Being the plumber somebody calls again, and keeps the number

2 days ago
3 min read

Introduction

A householder cannot judge whether a joint was made properly. They can judge whether you turned up when you said, whether you explained what was wrong, whether the floor was clean afterwards and whether the price matched the quote. Those are the things that decide whether your number stays in the phone.

That is not a comment on the trade. It is simply that competence is invisible to somebody who does not have it, and everything around competence is entirely visible. Those visible things are also the cheapest to get right.

A plumber with a full diary of repeat customers and referrals is rarely the fastest solderer in the area. He is the one who rings back. That is a habit rather than a talent.

1. Being the plumber somebody calls again starts with turning up

Reliability is the whole reputation.

Give a time window and keep it

Two hours, honoured. A householder who took a morning off work remembers whichever way it went. A narrow window kept beats a wide one missed.

Ring if you are running late

Before the window ends, not after. The call costs nothing and it is what people describe to their neighbours. Give a new time rather than an apology.

2. Explain what was wrong in plain terms

People want to understand what they paid for.

Show them the part

The corroded valve, the failed seal, the blockage. A householder who has seen the cause does not wonder whether the work was necessary. Photograph it if it has to be removed.

Say what caused it and what prevents it

Briefly, without jargon. That conversation is what makes somebody trust the next recommendation. Two sentences is enough.

3. Leave the place as you found it

This decides more repeat work than the plumbing.

Sheets down, boots off, tidy after

Especially in a home with carpets or children. Ask before walking through the house. It costs ten minutes and it is what gets mentioned to friends. Keep sheets and covers in the van.

Take the old parts away

Leaving debris behind undoes an otherwise good job. Take the packaging too.

4. Match the invoice to the quote

Surprises at the end are what lose customers.

Price changes before doing the work

However obvious the necessity. A phone call before is a variation; an invoice after is a dispute. Ring from the property.

Itemise what you charged for

Labour, parts, callout. Show the parts at cost or with the mark-up stated. Clarity prevents the conversation nobody wants. Send it the same day while the job is fresh.

5. Make yourself easy to find again

People lose numbers.

Leave something physical

A card, a sticker on the boiler or the stopcock, a magnet. Twelve months later that is how you get called. The stopcock is where people look in an emergency.

Note what you did and when

Boiler make, radiator count, where the stopcock is. Add the date and what you replaced. Referring to it next time is the difference between a tradesman and their tradesman. A note in your phone is enough.

Conclusion

Householders cannot judge your soldering and can judge everything else, so start with turning up inside a stated window and ringing before it ends if you are running late.

Show people the failed part and explain in plain terms what caused it, because somebody who has seen the cause never wonders whether the work was needed. Put sheets down, take your boots off, take the old parts away — ten minutes that decides more repeat work than the plumbing does. Price every change before doing it and itemise the invoice so nothing surprises anybody. Then leave a sticker on the boiler and record what you did, so that a year later you are their plumber rather than a plumber.