The busy season for pool service businesses is in full swing. Memorial Day marks the start of the busiest time of year for most pool professionals. They are running from maintenance to maintenance appointment, pools have already been designed and they’re now being built or installed and your office phone is ringing off the hook.
The pool businesses that really thrive come Labor Day and have happy customers that know they’ll be returning next season have a few things in common. Here are 4 traits that great pool services businesses have in common.
Communication
Great pool service businesses are also great communicators. They keep their customers informed of what’s important to them. From the very first customer interaction, the customers get a sense that they can trust the company they are dealing with. There should be a healthy mix of face-to-face, phone and email communications.
You should have systems in place for regular communication. If you’re a pool maintenance company, it is nice to send appointment reminder and completion emails, so a mass emailing is a nice system to have in place. A mass email system that is linked to Customer Relationship Management software makes your communication even more personalized and powerful. Part of the reason that keeping lines of communication open with customers is so important is that if anything does go wrong, like your tech might be late for an appointment, you’re more likely to retain your customers. One study performed by Software Advice showed that two-thirds of customers wouldn’t rehire a company whose field technician was an hour late. But, 73% of people said they would rehire that company if they had received notification that the tech might be late.
Efficient
Great pool service businesses are incredibly efficient. They are able to squeeze in plenty of appointments throughout their day. They’re able to prioritize their work to make sure that they are getting the most out of their busy seasons. Pool service businesses can be very successful regardless of the amount of employees they have on staff. Some can be highly profitable with only one or two field technicians. They’re efficient with the people that they have.
Likewise, great pool service businesses are highly efficient with their equipment. They plan and use their resources wisely.
Timely
Successful pool service businesses are timely with their operations. They know that their seasons are short (unless you’re in a climate that allows you to work year round) so they have to get their work done. They also know that they need to be timely throughout their days. They need to be aware that their customers are busy people as well. If you say you’re going to take care of an appointment on a certain day, you need to be there. A great pool service business understands that their schedule is busy, but they also are aware that their customers are busy as well.
Stress the Details
The best pool service businesses pay attention to the little things. They keep a full history of their customer interactions so they know exactly what they should be doing. Great service businesses provide just that - great service. They’re able to anticipate customer needs before they get brought up. The reason they can do this is because they’ve taken the time to do the right things. They’ve built a foundation for their success. It makes it easier for you to continue to do the right things.
Want to know what can help with all four of these areas? Learn how pool services software can help grow your business by downloading our Pool Services Software Buyer's Guide for free!
