Published December 2007

Try These Tips for Maintaining Productivity in the Winter Season

By Tom Ferrero (page 118)

Work is cyclical, no matter where or what it is. It takes effort to even out those seasonal variations.

Generating business

Work is cyclical, no matter where or what it is. It takes effort to even out those seasonal variations. One way is to call customers you helped the previous holiday season in October, and schedule their maintenance in a slow month. If you don’t contact them, they will call early in December to avoid a repeat of last year’s disaster.

Another way to offset slow months is to mail reminder notices and promote preventive maintenance programs. Sending service reminders may sound primitive, but it works really well because you have already helped these homeowners. If you set them up right during the initial call, they’re expecting a reminder notice.

Most pumpers are good at talking about preventive maintenance, but the program has to be in place before they can sell service contracts. (Download a sample service contract at www.nawt.org, then Education Day link.) Companies without one can use slow times to remedy that situation. The opportunity to sell a contract is when you’re one-on-one with a new customer. It’s the “teachable moment.” You just rescued him from a nasty experience and his mind is receptive to preventing a recurrence.

Few pumpers need or want more work in December. Mailing December maintenance notices in January puts calls on the board for February. I hired a part-time employee who calls everyone one week after the reminders go out, confirming that they received them and scheduling services. At least 20 percent make an appointment the month of the mailing, and 40 percent respond within two or three months.

Don’t be afraid of the soft sell. It adds to your credibility. If the kids moved out during the past two years and it’s just the folks, they’ll think it’s a great idea if you tell them the inspection can wait and you’ll call back next year.

Having a person follow up is the key. Hire a college student part time and introduce him to a real business. If the right person is making the follow-up calls, it is well worth the investment.

Slow times are a good time for pumpers to expand their commercial accounts. Pumping grease traps is a monthly or quarterly service. If driving 100 miles and paying a discharge fee is your only option, do it. Those grease traps have to be emptied. Don’t worry about mileage and fees. They are part of what successful companies charge their customers. Sewage treatment plants sometimes need haulers to clean tanks. School districts are another possibility. Look for opportunities or make them.

Another slow-time activity is going to your university extension, state, or the EPA Web site (www.epa.gov) and downloading Fact Sheets to give customers or stuff in reminder letters. The literature isn’t copyrighted, so cut and paste it into your letterhead before taking it to the local printer. Customers are more receptive to what you’re saying about maintenance when a third party confirms it.

Holiday service

The holiday season is a tough time for pumpers. Homeowners want service the day or week before Christmas, not the day after. The heightened level of urgency makes them more demanding, but they also tip better.

Employees feel pressured, too. They want time off to be with their families and friends, not longer work days. With proper planning, however, phones ringing over the holidays shouldn’t be a hassle. Provided the company has the resources, schedule employees so they know in advance what days and hours they’ll work.

Companies with a use-it-or-lose-it vacation policy should consider allowing employees until the end of February to take their vacation days. What better time for them to stay home than when work is slow? A healthy strategy is giving them only one week’s pay for unused vacation days, then having them take the other days off. Everyone needs time off and will work better because of it.

Winter truck maintenance

A slow period is the perfect time to clean and repair equipment so it’s ready when business picks up. January and February are slow months in northern climates, but the most nightmarish days often come in January. The temperature suddenly rockets to 35 degrees and it rains on top of a foot of snow. Septic systems back up, basements flood, and employees run around the clock answering calls. Being prepared for unusual weather events is part of winter maintenance.

Pumpers who park their vehicles outdoors during winter should know these maintenance tips:

• Turn the vacuum pump by hand before letting out the clutch. If frozen, hitting the pump with power could blow it apart. Make sure the pump spins when turning it.

• Put heated valves on the truck if in really cold climates. Most tie into the engine’s coolant system, and that keeps the valves and piping warm.

• Leave valves open at night and catch the drips in a 5-gallon pail. If valves freeze open, at least the truck can be loaded. Once septage starts flowing, it thaws out the valve and you can close it.

• Park trucks nose down so that the few gallons of liquid in the tank flow forward, away from the valve. We built an embankment for our trucks to eliminate the big ice cube hanging from frozen valves in the morning.

Give NAWT a call at 800/236-6298 to learn how we can help your business. Don’t forget to check our Web site at www.nawt.org for the latest updates on NAWT training programs and seminars.