How can you measure Swimming Pool Services’ commitment to customers? With the metric system.
The Waukesha, Wisc.-based firm was presented with a challenging project, designed by a German company, which included the construction of a pool within an elevated structure, 13-feet high on one end, 19-feet on the other.
Further complicating matters: The waterfeatures selected by the client were imported from overseas. This would require metric fittings, which were not included in the package. But the company happily and diligently tracked some down to make the waterfeature work.
The firm’s commitment to customer service extends past construction, to ensuring proper and timely maintenance. To do this, the company had to first confront its biggest administrative headache. Says David Thompson, CEO.: “My service manager said, ‘The time we spend trying to chase down our clients to confirm appointments, for pool openings and closings in particular, because we do hundreds of them, is rough.’”
So, they looked to another industry for a solution. It turns out the medical field experiences the same frustrations.
“Dentists and doctors have this figured out,” Thompson adds. “Every time there’s a chair sitting empty, they’re losing money.”
That’s why they use a program called DoctorConnect. It’s an automated service that reminds customers of appointments through their preferred method of communication. Most of Thompson’s customers opt for text messages.
Another way the firm has streamlined communications is through an app called GroupMe. Swimming Pool Services uses it internally, giving each department in the firm a designated chatroom. For example, when an automatic cleaner was left on a repair shelf without a work order, a brief inquiry to the service group prompted a quick response.
“Within 20 minutes, the guy who put it there said ‘Oh sorry I didn’t tag it,’” Thompson says. “The showroom manager could’ve spent several days wondering whose it was.”
DoctorConnect and GroupMe has minimized missed connections, allowing Swimming Pool Services do what it does best: Make it easy for customers to enjoy their pools.
