78%) are the top requested pieces of information that people look for. If your profile doesn’t have this type of info, you might get passed over by prospective clients.”
You just mentioned a few online review sites… Did you discover which site(s) might be best for plumbing contractors to focus on to build up an online review profile?
“In terms of what review sites plumbing contractors should focus on, Yelp is the overall leader. In all, 74% of respondents consulting online review sites for general service businesses consulted Yelp. Specifically for plumbing businesses though, the numbers drop a little bit, but Yelp still comes out on top with 55% of consumers consulting Yelp for information on plumbers. Not too far behind Yelp is Angie’s List with 46% of customers using this service when researching plumbers. These are two great places to set up your online profile. It’s worth keeping in mind that customers must pay to subscribe and see profiles on Angie’s List, where Yelp is free for the public to access.”
Realistically, would you say that devoting time and energy to this is a big undertaking? Perhaps one that the average plumbing business owner doesn’t have time for?
“As more and more consumers turn to online reviews sites for information on service businesses, I don’t think companies can afford not to be represented there. It’s just not an option anymore. These online review sites feature an impactful platform for consumers to review, compare and choose businesses that provide a service. In terms of the time and energy needed for getting one of these up and running, it can simply be taken care of in one afternoon. The revenue return is potentially so great that time must be made (or even hired) to manage, at least, a Yelp profile. Our study found that 96% of consumers find online review sites for service businesses “moderately,” “very” or “extremely” valuable. Aside from the potential increases in revenue, plumbing business owners have to take advantage of such meaningful tools that consumers find so valuable in deciding which plumbing contractor they will use. Iyou’re delivering consistently positive customer experiences, you’ll have a much greater chance of seeing positive reviews being posted for your business, with typically brings in more business and revenue.”
For plumbers who have a profile set up with an online review site, what is the one big tip you would give on how plumbers can get positive online reviews?
“The best way to get positive reviews and increase rankings on review sites is to consistently deliver positive customer experiences and encourage customers to leave a review. It’s that simple. But without doing both consistently, your rankings are unlikely to move up.”
Special note: Our research also found that another key way to make the job easier for a plumber or technician in the field is through field service software. By simplifying mundane business processes, these types of solutions can actually give a plumber the time to focus more on the customer experience. We talk to many plumbing businesses who are struggling to keep everything organized because they’re doing all their accounting and work orders manually or in endless spreadsheets. Field service management software provides the tools necessary to keep track of workers, optimize back office workflows, and free up their people in the field. It’s just another step in the process of building a better business experience for your customers. And a better customer experience brings better online reviews, more business and more revenue”
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People may not associate plumbers with technology, but the modern plumber knows that technology makes his job much easier. From offering customers better products and services to managing the office and fleet more effectively, modern technology is helping the plumbing industry evolve. Here are some trends to watch if you are in the field: Technology Read more
People may not associate plumbers with technology, but the modern plumber knows that technology makes his job much easier. From offering customers better products and services to managing the office and fleet more effectively, modern technology is helping the plumbing industry evolve. Here are some trends to watch if you are in the field:
Technology to Improve Customer Comfort and Health
It is not uncommon for a household to experience leaks. While some may go unnoticed, others may result in increased water bills. If you suspect your tap could be leaking, you can best handle the situation by contacting Mr Flow plumbing services to discover the best repair for such leaks.
Getting a leaking tap fixed could save you money spent on water bills and save thousands of liters of water yearly. Besides having a plumbing company resolve the issue, ensure that you always close all the taps tightly.
Today, there is high-end technology plumbing contractors use to deliver quality plumbing services. By hiring the right company with such tools, you will avoid regretting your decision in the future. This is because the problem will have gotten a permanent solution that does not need constant repairing. It would be best to do your research and identify all emerging trends now and then.
Technology Focused on Green Living
Going green” is no longer a fad; it is now deeply ingrained into today’s society. According to Hardware Retailing, 47 percent of retailers who sell plumbing products indicated that they had customers actively seeking green products for their plumbing systems. For modern plumbers, adding these into their service offerings is not just a good idea for customer service, but also a good idea for overall business growth.
Technology is helping in several ways: Consider, for example, the dishwasher. New dishwasher technology that recycles rinse water for the wash cycle can save the average family as much as 700 gallons of water a year. Home automation technology that automatically shuts off sprinkler systems based on weather reports can also help save water. Plumbing contractors that can offer these services will find themselves in high demand.
Using greywater (water that runs down the sink drain or shower drain) for other purposes in the home, such as flushing the toilet, is another water-saving innovation, and this is one area where the services of a plumber are absolutely necessary. Once installed, a greywater system can save a significant amount of money, but only a licensed plumber is able to set up the complicated system. Plumbing professionals that can learn how to offer these services will be in an excellent position to gain new clients.
Technology to Improve Customer Comfort and Health
In addition to saving water and energy, customers are looking for plumbing technology that makes them more comfortable and healthier at home. For instance, technological advancements that make toilets and faucets “touchless” are becoming increasingly popular in the home. Customers enjoy being able to close the lid, flush the toilet and wash their hands without having to touch germ-infested surfaces.
Water filtration systems are increasingly on demand as consumers are learning more about the dangers of tap water. Reverse osmosis filtration systems are a popular option in the modern home, because customers want instant access to clean drinking water.
Shower technology is also making the home experience more comfortable. Luxury faucets and showerheads can turn the home shower into a spa-like experience. Plumbers who can offer these types of upgrades to their customers will meet a growing need in the industry.
Technology to Streamline the Fleet
Most plumbing companies have a fleet of service vehicles they dispatch to deliver their services to clients; technology can make vehicle management more efficient.
GPS fleet tracking technology, for instance, allows the dispatcher to know where vehicles are and what the best route for them to take is. This limits wasted fuel from poorly planned routes and ensures drivers arrive on time. It can also limit wasted time and mileage when drivers take personal trips in company vehicles, because the technology provides a level of accountability.
With GPS fleet tracking, companies can improve customer service by ensuring that drivers are on time to their service calls. This is important, because 67 percent of customers will not do business again with a company that sends a technician an hour late, according to Software Advice, a service that assists plumbers in finding field service software. Sending drivers on time using the most productive route, and estimating arrival times accurately, requires the use of GPS fleet tracking.
Whether technology is improving the work of the plumber or the customer experience, the fact remains that it is changing the face of the industry. To ensure that your plumbing business remains relevant, be sure to keep up with these changes.
Robert J. Hall of Track Your Truck is president of one of the leading GPS vehicle tracking systems for small and midsized companies.