Old-School Pumpers Fuse Classic Face-to-Face Customer Contact With Industry Progressing Technology

Pumpers we feature this month take pride in old-school customer service, but also realize the need to keep up with new technology.

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Pumping professionals frequently talk to me about the challenge of maintaining the customer service values of a bygone time in today’s harried business environment. They say nothing replaces face-to-face contact with customers, on-time delivery of service and sharp-looking technicians and trucks when it comes to business retention.

Can these old-school service practices survive in a new-technology world? Can all the computer software, communications gadgets and other technology products available be used to enhance, rather than detract from personal contact with your customers?

The stories in this issue of Pumper go a long way to answering that question. And I argue the answer is a clear and resounding “yes.’’ Turn inside and you’ll find these examples of how traditional – but forward-thinking – contractors can benefit from the exciting technology driving and improving small business performance today:

Works hard, looks good

Jason LaChance, owner of Small Town Septic in Granby, Conn., is happy to be considered an owner-operator, working with customers one-on-one and making sure they receive consistently good service. At the same time, he and fiancee Sara Sabbagh realize the latest technology and marketing play a role in personal service, too. A good example is the appearance of their equipment, starting with the company’s truck, emblazoned with a professional logo decal. Another example is in the investments LaChance has made in camera inspection systems and a favorite tool, the Crust Buster.

But the focus always comes back to the customer, Sabbagh tells writer Ken Wysocky in our Cover Story. “We don’t focus on other companies … We don’t want to lose sight of who we should be focusing on – our customers and how to attract new ones.”

Accentuate the positive

Providing personal service is one thing, but letting everyone know you’re doing it is another. And technology can help you spread the word, as pumpers Dave McGregor and Katy Bailey of Northern Disposal and Sanitation, Katrine, Ontario, Canada, have learned. In our Pumper Interview story, the couple explains how they employed Facebook and a smartphone to broadcast word they’d won a regional Young Entrepreneur award.

“We were driving home [from the awards ceremony] and I used my smartphone to start Googling the media contacts in our area,’’ Bailey told writer Peter Kenter. “And I began to phone them to tell them what we had achieved with the award that was just presented.’’ Bailey said the award pushes them to improve their personal service. “Receiving an award also makes you want to live up to that award. It drives us every day and makes us want to achieve more.’’

Something old, something new

Judge Berk prides himself on being an old-school pumper. The owner of Judge’s Sanitation and Excavation LLC in Westerville, Ohio, believes in avoiding debt, handshake deals and keeping his equipment clean at all times. But he also quickly adapted to GPS truck routing and embracing a Super Service award he won from the Internet site Angie’s List.

In a Contractor Profile story, Berk explains that maintaining a technology edge serves his customers with the same attention that he’s provided for many years. “If you go out on a job with a ratty-looking truck, people don’t want that,’’ he says. “But if you go out with upgraded equipment and modern technology, it’s very impressive.”

The latest and greatest found here

New software technology is at the root of an efficiency revolution for pumping and any other small business sector. Without finding better, faster ways to route trucks, bill customers, track equipment maintenance and get accounting practices in order, small business owners will have an increasingly difficult time competing in a crowded marketplace.

That’s why our Product Focus feature this month is so important. Craig Mandli has gathered information on a variety of pumper-specific technology products aimed at helping contractors raise their bottom lines and serve customers better and faster.



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