Residential water heaters are often taken for granted. They’re usually installed in a closet or basement or other out-of-the-way spot, and it generally costs less to replace a standard water tank system than other home systems, so many homeowners don’t see water heater maintenance as an urgent priority. But proper maintenance almost always pays off Read more
Customer Service
Residential water heaters are often taken for granted. They’re usually installed in a closet or basement or other out-of-the-way spot, and it generally costs less to replace a standard water tank system than other home systems, so many homeowners don’t see water heater maintenance as an urgent priority.
But proper maintenance almost always pays off in the long run, and not just for homeowners. While contractors may benefit from the additional business generated by emergency service calls, those one-time sales aren’t nearly as important as the name recognition and trust they can cultivate with maintenance agreements that help insure optimal product performance and longevity.
Unfortunately, many water heater service professionals either don’t recognize the value of maintenance plans, or don’t know how to effectively communicate the advantages to their customers.
Pay a little now or a lot later
Over the life of an appliance, the minor cost of an annual inspection or tune-up can help save homeowners in multiple ways. Inspections can catch small issues before they become major problems, which in turn helps extend the life of the water heater. In addition, regular service helps ensure efficient performance, which can reduce energy costs and provide for consistent product performance.
Preventive maintenance also helps protect homeowners from the inconvenience and high costs associated with emergency service. Unplanned repairs tend to cost more than regular maintenance and can interrupt household routines, which can be more than a nuisance. Missed work and the disruption of planned events like family vacations can add to the financial burden of emergency water heater repair.
Many successful contractors recognize that it’s in their own interest to help customers avoid emergencies, no matter how lucrative they can be. Routine service calls don’t generate a lot of income, but they build name recognition and, more importantly, lasting relationships. That can be a vital distinction when it’s time to replace an existing water heater, or in the unfortunate event of an emergency.
Maintenance vs. warranty
One misconception that contributes significantly to deferred maintenance is not having a full understanding of a manufacturer’s warranty. Many homeowners assume that the warranty will cover most repairs. Why pay for even minor service now if you expect your warranty to cover the cost of major repairs later?
But the scope of a warranty is limited and very specific, covering demonstrable defects in manufacturing. Proper installation and application and, in some cases, even documentation that the recommended maintenance has been performed, are typically required in order to maintain a valid warranty. Even then, warranties typically don’t apply to local conditions that can significantly affect water heater performance, like water quality, climate, air quality and the hardness of the water supply.
A warranty is an important tool that homeowners should be familiar with. But the best warranty will not apply to the simple wear and tear of daily use or issues arising from local adverse conditions.
Connect with homeowners
It doesn’t take salesmanship in order to maximize the long-term advantages of maintenance agreements. In many cases, a few simple tweaks to existing workflows can be extraordinarily effective tools to open new opportunities for preventive maintenance.
One simple enhancement is to follow the example of HVAC contractors and leverage seasonality. If water heater use tends to go up in your service area during colder months, try to schedule new maintenance service calls in late summer or fall. Employ multiple seasonal opportunities to connect with customers, from back to school, winter holidays, summer vacation or the switch to Daylight Savings Time, and set up regular seasonal reminders for follow-ups.
The single best time for a maintenance agreement conversation is immediately after a substantial repair or emergency service. Homeowners who have recently experienced the cost and disruption of a major equipment repair or unplanned replacement are in a position to recognize the likely payoff of an investment in ongoing service.
Ultimately, communication is the most crucial tool for connecting with customers about preventive maintenance service. Contractors who can effectively and objectively relay information to homeowners are in a position to relieve the anxiety many of them feel about water heaters and other large home appliances. By educating them and offering a convenient, affordable solution, you can establish your company as the trusted solution for any foreseeable service.
Dustin Bowerman is director of corporate training and product support for Bradford White Corporation, a full-line manufacturer of residential, commercial and industrial products for water heating, space heating, combination heating and storage applications. For more information, visit www.bradfordwhitecorporation.com.
It’s every business’ dream to have as many streams of incoming revenue as possible. New customers generally make the bulk of a plumbing business’ revenue but with diversification on many people’s minds nowadays, perhaps it’s time to take a look at some alternatives. What’s one that immediately comes to mind? Repeat customers, of course! Acknowledging Read more
It’s every business’ dream to have as many streams of incoming revenue as possible. New customers generally make the bulk of a plumbing business’ revenue but with diversification on many people’s minds nowadays, perhaps it’s time to take a look at some alternatives. What’s one that immediately comes to mind? Repeat customers, of course!
Acknowledging the value of returning customers
The first step is acknowledging the actual value of customer loyalty. I’m positive you’ve never thought to yourself “I hate loyal customers”; after all, it’s no doubt a good thing to have people choosing to hire you again and again: wear it like a badge of honor! But just because you’re happy about that, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re properly appreciating the value that these repeat customers provide your business with.
From a statistical point of view, retaining customers is up to 5 times cheaper than acquiring new ones. Returning customers also spend more: up to 300%! That’s a whole lot of value to be taking more seriously, which means strategizing how you can retain even more customers is important, too.
Equally, it helps to keep things in perspective; your plumbing business might be different, so it’s important to sit down with your own numbers and see if they do, in fact, match up to this potential.
Regardless, thinking up strategies to boost your returning customer rate is never going to hurt: even a little can go a long way. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from 2020 it’s that keeping your eggs in the same basket is not ideal, so having diverse streams of income is always a good idea.
Understanding why customers return to you
“Because I did a great job!” is the most natural answer to this question and oftentimes it’s also the right one. But, with competition in the plumbing industry being what it is nowadays, it’s hubris to say that you’re the only plumber in town who can do a good job.
If we’re going to be honest about it, most customers have a hard time telling an average job from a great one. As long as nothing breaks down for a reasonable number of days and there isn’t a massive mess, they won’t think twice about it.
To push the example, check out your own reviews and those of a competitor, then count how many times “great customer service”, “convenient”, “easy to communicate with” and other such phrases are mentioned. Then compare the number against how often “my hot water booster installation was a work of art” shows up.
It’s not the big things you do, but more often the run-of-the-mill details – like sending email confirmations and having techs wear polo shirts – that often make the biggest impact. Some other tips to get more repeat customers (and positive reviews) would be:
- 24/7 availability with the help of an online booking portal
- Keeping customers in the loop with automatic email/text notifications
- Sharing technician arrival times & tracking info so they’re not taken by surprise
- Training your techs & admin to always be presentable and make a good impression
- Sending feedback requests after the work is done
How much is maintenance work worth to you
Servicing appliances isn’t high up on anyone’s list of favorite jobs. It’s mundane, presents little to no challenge, and doesn’t seem to bring in much profit. The latter isn’t difficult to fix – if you use your net profit per hour to set prices instead of gross margins, every job will be a (highly) profitable job.
Regularly servicing appliances helps ensure that they work properly, don’t use up more electricity than they should, and that they last longer. Not to mention it helps avoid dangerous malfunctions that people might not even be aware of. These are all reasons to inform your customers and sell them on a service deal.
This can even work as a sales strategy, where you offer a “subscription plan”. Instead of charging them, say, $164.99 next year, when you come for the maintenance check, they can pay $13.75/month and have a technician available to them at all times for free check-ups and advice. $13.75/month might sound like change, but rack up 50 of these 30-minute jobs, and you’ve got almost $700/month guaranteed for only 25h of work!
Educating techs on how to be better salesperson
A technician’s priority is to do a great job – that’s always going to be true. But they’re also oftentimes the only face-to-face interaction customers have with your plumbing business. The level of trust they’re afforded shouldn’t be taken for granted, which means that pushy sales techniques and tactics don’t have a place in this situation. This being said, a technician can always learn to judge a situation on their own and make recommendations accordingly.
Whether it’s by presenting an additional product (where you can earn a mark-up if you have a good vendor relationship that affords you reduced rates) or a subscription like the one above, they’re in an unique position to make a great impression and help customers decide on hiring you again in the future.
Another way they can help the business is by using a quoting tool to show multiple options for a future project the customer might be interested in. This is the good, better, best approach also known as bronze/silver/gold service. Studies show that people rarely go for the cheapest option when they’re presented with 3 prices; you’re almost guaranteed that they pick the middle, or even the premium one.
Don’t leave it to the customer to schedule your jobs
And speaking of that future project (or maintenance work for that matter): you can’t rely on the customer to call you again. Sure, it’s great that some do, but for the most part and especially for that lucrative service work, people follow a “if it ain’t broke, why fix it” mentality. Chances are they won’t book a job until something breaks down.
This is why sending regular service reminders is essential. Not only does it give them a little nudge, but if you time them right (or better yet, schedule them in advance), they can also help the customer feel like they’re getting a more personalized treatment, seeing how you “remembered” when their appliance was due a check-up.
If you need a few more ideas, this is a complete guide to service reminders.
Simply keeping in touch with customers is essential and I don’t just mean sending them discounts or brochures. If you do decide to commit to a newsletter or regular emails, it’s best to try and keep it engaging. It does take more effort, but don’t overthink it; high production values are overrated. Relatability and being down-to-earth is a lot more valuable so the odd DIY tutorial on how to do an easy fix or some insight from the business (a “Get to know your plumber!” sort of thing) will go a lot further in establishing a long-lasting relationship.
The takeaway
All in all, earning customer loyalty means being great at what you do and having an eye for the kind of details that make a difference. As you grow your plumbing business, it can get more difficult to keep track of everything, from scheduling to payments to customer service.
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.
Guest Blogger: 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.
All businesses occasionally need a quick assessment on how they are running and how they can improve. Technology, trends, and customers’ needs are constantly changing, and people want more reactive, quick responses, more automated processes, and things to be as simple as possible for them. Being on the ball will help your business stand out Read more
All businesses occasionally need a quick assessment on how they are running and how they can improve. Technology, trends, and customers’ needs are constantly changing, and people want more reactive, quick responses, more automated processes, and things to be as simple as possible for them. Being on the ball will help your business stand out from the others and attract new customers while retaining the existing ones. It can also help you save money and speed up productivity in some cases.
Customer Service Contacts Are Key
One of the things you can start to look at is customer service. Customers want to talk to someone immediately without waiting and have things resolved there and then. It can be very costly and waste a lot of time doing this in-house. You can look to outsource this work to a live answering service. It helps you have a structure for growth within the company by using fully trained people part of the service answering your calls which can be done over all 365 days of the year. So if you have a small business where the owner ends up wearing a lot of hats and doing all sorts of different jobs, including ones they aren’t particularly good at or enjoy, you can use something like this to help take the pressure off. It is an affordable service with great prices.
Move Into The New Age Marketing
Marketing changes all the time but so much so lately that digital marketing is the way forward. Tv advertisements, billboards, and mailers are no longer as effective as they used to be. The majority of the population are online for hours a day, consuming content. This is why online marketing is one of the most successful ways to reach new audiences. It also is a lot more affordable than previous marketing campaigns. With Facebook and Instagram advertisements, you can personalize it to suit your business. By choosing what gender, age-range, and location you want to focus on, you can make sure that your business and your message get out to the right people. Not only that, but it gives you real-time updates on how the promotion is going, how many people have seen it, interacted within, and clicked through onto your website. It is a lot easier using this method to track how much your business has gained from particular advertisements.
Happy Staff Are Productive Staff
If you have people working for you, then you should know how important it is to keep them happy. Just naturally, people who are happier end up working a lot better, are more interested in what they are doing, and be a much better asset for your business. You can keep an eye on this and help improve morale by rewarding staff for great work. Whether that is through a bonus on their pay or simply just showing them, they are valued employees in your business. You can show this by getting breakfast for everyone, getting small perks for the employees like half days if things are quiet, and treats for the office. It is also important to be friendly with them, show interest, and ask about their lives, passions, and hobbies. It may be that you have someone who is an avid social media user and great with graphic design as a hobby who could be an asset for your business and run things online for you. You don’t know unless you ask.
Train Up Existing Staff
A great way to keep employees happy while also helping your business grow is by the upskilling of staff you have. If they show a keen interest in what you do, then offering them the chance to learn and grow within the company can really be beneficial for both parties. They will be learning new skills and a new trade while you will have someone you can rely on to do more important tasks while delegating jobs. Showing your trust in someone and helping them evolve their career will have them a lot more interested in your business and helping your business grow and be more successful.
Keep Your Technology Up To Date
Technology is always changing, and every year there are great strides in developing new things. It is important to keep on top of this and upgrade as and when you need to. This will make sure that you are ahead of your competitors and make life a lot easier for you and your staff so things can run more smoothly.
There’s no denying that the COVID-19 coronavirus has made life challenging for businesses – especially ones where contractors come into close contact with the public. Nowadays, consumers are more wary about being in close proximity to people outside their families. As a plumber, you still need to operate your business and earn a living. With Read more
There’s no denying that the COVID-19 coronavirus has made life challenging for businesses – especially ones where contractors come into close contact with the public. Nowadays, consumers are more wary about being in close proximity to people outside their families.
As a plumber, you still need to operate your business and earn a living. With that in mind, how can you streamline your plumbing business during COVID-19? Here are a few ways to help create a safer working environment, protecting both yourself and your customers:
Accept Only Contactless Payments
Cash might have been an acceptable choice before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it’s crucial you adapt how payments get accepted by your business. You can achieve that goal by politely refusing cash payments and only taking contactless ones.
These days, it’s easier than ever to accept debit and credit card payments from customers while you’re out on site. Try this point of sale system, for example, to accept card payments using a mobile card reader terminal.
Such solutions can even print receipts out for customers, which they can tear off the mini receipt-printer themselves. Alternatively, you could offer to email your customers an invoice for their payment.
Today’s mobile payment solutions also work with NFC devices like smartphones. They give your customers even more contactless payment options for convenience and safety.
Offer Customers Remote Video Quotes
As a plumber, your work will often require you to visit customer’s homes and business premises to survey any problems or work needed before offering a quote. As you can imagine, it makes sense to socially distance yourself from others as much as possible.
An innovative way to furnish customers with quotes for any non-emergency work is by having a video call with them. You can then ask them to point their mobile device to the areas where work is required so you can do a visual inspection remotely.
Both iPhones and Android devices come with free video call software (FaceTime and Google Duo, respectively). Alternatively, you could both use other methods, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Zoom.
Ask Customers to Email Images of Plumbing Issues
Another way to provide quotes to your customers remotely is by asking them to take photographs that illustrate any plumbing problems they are experiencing and email them to you.
You can then use that visual evidence to determine the most likely cause of their problems and provide an accurate quote for any remedial work. If it’s more convenient for them, your customers could send the messages to you via Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.
If the problem relates to a leaking pipe or faucet, for example, you could also ask them to take a short video clip of the issue on their mobile device and share that with you instead.
Provide Receipts Electronically
Lastly, if you usually fill out a receipt from a duplicate or triplicate receipt book, it makes more sense to send receipts electronically to your customers. Again, this can get done via email or through one of the various social networking messaging apps.
The plumbing industry has been essential through the rise of the pandemic over the last year or so. Thankfully, this means many plumbers have been able to continue working (while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines) rather than losing out on all essential work. However, because of the rate the virus spreads, there’s also a very large Read more
The plumbing industry has been essential through the rise of the pandemic over the last year or so. Thankfully, this means many plumbers have been able to continue working (while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines) rather than losing out on all essential work. However, because of the rate the virus spreads, there’s also a very large chance that many people have put off plumbing issues in their homes in fear of letting someone new into their homes.
Now there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and vaccines are beginning to be administered into the most vulnerable people, the rate of infection and other statistics should continue to drop. This means the world can get back to some sort of normality, and this means more people will be willing to let plumbers into their homes to fix their problems. However, with so many plumbers like you out there, how are you going to ensure you get your fair share of customers? Take a look at these effective methods to increase your customer base in a post pandemic era.
Show case studies
Case studies are a wonderful way of proving to potential clients that you can do the best work, whether it’s tightening a leaking pipe or fitting a new bathroom. At each project, take plenty of pictures (with the owner’s consent, of course) and use them on your website and at each pitch to help get potential customers on board with you, rather than other plumbers.
Continue to abide by safety laws
Even when everyone has had their vaccines, there’s still bound to be fear for many potential customers that the virus could be spread in their home. Continuing to abide by safety laws in your country or region will help them feel at ease. Many business owners are taking advice from Carlos Ramirez Safety to ensure the work they’re doing is as safe as possible for both themselves, and their clients. A professional plumber is almost always more likely to be hired over someone who’s not willing to put safety first.
Talk about your services on social media
Social media is the way forward in this day and age, and if you want to attract more customers, you should be using platforms like Facebook and Instagram to showcase the work you’re doing. Much like case studies, you can use pictures and videos to show transformations you’ve completed, as well as displaying your contact details and price list. Using the right hashtags will help you reach the right people and doing it consistently will ensure they call you when they have a plumbing issue.
Create an offer that’s hard to refuse
Finally, all plumbers will be looking to increase their customer base once restrictions begin to lift, so you need to get ahead of the game. Create offers and discounts for new and returning customers to help ensure people choose you over your competitors. Remember to always reward loyalty, and welcome new customers differently to make each customer feel as special as possible.