Here at Paradiso Insurance, we believe that in order to properly maintain a business, you have to stay protected, in more ways than one. We certainly believe that at a bare minimum, any company should have a Business Owner’s Policy in place, to be sure that they have the proper insurance coverage they need in case anything goes wrong. But there are other ways beyond insurance that plumbing companies can protect their businesses, and we want to help you stay prepared.
Hire the Right Employees
The employees that you interview and hire for your company should all come with a strong background of experience, knowledge, and training. Be sure to ask them questions about how they’ve handled problems in the past. Also, think of a time where you faced a difficult situation while helping a customer on a visit, and see what their solution to the situation would have been if they were in your shoes, so you can see how they stack up. Another tip, make sure the candidates that you hire are good at working with other people, have strong work ethics, and are well-mannered, because they will be representing your company and customer satisfaction goes a long way.
Avoid Using Subcontractors
We understand that there can be a few upsides to using subcontractors on service calls within your industry, but using a subcontractor can come with some potential negatives as well. If you stay away from subcontractors, you can guarantee your company’s quality of work and service on each visit you make. Not only that, but if you stick to only using your in-house employees, every person that performs your work will be properly insured through your company’s policy. If something were to go wrong, you’d be covered.
Ongoing Training
Ongoing employee training is a concept that should be present in almost any industry, plumbing included. Giving your customers quality and professional service is very important, and takes a considerable amount of training to be sure the work is delivered properly. Make sure your employees are certified professionals, and if not, have them enter as an apprentice and train their way up the ranks. Having a safety program in place with regular maintenance and a required amount of annual training hours for your employees never hurts either.
Common Courtesy
When a customer hires someone for a plumbing visit, they expect common courtesy as part of the package. Be sure to treat your customers with care, by preparing properly and by being as neat as possible. And if a mess is made, take care of all the necessary cleanup so that that you leave the area in the same condition as you found it – or better! If all else fails, we encourage you to have a business insurance policy in place that will keep you properly covered if anything were to ever go wrong. If you’d like to learn about your options, our coverage, or our policies, give us a call. We can tell you all about the insurance policies we offer for plumbers.
