November 13, 2025 • 21 mins
Tired of losing accounts to low-price flyers or “I’ll handle it in winter” cancellations? We share a practical retention system that keeps clients loyal by focusing on what they feel at home: fast replies, reliable visits, crystal water, and billing they can trust. No fluff—just the habits that stop churn before it starts.
Water quality makes or breaks loyalty, so we outline a preventive playbook: sustaining proper chlorine levels, using enhancers like borates or phosphate/enzyme programs, brushing every visit, and staying on top of filter maintenance. One bloom can be forgiven—repeat blooms are a deal‑breaker—so we show you how to document, communicate, and correct issues fast. Finally, we tackle billing transparency: notifying clients before parts are replaced, leaving old parts for inspection, photographing work, and giving clear price‑increase notices. When charges make sense, trust rises.
Whether you’re a solo operator or running a team, this episode gives you a proven framework to keep customers happy all year. If you found value, follow the show, share it with another pool pro, and leave a review to help more service teams build retention that lasts.
• balancing owner‑operator vs team expectations
• fixing slow or missing communication with photo updates
• building consistent day and time windows
• educating on winter debris, stains and year‑round pricing
• preventing algae with chemistry, brushing and filter care
• documenting parts and clarifying invoices before charging
• using routing apps for logs, photos and follow‑ups
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (01:02):
And welcome to the Pool Grey Podcast Show.
In this episode, I'm going totalk to you about customer
retention, why customers maycancel service, and some
surefire ways to keep thecustomers on your pool route all
season long.
And I do stress that becausethere is a time of year where a
lot of customers think they cango without pool service, and you
(01:25):
have to kind of correct thatthinking.
Are you a pool service prolooking to take your business to
the next level?
Join the pool guy coachingprogram.
Get expert advice, businesstips, exclusive content, and get
direct support.
From me, I'm a 35-year veteranin the industry.
Whether you're starting out orscaling up, I've got the tools
to help you succeed.
Learn more atswimmingpoollearning.com.
(01:46):
And before I dive in, I justwant to emphasize this point
that it doesn't really matter ifyou're a single polar or if you
have a bigger company with someemployees.
I don't think customers reallycare too much about one or the
other because there are ofcourse advantages of both
models.
For example, if the customer hasa pool and they hire an owner
(02:10):
operator, a single polar with noemployees, you deal directly
with the owner, which is in themost part a good thing.
And you know, if there's anykind of problems, the owner will
address that of the poolcompany, I should say.
And it may not be as quick aswith a company with employees
with a dedicated repair tech.
(02:31):
So the advantages of the singlepolar is probably better
customer relation because you'redealing directly with the
company owner.
The downside is that singlepolar may not have all the
resources to address thingsquickly, whereas a larger
company with a dedicated repairtech and employees can move
things faster.
(02:52):
Now, of course, the downsides,the downside with the big
company with employees is thatthe customer may not like the
particular service tech oremployee that's doing the pool,
and or maybe the employee is notdoing as good of a job as the
owner would do.
But it's one of those thingswhere there isn't really good
statistics good statistics onyou know single polars versus
(03:13):
large companies.
Most of the pool companies outthere, I think over 50% of them
are single polars, or maybe haveone employee, and so there's
smaller companies in general outthere, and in my area, most
service companies here aresingle polars.
Every area is different, areasof Florida where there's
gigantic companies in Texas aswell.
(03:33):
So it's not really gonna goingto I wouldn't say that is a
reason why a customer wouldcancel.
Generally, if you have anemployee that they don't like,
they can move your pool tosomeone else.
And if your own are single polarand the customer doesn't like
you, you're you're out of luckat that point.
(03:53):
But most of the time they'regonna like you.
And I would say that yourbusiness structure is not going
to be the reason why they'regonna cancel service.
However, there are things insideyour business model that can
lead to a cancellation ofservice.
I think the number one thingthat makes customers want to
(04:17):
switch companies, and they mayhave received a flyer from
someone at a lower rate, andthis is something that is
unavoidable.
But a lot of people just ignorethose things because I get them
all the time.
Also, for my service providers,I have rental properties and I
get flyers for pest control,other companies, and I'm happy
with the companies that I use,and so I just kind of ignore
those things.
(04:38):
But to put those on thecustomer's radar, there are a
few things, and the number onething I think customers don't
like is when there's a lack ofdirect communication.
When there's a problem, they tryto call you, get a hold of you
to rectify it, and there's noresponse or a very delayed
response, then that's a problem,and that is a lot of reasons why
(05:01):
people cancel.
It's really amazing that theeasiest way to retain customers
and to have a thriving business.
There's a local restaurant herethat I'm not sure well, they
don't have anyone really runningit to the capacity that they
should be, but it's a reallypopular restaurant.
There's lines out the door onSaturday and Sunday, and it's
(05:25):
one of those things where if youtry to call in an order to pick
up, they may pick up the phone,they may not.
Most of the time they don't, andthen when I go in there to place
an order trying to call, and Ithey don't answer, I go in, and
I can see that there's no reasonwhy they shouldn't be answering
the phone.
They I mean it's it's somethingthat's kind of irritating, but
the food's so good I kind ofignore that to a point, you
(05:48):
know, they can stay in businessbecause they don't answer their
phones, they don't, you know,they don't run an effective
business.
They even have weird hours wherethey close at 6 45 at night,
which is kind of strange.
And it's one of those thingswhere they they don't run their
business properly, and if theirfood was bad, then they'd be out
of business already.
But since the food is great andeveryone loves it, everyone
(06:11):
overlooks those details.
That does not translate to poolservice because you can they can
find another pool servicecompany pretty easily, and
there's really nothing holdingthem to you except goodwill and
how you service their pool.
And so if you don't communicatewith them with a problem they
may have be having, maybethere's a small drip leak coming
(06:32):
from their filter, which wouldbe probably a simple O-ring
change, and they're calling youand telling you to change it or
fix the leak, and you're kind ofputting it off, and it goes
three weeks go by and the leak'sstill there.
That's a problem, you know.
That's beyond miscommunicationand not being able to get a hold
of you.
That's just kind of neglectingyour duties out there.
(06:53):
And it's one of those thingswhere the customer has a tipping
point.
You know, they're calling you,they're saying, Can you fix this
leak?
You may say yes, I'll fix itnext week.
You don't fix it, or you may noteven get back to them.
At that point, they're gonna belike, Hey, I got this flyer from
All American Pool Service.
I I I let me look for it, andthey may have it on their desk
(07:13):
stacked up there, and sureenough, they will call this
company, they'll come over andgive them a bid, and then you've
lost that account, all becauseyou just weren't communicating
or being proactive with what thecustomer was communicating to
you.
And this is very common inbusiness, not just pool service,
but anywhere except where thefood is great, you can get
(07:37):
irritated by people notanswering the phone or
responding to you in a quickmanner, in a fast and
appropriate manner.
This is where the routingsoftware comes in super handy,
like skimmer, where you can sendmessages and you can send photos
when you were there cleaning thepool, fixing something or
repairing something, just snap aphoto and send it to your
(07:58):
customer.
And this is this is why the poolrouting apps are really great
and a good way to stay inconstant communication with your
customers.
And I think if you're not usingan app, you know, definitely try
Skimmer.
It's one of the ones that looksa lot like the Apple ISO.
And if you use an iPhone, you'regonna really like the way
Skimmer looks.
(08:19):
To me, it's the best-looking appout there, and it'll really help
you with these kind ofmiscommunications, especially if
you have employees and you needto follow up on certain things.
This is where these routingsoftware apps come in super
handy.
Before I touch on theseasonality and sometimes why
people may want to cancel, I'lltouch on one more that really is
(08:41):
a problem, and that'sinconsistent service.
Now, whether you're a companywith employees or you're a
single polar, people really likeconsistent same day, same time
frame service for a lot ofreasons.
They're comfortable and familiarwith the pool guy coming Tuesday
between 10 and 11 a.m.
Now, of course, there's somedelays there with filter
(09:02):
cleaning season, things likethat.
But if you can consistently showup week after week at the same
time frame on the same day, thecustomers get very familiar with
that, they feel comfortable withyour service because a lot of
times they're not around to seeyou doing the pool, they're may
not even be home during yourservice call, but at least from
(09:24):
their ring camera, they can seethat you've come at that time
and you're consistent week afterweek because they're paying you
for a service.
And if if you come on aWednesday sometimes or a
(09:53):
Thursday, or if the hoursfluctuate so widely that they
can't track you, they're gonnathink that you're not serviced
in their your pool.
Even if you send them pictureswith the app, it's one of those
things where people likeconsistent service and you have
to provide that for them.
And I think if you don't providethat consistency that is kind of
(10:14):
week in and week out, barringvacation and days off, then
you're gonna have a problem withthe customer really respecting
or understanding that you'reservicing their pool and that
your days fluctuate for whateverreason, it could be anything.
But if you don't fluctuate andyou're there all the time, the
customers overlook a lot ofthings.
(10:34):
You build a lot more goodwill bybeing there and being consistent
week in and week out.
Now, there is something withseasonality here in California
where customers think that youknow you have you in the
summertime, you're doing thepool, and then it comes to
October, November, and they'relike, Well, you know, I don't
think I need pool service, youknow, I can handle it myself in
(10:57):
the winter time.
And a lot of times you getcancellations in the off-season.
I think it's pretty rare to getcancellations in the middle of
summer unless you're doing areally poor job, and I'll touch
on the water quality as anotherreason that they may cancel.
But if you're doing a good jobin the summer, the customers
don't usually shop around foranother company during that time
because you're consistent,you're answering messages,
(11:20):
you're showing up the same dayand the same time block, and
you're doing a good job.
But when it comes to winter, alot of customers think, well, I
can, especially if they're newand they just started service
with you over the summer, thatthey can handle it in the winter
time.
And the truth is, at least inSouthern California, the pools
actually get messier in somecases in the winter than they
(11:42):
are in the summertime with thewinds blowing, with rain, with
other issues in the wintertime.
So I really think that if youhave people that are thinking
about canceling seasonallybecause the pool looks pretty
easy in the wintertime, let themknow when you're doing the bid
that you provide year-roundservice, and your rates are
(12:03):
based on the fact that you'reproviding service year-round.
And be honest with them, letthem know that in the winter
time you do recover a lot ofyour chemical costs because the
pools require less chemicals inthe wintertime.
And the reason why you cancharge, you know, 185 a month or
190 a month is because youspread everything over the whole
year.
And if they sign up for service,let them know that it's a season
(12:28):
a year-round service, I shouldsay, and not a seasonal service.
And if you're in an area whereit's seasonal, of course, like
with the closed pools, youcharge a lot more because your
season is so short, you have tomake as much money as you can,
and you'll find areas where theyclose pools, the service rate is
a lot higher because of thatreason.
But since you're servicing thepool year-round, the service
(12:49):
rate is kept lower for thatreason, and let them know that
in the winter time there's a lotof things you're doing as well,
and that a lot of the stainingand damage to the pools come
from people that don't havedon't clean their pools in the
wintertime properly when dirtgets in there.
This is the truth of it.
If a lot of dirt gets in thepool and it's not removed
(13:11):
quickly, the pool can developstains.
Organic staining is anotherproblem, and there's all kinds
of things that could happen tothe pool surface as well, from
neglect in the wintertime in theyear-round service areas like
California, Arizona, Florida.
So just educate the customer.
And if the customer still wantsto cancel service in the winter
(13:31):
time, I would say let them goand they'll probably be calling
you back, and you may decide notto do the pool again or not.
But sometimes, you know, it'sone of those things where even
with all the education andtalking to the customer, they
still feel like you're just asummer-only kind of service,
which is not okay because youreally need that year-round pool
(13:53):
service to sustain yourself andto stay in business and be a
viable pool service company inthose year-round areas.
Another reason why customers maybe apt to cancel, and it may not
be something that happensimmediately, they may wait for a
month or two after the fact.
But if the pool were to turn orhave algae, it's a big problem.
(14:15):
You know, it's the number onething that you're actually out
there doing to keep the poolblue, swim ready, and if the
pool starts to develop mustardalgae on the sides or even turns
green on the customer, that's abig failure.
I mean, it's like if you go to acar wash, you know, the car wash
where you pay to have them washyour car, you know, polish it,
(14:35):
dry it, and you get your carback, and you know, half the car
is still full of dirt and waterstains, and you just pay 30
bucks for this hand car wash,you're gonna be like, Well, this
car wash is no good.
I mean, I brought it in here$30later, half the car is still
dirty.
The car wash would not stay inbusiness for long.
(14:56):
You want to go back there, andthat's kind of the same thing
with pool service.
You're there to make sure thatwhen the customer looks out
their window drinking theirmorning coffee, that the pool
does not have mustard algae onthe sides and it's turning
green.
Now, if it happens once, most ofthe time the customer will give
you a pass because thingshappen.
You know, I've had customersleave their pool in spa mode all
(15:17):
week, then the pool turns, and Ilet them know, hey, you know,
you left your valves wrong, orthey may have trees trimmed and
the pool gets destroyed, thetree trimmer gets all the debris
out, but there's algae formingin there from all the you know
stuff that fell in there.
All these things do happen.
You know, you may forget to putchemicals in the pool one week.
This has happened to me before.
(15:38):
I get busy, I get a phone call,I forget to put the tablets in,
and the pool turns, and oops,that's my mistake.
But it happens only once and Icorrect it.
And usually that's a free pass,get out of jail free card kind
of thing.
But if it happens again ormultiple times, or if they can't
use their pool for a partybecause there's algae in it,
(15:58):
that is a problem.
And you know, they do havegrounds for cancellation in a
lot of cases.
So if you have employees, trainthem that the number one reason,
and I think this is the numberone reason in most cases that a
customer will cancel is algae inthe pool or poor water quality.
Now, there are a lot of thingsyou can do to prevent that,
(16:19):
keeping the proper chlorinelevel, using an enhancer like
boric to 50 parts a million orthe pool RX or phosphated
enzymes, lots of ways to preventalgae from forming in a pool,
making sure the filters areclean on a regular basis.
All these things can allow youto keep the pool algae-free.
Brushing the pool every timeyou're there is a key factor as
(16:43):
well.
Brushing the pool really helpswith algae growth on the sides.
And so your employee should bebrushing the pool every time
they're there, the steps, thesides, and this these are all
ways to prevent algae and tokeep that customer happy.
And it's one of those thingswhere it is very logical that if
the pool looks terrible andyou're consistent, you're
(17:05):
communicating with the customer,they're still probably going to
cancel service and find someoneelse because you're missing one
of the main elements, which iskeeping the pool clean and swim
ready.
And this last one does happen,and I've had a customer cancel
on me for this reason because ofinconsistent billing or not
being clear.
(17:26):
Now, this was back in the daybefore any kind of software, and
this is when they would leave mea check, and the customer got
mixed up on which month ofservice they were paying for.
I don't know what exactlyhappened, but it was a kind of a
dispute like, hey, I paid youfor this month, and I I showed
them that they didn't, but thenyou know they said they did.
And this is an old schoolexample, you know, when people
(17:48):
leave checks or cash out foryou, how things can get messed
up.
The new modern age, thisshouldn't happen.
There shouldn't be too manybilling issues or problems.
The main billing problem thatyou're gonna have with the
customer is charges that appearon there that they're unfamiliar
with and that they may questiona lot of times when you replace
a part.
And I always tell pool companiesto do this: like if you change a
(18:11):
cleaner part, like a Polariswheel or a diaphragm and a
cleaner, or if you change youknow the pumplet O-ring or pump
basket, I always leave the oldone somewhere by the equipment
near the heater or somewherelike that, and then the customer
questions it, and I always tellthe customer too that I'm
changing this part.
I left the old one there so youcan inspect it and see that I
(18:32):
changed it.
That way, there's no questionthat you put that O-ring on or
that pump basket in.
It it eliminates one of thereasons why a lot of people will
switch services in billing.
It's not the fact that they itwas a confusion over what they
paid for, but there areconfusions about what you're
adding on to their bill.
And if you're gonna raiseservice rates, of course, inform
(18:54):
the customers with a letter.
I have a a form, a littleparagraph that I send out, and
it basically talks aboutinflation and the fact that
everything's gone up in cost inthe pool industry, and that's
why I'm raising prices.
So inform them that prices aregone.
Don't just raise their servicerate without informing them.
In fact, most companies will letyou know ahead of time, and if
(19:17):
you raise them without lettingthem know, that could be a
reason for cancellation.
So be transparent in yourbilling, what this charge is
for, why you're billing them forthat, and of course, set your
company up to where anythingthat is taken out or changed is
left there so the customer cansee it.
Don't have the employee or don'tthrow away the part right away.
(19:39):
I've even had customers twomonths later question me on
something, and thankfully Ididn't take that out and throw
it away.
Usually I leave it there for acouple months so they can see
it.
I mean, you don't want to leavelike a changed pump and motor
there, it looks kind of tackysitting there like an equipment
graveyard, but there are certainthings you can leave there and
it's not gonna cause a problem.
(20:01):
And just let the customer knowyou change it.
Take photos of the part, ofcourse, in case you throw it
away.
You can just pull it back up onyour phone and say, hey, I
changed this.
Of course, the apps are greatfor sending a picture of the
part that you changed, but a lotof pool companies still are not
using these apps, so of courseleave it there, take a photo of
it, just document anythingyou've done to their pool so
that later on, if there's aquestion, you can clarify it,
(20:24):
and that won't cause thecustomer to cancel service over
a simple billing issue, whichhas happened to members of my
group.
You know, they bill them forsomething, customer questions
it, they can't answer it or givethem clear, concise reasons why
that was charged, and thecustomer cancels.
I remember a long time ago whenI was working for a pool store
when I first started, someonegot a bill for it was like I
(20:47):
think it was like 14 cents.
It was really embarrassing, butthe system kicked out this.
This is like early days thatthere was really not really good
software, but for some reasonthere was like a balance
forwarded to them for like 14cents.
They were so irate, they canthey cancel service, and you
don't want a billing error or abuilding problem to be the
(21:08):
reason they cancel service.
If you're looking for otherpodcasts, you go to my website,
swingprolearning.com.
On the banner, there's a podcasticon that'll take you to a list
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And if you're interested in thecoaching program that I offer,
you can learn more atpoolguidecoaching.com.
Thanks for listening to thispodcast.
Have you guys your week and Godbless.
And welcome to the Pool Grey Podcast Show.
In this episode, I'm going totalk to you about customer
retention, why customers maycancel service, and some
surefire ways to keep thecustomers on your pool route all
season long.
And I do stress that becausethere is a time of year where a
lot of customers think they cango without pool service, and you
(01:25):
have to kind of correct thatthinking.
Are you a pool service prolooking to take your business to
the next level?
Join the pool guy coachingprogram.
Get expert advice, businesstips, exclusive content, and get
direct support.
From me, I'm a 35-year veteranin the industry.
Whether you're starting out orscaling up, I've got the tools
to help you succeed.
Learn more atswimmingpoollearning.com.
(01:46):
And before I dive in, I justwant to emphasize this point
that it doesn't really matter ifyou're a single polar or if you
have a bigger company with someemployees.
I don't think customers reallycare too much about one or the
other because there are ofcourse advantages of both
models.
For example, if the customer hasa pool and they hire an owner
(02:10):
operator, a single polar with noemployees, you deal directly
with the owner, which is in themost part a good thing.
And you know, if there's anykind of problems, the owner will
address that of the poolcompany, I should say.
And it may not be as quick aswith a company with employees
with a dedicated repair tech.
(02:31):
So the advantages of the singlepolar is probably better
customer relation because you'redealing directly with the
company owner.
The downside is that singlepolar may not have all the
resources to address thingsquickly, whereas a larger
company with a dedicated repairtech and employees can move
things faster.
(02:52):
Now, of course, the downsides,the downside with the big
company with employees is thatthe customer may not like the
particular service tech oremployee that's doing the pool,
and or maybe the employee is notdoing as good of a job as the
owner would do.
But it's one of those thingswhere there isn't really good
statistics good statistics onyou know single polars versus
(03:13):
large companies.
Most of the pool companies outthere, I think over 50% of them
are single polars, or maybe haveone employee, and so there's
smaller companies in general outthere, and in my area, most
service companies here aresingle polars.
Every area is different, areasof Florida where there's
gigantic companies in Texas aswell.
(03:33):
So it's not really gonna goingto I wouldn't say that is a
reason why a customer wouldcancel.
Generally, if you have anemployee that they don't like,
they can move your pool tosomeone else.
And if your own are single polarand the customer doesn't like
you, you're you're out of luckat that point.
(03:53):
But most of the time they'regonna like you.
And I would say that yourbusiness structure is not going
to be the reason why they'regonna cancel service.
However, there are things insideyour business model that can
lead to a cancellation ofservice.
I think the number one thingthat makes customers want to
(04:17):
switch companies, and they mayhave received a flyer from
someone at a lower rate, andthis is something that is
unavoidable.
But a lot of people just ignorethose things because I get them
all the time.
Also, for my service providers,I have rental properties and I
get flyers for pest control,other companies, and I'm happy
with the companies that I use,and so I just kind of ignore
those things.
(04:38):
But to put those on thecustomer's radar, there are a
few things, and the number onething I think customers don't
like is when there's a lack ofdirect communication.
When there's a problem, they tryto call you, get a hold of you
to rectify it, and there's noresponse or a very delayed
response, then that's a problem,and that is a lot of reasons why
(05:01):
people cancel.
It's really amazing that theeasiest way to retain customers
and to have a thriving business.
There's a local restaurant herethat I'm not sure well, they
don't have anyone really runningit to the capacity that they
should be, but it's a reallypopular restaurant.
There's lines out the door onSaturday and Sunday, and it's
(05:25):
one of those things where if youtry to call in an order to pick
up, they may pick up the phone,they may not.
Most of the time they don't, andthen when I go in there to place
an order trying to call, and Ithey don't answer, I go in, and
I can see that there's no reasonwhy they shouldn't be answering
the phone.
They I mean it's it's somethingthat's kind of irritating, but
the food's so good I kind ofignore that to a point, you
(05:48):
know, they can stay in businessbecause they don't answer their
phones, they don't, you know,they don't run an effective
business.
They even have weird hours wherethey close at 6 45 at night,
which is kind of strange.
And it's one of those thingswhere they they don't run their
business properly, and if theirfood was bad, then they'd be out
of business already.
But since the food is great andeveryone loves it, everyone
(06:11):
overlooks those details.
That does not translate to poolservice because you can they can
find another pool servicecompany pretty easily, and
there's really nothing holdingthem to you except goodwill and
how you service their pool.
And so if you don't communicatewith them with a problem they
may have be having, maybethere's a small drip leak coming
(06:32):
from their filter, which wouldbe probably a simple O-ring
change, and they're calling youand telling you to change it or
fix the leak, and you're kind ofputting it off, and it goes
three weeks go by and the leak'sstill there.
That's a problem, you know.
That's beyond miscommunicationand not being able to get a hold
of you.
That's just kind of neglectingyour duties out there.
(06:53):
And it's one of those thingswhere the customer has a tipping
point.
You know, they're calling you,they're saying, Can you fix this
leak?
You may say yes, I'll fix itnext week.
You don't fix it, or you may noteven get back to them.
At that point, they're gonna belike, Hey, I got this flyer from
All American Pool Service.
I I I let me look for it, andthey may have it on their desk
(07:13):
stacked up there, and sureenough, they will call this
company, they'll come over andgive them a bid, and then you've
lost that account, all becauseyou just weren't communicating
or being proactive with what thecustomer was communicating to
you.
And this is very common inbusiness, not just pool service,
but anywhere except where thefood is great, you can get
(07:37):
irritated by people notanswering the phone or
responding to you in a quickmanner, in a fast and
appropriate manner.
This is where the routingsoftware comes in super handy,
like skimmer, where you can sendmessages and you can send photos
when you were there cleaning thepool, fixing something or
repairing something, just snap aphoto and send it to your
(07:58):
customer.
And this is this is why the poolrouting apps are really great
and a good way to stay inconstant communication with your
customers.
And I think if you're not usingan app, you know, definitely try
Skimmer.
It's one of the ones that looksa lot like the Apple ISO.
And if you use an iPhone, you'regonna really like the way
Skimmer looks.
(08:19):
To me, it's the best-looking appout there, and it'll really help
you with these kind ofmiscommunications, especially if
you have employees and you needto follow up on certain things.
This is where these routingsoftware apps come in super
handy.
Before I touch on theseasonality and sometimes why
people may want to cancel, I'lltouch on one more that really is
(08:41):
a problem, and that'sinconsistent service.
Now, whether you're a companywith employees or you're a
single polar, people really likeconsistent same day, same time
frame service for a lot ofreasons.
They're comfortable and familiarwith the pool guy coming Tuesday
between 10 and 11 a.m.
Now, of course, there's somedelays there with filter
(09:02):
cleaning season, things likethat.
But if you can consistently showup week after week at the same
time frame on the same day, thecustomers get very familiar with
that, they feel comfortable withyour service because a lot of
times they're not around to seeyou doing the pool, they're may
not even be home during yourservice call, but at least from
(09:24):
their ring camera, they can seethat you've come at that time
and you're consistent week afterweek because they're paying you
for a service.
And if if you come on aWednesday sometimes or a
(09:53):
Thursday, or if the hoursfluctuate so widely that they
can't track you, they're gonnathink that you're not serviced
in their your pool.
Even if you send them pictureswith the app, it's one of those
things where people likeconsistent service and you have
to provide that for them.
And I think if you don't providethat consistency that is kind of
(10:14):
week in and week out, barringvacation and days off, then
you're gonna have a problem withthe customer really respecting
or understanding that you'reservicing their pool and that
your days fluctuate for whateverreason, it could be anything.
But if you don't fluctuate andyou're there all the time, the
customers overlook a lot ofthings.
(10:34):
You build a lot more goodwill bybeing there and being consistent
week in and week out.
Now, there is something withseasonality here in California
where customers think that youknow you have you in the
summertime, you're doing thepool, and then it comes to
October, November, and they'relike, Well, you know, I don't
think I need pool service, youknow, I can handle it myself in
(10:57):
the winter time.
And a lot of times you getcancellations in the off-season.
I think it's pretty rare to getcancellations in the middle of
summer unless you're doing areally poor job, and I'll touch
on the water quality as anotherreason that they may cancel.
But if you're doing a good jobin the summer, the customers
don't usually shop around foranother company during that time
because you're consistent,you're answering messages,
(11:20):
you're showing up the same dayand the same time block, and
you're doing a good job.
But when it comes to winter, alot of customers think, well, I
can, especially if they're newand they just started service
with you over the summer, thatthey can handle it in the winter
time.
And the truth is, at least inSouthern California, the pools
actually get messier in somecases in the winter than they
(11:42):
are in the summertime with thewinds blowing, with rain, with
other issues in the wintertime.
So I really think that if youhave people that are thinking
about canceling seasonallybecause the pool looks pretty
easy in the wintertime, let themknow when you're doing the bid
that you provide year-roundservice, and your rates are
(12:03):
based on the fact that you'reproviding service year-round.
And be honest with them, letthem know that in the winter
time you do recover a lot ofyour chemical costs because the
pools require less chemicals inthe wintertime.
And the reason why you cancharge, you know, 185 a month or
190 a month is because youspread everything over the whole
year.
And if they sign up for service,let them know that it's a season
(12:28):
a year-round service, I shouldsay, and not a seasonal service.
And if you're in an area whereit's seasonal, of course, like
with the closed pools, youcharge a lot more because your
season is so short, you have tomake as much money as you can,
and you'll find areas where theyclose pools, the service rate is
a lot higher because of thatreason.
But since you're servicing thepool year-round, the service
(12:49):
rate is kept lower for thatreason, and let them know that
in the winter time there's a lotof things you're doing as well,
and that a lot of the stainingand damage to the pools come
from people that don't havedon't clean their pools in the
wintertime properly when dirtgets in there.
This is the truth of it.
If a lot of dirt gets in thepool and it's not removed
(13:11):
quickly, the pool can developstains.
Organic staining is anotherproblem, and there's all kinds
of things that could happen tothe pool surface as well, from
neglect in the wintertime in theyear-round service areas like
California, Arizona, Florida.
So just educate the customer.
And if the customer still wantsto cancel service in the winter
(13:31):
time, I would say let them goand they'll probably be calling
you back, and you may decide notto do the pool again or not.
But sometimes, you know, it'sone of those things where even
with all the education andtalking to the customer, they
still feel like you're just asummer-only kind of service,
which is not okay because youreally need that year-round pool
(13:53):
service to sustain yourself andto stay in business and be a
viable pool service company inthose year-round areas.
Another reason why customers maybe apt to cancel, and it may not
be something that happensimmediately, they may wait for a
month or two after the fact.
But if the pool were to turn orhave algae, it's a big problem.
(14:15):
You know, it's the number onething that you're actually out
there doing to keep the poolblue, swim ready, and if the
pool starts to develop mustardalgae on the sides or even turns
green on the customer, that's abig failure.
I mean, it's like if you go to acar wash, you know, the car wash
where you pay to have them washyour car, you know, polish it,
(14:35):
dry it, and you get your carback, and you know, half the car
is still full of dirt and waterstains, and you just pay 30
bucks for this hand car wash,you're gonna be like, Well, this
car wash is no good.
I mean, I brought it in here$30later, half the car is still
dirty.
The car wash would not stay inbusiness for long.
(14:56):
You want to go back there, andthat's kind of the same thing
with pool service.
You're there to make sure thatwhen the customer looks out
their window drinking theirmorning coffee, that the pool
does not have mustard algae onthe sides and it's turning
green.
Now, if it happens once, most ofthe time the customer will give
you a pass because thingshappen.
You know, I've had customersleave their pool in spa mode all
(15:17):
week, then the pool turns, and Ilet them know, hey, you know,
you left your valves wrong, orthey may have trees trimmed and
the pool gets destroyed, thetree trimmer gets all the debris
out, but there's algae formingin there from all the you know
stuff that fell in there.
All these things do happen.
You know, you may forget to putchemicals in the pool one week.
This has happened to me before.
(15:38):
I get busy, I get a phone call,I forget to put the tablets in,
and the pool turns, and oops,that's my mistake.
But it happens only once and Icorrect it.
And usually that's a free pass,get out of jail free card kind
of thing.
But if it happens again ormultiple times, or if they can't
use their pool for a partybecause there's algae in it,
(15:58):
that is a problem.
And you know, they do havegrounds for cancellation in a
lot of cases.
So if you have employees, trainthem that the number one reason,
and I think this is the numberone reason in most cases that a
customer will cancel is algae inthe pool or poor water quality.
Now, there are a lot of thingsyou can do to prevent that,
(16:19):
keeping the proper chlorinelevel, using an enhancer like
boric to 50 parts a million orthe pool RX or phosphated
enzymes, lots of ways to preventalgae from forming in a pool,
making sure the filters areclean on a regular basis.
All these things can allow youto keep the pool algae-free.
Brushing the pool every timeyou're there is a key factor as
(16:43):
well.
Brushing the pool really helpswith algae growth on the sides.
And so your employee should bebrushing the pool every time
they're there, the steps, thesides, and this these are all
ways to prevent algae and tokeep that customer happy.
And it's one of those thingswhere it is very logical that if
the pool looks terrible andyou're consistent, you're
(17:05):
communicating with the customer,they're still probably going to
cancel service and find someoneelse because you're missing one
of the main elements, which iskeeping the pool clean and swim
ready.
And this last one does happen,and I've had a customer cancel
on me for this reason because ofinconsistent billing or not
being clear.
(17:26):
Now, this was back in the daybefore any kind of software, and
this is when they would leave mea check, and the customer got
mixed up on which month ofservice they were paying for.
I don't know what exactlyhappened, but it was a kind of a
dispute like, hey, I paid youfor this month, and I I showed
them that they didn't, but thenyou know they said they did.
And this is an old schoolexample, you know, when people
(17:48):
leave checks or cash out foryou, how things can get messed
up.
The new modern age, thisshouldn't happen.
There shouldn't be too manybilling issues or problems.
The main billing problem thatyou're gonna have with the
customer is charges that appearon there that they're unfamiliar
with and that they may questiona lot of times when you replace
a part.
And I always tell pool companiesto do this: like if you change a
(18:11):
cleaner part, like a Polariswheel or a diaphragm and a
cleaner, or if you change youknow the pumplet O-ring or pump
basket, I always leave the oldone somewhere by the equipment
near the heater or somewherelike that, and then the customer
questions it, and I always tellthe customer too that I'm
changing this part.
I left the old one there so youcan inspect it and see that I
(18:32):
changed it.
That way, there's no questionthat you put that O-ring on or
that pump basket in.
It it eliminates one of thereasons why a lot of people will
switch services in billing.
It's not the fact that they itwas a confusion over what they
paid for, but there areconfusions about what you're
adding on to their bill.
And if you're gonna raiseservice rates, of course, inform
(18:54):
the customers with a letter.
I have a a form, a littleparagraph that I send out, and
it basically talks aboutinflation and the fact that
everything's gone up in cost inthe pool industry, and that's
why I'm raising prices.
So inform them that prices aregone.
Don't just raise their servicerate without informing them.
In fact, most companies will letyou know ahead of time, and if
(19:17):
you raise them without lettingthem know, that could be a
reason for cancellation.
So be transparent in yourbilling, what this charge is
for, why you're billing them forthat, and of course, set your
company up to where anythingthat is taken out or changed is
left there so the customer cansee it.
Don't have the employee or don'tthrow away the part right away.
(19:39):
I've even had customers twomonths later question me on
something, and thankfully Ididn't take that out and throw
it away.
Usually I leave it there for acouple months so they can see
it.
I mean, you don't want to leavelike a changed pump and motor
there, it looks kind of tackysitting there like an equipment
graveyard, but there are certainthings you can leave there and
it's not gonna cause a problem.
(20:01):
And just let the customer knowyou change it.
Take photos of the part, ofcourse, in case you throw it
away.
You can just pull it back up onyour phone and say, hey, I
changed this.
Of course, the apps are greatfor sending a picture of the
part that you changed, but a lotof pool companies still are not
using these apps, so of courseleave it there, take a photo of
it, just document anythingyou've done to their pool so
that later on, if there's aquestion, you can clarify it,
(20:24):
and that won't cause thecustomer to cancel service over
a simple billing issue, whichhas happened to members of my
group.
You know, they bill them forsomething, customer questions
it, they can't answer it or givethem clear, concise reasons why
that was charged, and thecustomer cancels.
I remember a long time ago whenI was working for a pool store
when I first started, someonegot a bill for it was like I
(20:47):
think it was like 14 cents.
It was really embarrassing, butthe system kicked out this.
This is like early days thatthere was really not really good
software, but for some reasonthere was like a balance
forwarded to them for like 14cents.
They were so irate, they canthey cancel service, and you
don't want a billing error or abuilding problem to be the
(21:08):
reason they cancel service.
If you're looking for otherpodcasts, you go to my website,
swingprolearning.com.
On the banner, there's a podcasticon that'll take you to a list
of over 1800 podcasts for you todownload.
And if you're interested in thecoaching program that I offer,
you can learn more atpoolguidecoaching.com.
Thanks for listening to thispodcast.
Have you guys your week and Godbless.
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