AI and the Future of Pool Maintenance

In this episode, Shane and Lee discuss the transition into the spring pool season, the impact of weather on pool maintenance, and the increasing presence of AI in the pool service industry. They emphasize the importance of human connection in business, especially in a field where personal relationships can significantly influence customer loyalty. The conversation highlights the need for pool service professionals to adapt to technological advancements while maintaining a personal touch with their clients.

takeaways

• The start of spring marks a busy season for pool services.
• Weather significantly impacts customer demand for pool maintenance.
• Pool professionals must adapt to changing weather conditions.
• AI technology is becoming more prevalent in pool maintenance.
• Human connection is crucial in the service industry.
• Customers prefer to do business with people they trust.
• Feedback, whether positive or negative, is valuable for improvement.
• Building relationships with clients fosters loyalty and repeat business.
• Personalized communication enhances customer satisfaction.
• Understanding customer needs is key to standing out in the market.

Sound Bites

• "AI isn't always right."
• "What makes you different?"
• "All feedback is good feedback."

Chapters

00:00
Spring Awakening: The Start of Pool Season

11:03
Navigating the AI Landscape in Pool Maintenance

22:30
Building Connections: The Human Element in Pool Services

Transcript

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SPEAKER_03 0:53

To this computer. And welcome to Talking Pools. You've got Shane and Lee from Mondays Down Under. Hey Shane, how are you?

SPEAKER_04 1:02

Good thanks, Lee. Yeah, not too bad this side. Get them ready for spring. First day of spring yesterday. Officially in New Zealand. Um yep, there's quite a lot of pollen in the pools now. See this lovely yellow, almost like a yellow scum line, it looks like on some pools, you know, on the tile band. But it's a good sign that um summer is on the way. So uh yeah, bring it on.

SPEAKER_03 1:35

Yeah, that uh carpet of pollen across the pool is never a good thing, and the skimmer baskets and the pump baskets get really chopped up, don't they? So it's uh definitely that season. So yes, we're recording this on the second day of spring. So when you listen to this next week, we will be one week in. Um, I don't know about you, Shane, but we always found it was like clockwork. The first day of spring, our phone just started ringing hot. Was is yours the same?

SPEAKER_04 2:07

Um, no, the to be quite honest with you, the weather's been a little bit crappy. So since I've been back, it seems to be sunny from like nine until twelve, and then the rain just comes down. There's yeah, quite a lot of rain coming down, windy. So the pools are pretty dirty at the moment, but it is what it is. Um yeah, we'll be expecting the phones to uh to ring shortly, I think.

SPEAKER_03 2:35

It's it's amazing how much the weather affects our business now. Like, obvious, that sounds really obvious, I'm I know, but the moment I we have a sunny day, the phone will take off. The emails will start coming in. You get that warm hit. We always get a warm hit early in spring, and it's like, oh, isn't this lovely? We can take the layers off. You can feel the warmth in the air, you can summer's not far away, and then bam, we get hit with a cold front again, and we're back putting the layers on, turning up the heater, and and the phones go quiet again. So as a business, I always knew that happened every season, almost like clockwork. It was crazy, but we knew that yeah, first of spring, first day of spring, first of September, our phone would just start ringing. And we basically started um our new season, as we called it, um, on the first week of September. To start the ball rolling and and go on our merry way getting through the season. And yeah, it was just the nature of the best, I suppose.

SPEAKER_04 3:54

Yeah. We're uh we've we've noticed probably for the pools that we went to today, the chlorine level was a little bit low. So um yeah, having that that sun coming out, um pretty warm first thing in the morning, it tends to be burning a bit more of the chlorine off, so rain and supposed to and the rain is where we are, so I think next week we'll start looking at adding some sunscreen into the pool, cyanuric acid. Yes, yep.

SPEAKER_03 4:25

So do you s tend to go light out on the cyanuric acid as you're coming into winter?

SPEAKER_04 4:33

Coming into winter coming into winter?

SPEAKER_03 4:36

Yes, do you go light on the dosing going into winter so that you know that because the pool doesn't need it as much through winter?

SPEAKER_04 4:45

Uh yep, yeah, we do drop the amount down slightly, but uh you can never tell, you know. I mean, the um there could be years that you're gonna have an Indian summer. And it's like surprise. And the custom still must wants to swim, and then you get there and the chlorine and uh yeah, the chlorine level is a little bit lower than what it should be. So it's yeah, there's there's there's quite a lot of guessing in this industry, you know, trying to predict what the weather's gonna be like.

SPEAKER_03 5:19

I call it I call it an educated decision. We we make we make a decision that we think is right for the pool, given all the elements that we're taking into consideration. So the usage, the weather, um, I don't know what else to think of, temperature, obviously, but that comes into weather. But we sort of take all of those things into consideration and the pool itself and the size of the chlorinator, volume of the capacity of the pool. We take all those bits of information and then go, okay, what's right for this pool? How long does it need to run for? What sort of chlorine output do we need on the chlorinator? And then we make an educated decision from there. Not always do we get it right, but usually we're not too far from it. Um I think um sodium thiosulfate or chlorine remover was something I always made sure that I had on hand at this time of the year. The guys always had a good stock of it in their use because of course a lot of people don't turn their chlorinators down if they're not on a regular service route and they haven't had their chlorine levels managed and maintained very easily. They've completely forgotten to turn down their chlorinator or turn down um their runtime, and they've been running at six or eight hours a day at 60% output, and and that I'm saying that from where I am is quite cold. So this will vary significantly for somebody who's saying Queensland. Um but yeah, so again, you're taking into consideration the climate, so every pool and area is different. But for our pools, if we had a pool that was running for six hours a day at 60%, I'd be turning up at the moment, and the chlorine would probably be up at about 30 or 40 parts per million if it had been left running like that over winter. So very damaging.

SPEAKER_04 7:15

Yep. One product that we are going to look into this year that we didn't have time last year is the liquid cyanuric. Okay, yeah. There's there were a couple of pools last season that have cartridge filters, and we just noticed using the powdered, would tend to block it up a little bit faster and just having some flow issues. So yeah, we'll start looking into um that product this season as well.

SPEAKER_03 7:41

There is a couple of things you can do. You can put the cyanuric acid in a sock, in a skimmer sock, tie it in a knot, pop it in the in the um skimmer basket. Uh obviously you don't want to put too much in there, so you're not going to stick two kilos in a sock or something like that, of course. But you want to make sure there's still good flow getting through the basket. Some companies actually make a stabilized chlorine tablet, so a solid tablet that will slowly break down and go through the skimmer. And then, of course, you've got the liquid as well. So there's a few things that you could do there that might aid um cyanuric acid going through a cartridge filter, of course. But I was having a conversation yesterday um with a student of mine, and he was talking about centrifugal filters, the ones that go between the pump and the filter to reduce the particles that get through to the filter and hopefully reduce the amount of cleaning you have to do or backwashing. And I think they're a fantastic um piece of equipment. But I we when we plumb them in, we would always put a bypass in. So just between the pump and the centrifugal filter, we would put in a three-way valve and we would bypass around the centrifugal fugal filter so that especially in the medium filter, if you want that stabilizer to go through and sit in the filter and break down, um, being able to bypass that centrifugal filter is vital because otherwise the stabilizer's just gonna be spun out of um solution and dropped to the bottom of the centrifugal filter, and it's not gonna dissolve in there. And you're gonna tap it off and it's wasted.

SPEAKER_04 9:29

So I see now when uh when I first started in the industry, I I remember now there was a um I was on the job with one of the guys that was training me, and this particular company we used to add the alkalinity down skimmer, regardless of what pool it was. That was just their procedure. Um, one of the clients had the centrifugal. I think he added about two kilo. Um, and then all of a sudden, you just see these little bubbles coming out of the return jets. What the hell's going on? Went to the equipment and the glass was just white. Oh my god. It was so lucky that you know, with that pressure, that build-up pressure, um, nothing popped, but yeah, it was interesting. But yeah, they they are a great piece of equipment, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

No drama. But we'll tell you straight, no worries, just try.

SPEAKER_04 11:01

I think he added about two kilo. Um, and then all of a sudden, you just see these little bubbles coming out of the return jets. What the hell's going on? Went to the equipment and the glass was just white. Oh my god. It was so lucky that you know, with that pressure, that build-up pressure, um, nothing popped. But yeah, that was interesting. But yeah, they they are a great piece of equipment, yeah. Just be warned of what you do put down the Absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 11:31

And the other good thing about putting in a bypass with that piece of equipment is that of course centrifugal filters have been not known to have a problem, but occasionally all pieces of equipment break down, deteriorate, leak, whatever the case may be. And actually, um, I know a couple of people that had the bowl actually split on it. And they couldn't run their own.

SPEAKER_04 11:56

Is that glass as well, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_03 11:58

Um, I don't know whether it's glass that was where it split, or whether it was like it's a clear plastic, a bit like your pumpkin.

SPEAKER_04 12:07

Right, okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:08

So um, yeah, but they had a a split in the filter and they couldn't run them because um yeah, you're gonna have water everywhere. So actually they and while they were waiting for parts, they actually had to remove the filter, plumb in a line to get them through. Either that or leave it switched off. Whereas a bypass line would have solved that. Some smart plumbing. Um, but anyway, getting to today's topic, we thought we would talk about the increasing presence of um apps that we can see our customers having access to out in the marketplace so that they can identify their water balance or test their water balance and then get advice on how to rectify their pools. Which obviously that's somewhat concerning to pull shops and and pool service technicians out there that somebody can test their own water, enter the results, and get advice all from their smart device, all from their phone. Even to the point of actually taking a photo of a test streak and having it automatically read the colours for you. So it it's a little bit concerning because these apps are getting their information from AI. So they're all AI, or most of them I should say. I'd have to say all because I don't know all of them. But the ones that I've seen are AI powered, and it could be a little concerning because we do know that AI isn't always right. And it started me thinking about what does that mean to pull shops and service businesses if customers are going to be less reliant on us? And how can we preempt that? What can we do to overcome it? So have you seen those sort of apps advertised on Facebook or Instagram, or have you seen them online?

SPEAKER_02 14:26

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SPEAKER_00 14:47

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the sponsors of the 2025 Talking Pools Podcast Mentor of the Year Award. Our title sponsor, Blu-ray XL, is driven by a mission to simplify pool maintenance for both service professionals and homeowners, saving time, reducing unnecessary chemical costs, and removing contaminants from pool and spa waters to deliver true peace of mind. Our gold sponsor, Lamotte Company, has long been a pioneer in water quality analysis. Through decades of innovation, they have developed a broad range of world class testing solutions trusted across countless applications, helping ensure healthier water everywhere it's needed. Our gold sponsor, Revenup Apparel, energizes communities, teams, and businesses with bold, high quality custom apparel designed to inspire pride and unity. This recognition would not be possible without these three outstanding companies, whose support demonstrates the importance of mentorship in the swimming pool industry. On behalf of the entire talking pools community, thank you, Blu-ray XL, Lamotte Company, and Revdup Apparel.

SPEAKER_03 15:58

So have you seen those sort of apps advertised on Facebook or Instagram, or have you seen them online anyway?

SPEAKER_04 16:36

Yeah, it can be a little bit dangerous in the wrong hands. You know, I've had a few phone calls in the past where my chlorine isn't right or my pH isn't right. It's like calling me at 6 p.m. at night, right? Just deal with this when I get there tomorrow. So yeah, in in that sense, when it comes to apps, there is a place for them, I think, in the market. And they for the most part, I've seen is you know, since we've had our business in the last four years, they have actually come quite a long way. They're a lot more stable, they can read, um, their readings are a lot more accurate compared to what they used to be. Um, would I recommend one to a client myself? I would be a little bit hesitant if they were my client, just for that reason. Um but yeah, as you said, I mean, pretty much everything is AI-based now. You know, it's it's it's everywhere. Every hour that you see on the TV is AI-based, or advertising on the radio, it's on your phone. Um personally, I think it's still in early stages. Um would I rely on it to give me a test result? Absolutely not. Not at this stage. Um, I think the human eye, especially my human eye, is far better than any AI app that you can get on the phone, or any business that you walk into using AI powered tools. I mean, um there's you know one of the big um one of the big companies in Australia, New Zealand, Bunnings, I'll say their name, they've had system, their testing system that they've been using for years, which you hold a strip up, I think it takes a photo of it, and then it it recognises the colour and it gives you your um your recommendation recommendation recommended dosage. But I've seen results in the past from clients, and I've looked at it and gone, there's there's no way it can be that. Um so having to rely on a piece of software that's going to read a colour on a strip, I certainly wouldn't recommend it personally. That's yeah. I'm sure there are people out there that do, and they swear by it as well, and there's many more apps out there which are doing it, but there's just so many factors to take into consideration. Like, for instance, our our new employee, I was showing him the test strips the other day. You know, within 10 seconds the color is changing. So just just that one alone, you know, if you miss that wrong, you know, if you missed that timing period, you've got a completely different result compared to what your pull water is.

SPEAKER_03 19:30

Yes, it they don't follow the instructions on the on the label, and believe me, I've seen it happen many a time where somebody's pulled out a test strip, dumped it in the water, pulled it straight out, flicked flicked it off madly, and then compared it, and it's like you've just flicked all the colour off it. Yeah, yeah, it it you're not getting an accurate reading, or they've leave it in for far too long, and then they pull it out and it's washed all of the colour away, um, or washed it out. So there's so many varying factors, and the one at Bunnings always gets me because the test strips are there in a vial and guaranteed the lid's always left open. Well, we all know that if you leave test strips exposed to the air, they're inaccurate. So um there's all those sort of things come into play. But um, yeah, it was interesting. I because like obviously we're we're all aware that there's apps for controlling different devices on your phone and um for your pool, like your your robotic pool cleaner, or your chlorinator, or your um your dosing system, your heater, they're all very relevant and they're certainly not what I'm talking about here. We're particularly talking about water testing apps and apps that encourage home use by the end user. And I I think where we're seeing the growth of this is businesses are trying to look for an alternative or a gap in the market that they can satisfy that need for the for the client. And maybe it's as a um competitive difference to your mass merchants. So if somebody has the convenience of that app on the phone and being able to get that information, let's face it, you go into a mass merchant, can you get service there, let alone expert advice? No. So the information you're getting on the app is probably better than the information you're gonna get in the mass merchant. But um, or even an online pull shop, if you're putting in an order online, um chances are there's uh unless they've got an AI bot connected to their website and you can ask questions, there's probably not much technical assistance that you're going to get from through that that web page. So the app does offer some, or these types of apps offer some advantages there. But the information is not always right. As we know, AI is not taking into consideration all the information about the pool. How long is it running for? Um, it might be looking at the pH level, but is the chlorinating cell working properly? Um does it hasn't have an acid feed on it? There's so many things there that the AI app is not going to have any idea of. And obviously it's relying on the information given by the customer. Is the volume correct? Um, have they actually put the right salt level in there? Those bits of information that we all take into consideration as pool service technicians and as retail stores. Obviously in a retail store environment to you're you're hoping that the customer's giving you the right volume, just as they're putting that same volume maybe into an app. But it made me think, and I thought, well, how do we compete against that? As pool service technicians and retail stores, how do we compete against AI and an app? And it came back to me down to two things. One, expertise. Being experts in our field, um, having that knowledge, because let's face it, if you aren't as knowledgeable or even well, AI has a huge amount of resources, obviously. But if we aren't don't make ourselves as knowledgeable as possible and experts in our industry, and hopefully hold um qualifications, recognized qualifications, that would hopefully set us apart from AI. We're going to be trusted, re hopefully respected, and taken seriously and hopefully appreciated for the skill set that we bring to the um equation. But so obviously knowledge is paramount. Um, but then too, so too is connection. Connection probably even more so. And by connection, I mean connection with your customers. If you have a great relationship with your customers, if they know you, trust you, respect you, um, they're less likely to use an app like that. If you're convenient to them, if you have product availability to them, meeting their needs where they're at, then you're not going to be um taken over by an AI app. People like to do business with people they like.

SPEAKER_01 24:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:53

That's human nature. We uh uh assimilate with people that are like us. Um and I re read a book, I'm reading a book at the moment, rereading it, I should say. Simon Sinek's um start with the why. So if anybody's looking for a a good business book out there, um this is one of my favorites. Simon Sinek talks about um creating connection and people want to know your why. Why do you do what you do? Why do you want to do my pool? Like, why? And if you can take them on that journey with you, like why you're in business, because you've got a young family, why is looking after pools important to you? Because you want people to have a great time, enjoy their quality time with their family. So we're taking the hard work out of it for them. Take them on the journey of why. And if you take them on the journey of why, and they'll bot and they buy into it, you've got a customer for life. Because let's face it, the products that we sell, you can buy at umpteen different places. You can buy chemicals at supermarket, most most merchant um hardware stores, you can buy it online, you can buy it at a pool shop, you can buy it at multiple different locations. What makes you different? What sets you apart? And if you've created connection with them and take them on the journey of your why in your business, it's just that much easier. And to the I really enjoyed Simon Sinek talks about we might not talk to our neighbors, like I know I talk to my neighbors because I'm in a small country area. But you go to the supermarket and you might pass a hundred people before you actually see somebody you know and actually even stop to have a conversation. You might smile at a couple of people, but you barely rarely stop to have a conversation. Yet go overseas and hear the same accent as you in a foreign country, you'll turn around and strike up a conversation with that person because they're like you. They're like you, you assimilate with them. Next minute you you made a friend for life, and all because you come from the same country, that another 15 billion people live in, like but all of a sudden you found that one person overseas. But yet we won't talk to our neighbors or the person across because when we're in that environment, they're too familiar, like it's not well, I shouldn't say too familiar, everybody's the same. But people like to deal with people they like, they want to deal with people that they associate that assimilate with, and that's the whole thing about the journey, yeah, and taking people on on your why. So, but how do you connect with people these days? Like as a service technician, you're out in the field, where are your clients? They're not home, they're at work. Yeah. Is that the case with you, Shay?

SPEAKER_04 28:11

Uh, for the most part, yeah. I mean, Monday's Friday, 9 to 5, that's seems to be the standard working environment over here for the majority of people. So I guess you make that initial connection if they they retake to our company, for instance, and then if it's late and I will email them, but we usually call them the following day. Um, at least you've you've had that conversation with them. But yeah, you know, that first initial visit is I think is always paranoid. You know, sometimes it's make a break whether you click, whether they click. Um so yeah, definitely that's yeah, that that first initial um contact, making contact with them. You don't have that with AI. No. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there which are very introverts. Maybe they're happy to have that as a service. You know what I mean? It's it's what makes us all different.

SPEAKER_03 29:18

Yep, absolutely. Um, I think yeah, there's there's something for everyone, let's face it. Um, everybody's needs and wants are a little bit different. But for the most part, I think COVID actually showed us that we do crave connection with others.

SPEAKER_01 29:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:35

Like when we were all in lockdown and we couldn't go to work and we couldn't well, that was probably a good thing. Um, but when we couldn't connect with other people in our lives. Um, and some places were locked down much more harshly than others. And I think it actually showed us how important human connection is. Whether that is face-to-face connection or whether it's well, what is it? I everyone probably around the world face um picked up on the bins. Everybody there was there was a Facebook page dedicated to people putting their bins out each week and that they would dress up to do it. Um and stupid things like that, because it was about connection. Things like social media became more important. Um, I remember Anzac Day, and for those in the Northern Hemisphere, um, it's like our Memorial Day, and it's the Australian and New Zealand services. Um Anzac Day is the 25th of April, and people would actually go out and stand on their curb and at dawn to pay respect. And people who probably never went to an Anzac Day dawn service downtown by the memorial um um display were still standing in their driveways to do it. People were standing on their balconies in high-rises to do it because we all craved connection for something.

SPEAKER_04 31:09

And so probably meet a new business that they've never met before as well.

SPEAKER_03 31:13

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So I think we it showed that we all crave connection in some way, shape, or form. So my thing is, how can you put that connection back into your business, especially when you're a service business, and nine times out of ten, the customer is not home when you're there. And let's face it, we probably are glad sometimes that they're not because it allows us to do our job a little bit faster. Um, but how do we put the connection back into that business relationship? And uh, so I would urge everybody out there to actually think about that. For everyone, that's going to look slightly different. Maybe it's ringing them a bit more often, maybe it's sending a video message, maybe it's sending them uh a um a photo of their pool from your phone, not from your software program, not on the test results, but sending them a photo of you patting their dog, maybe something there with builds connection. Getting to know your clients and um showing them that they're important and that they're valued, and they're more than just another customer. None of us want to be just a number. None of us want all or any of us want these days is to feel like we are valued and appreciated and that we matter. So, how are you showing your customers that?

SPEAKER_04 32:42

One thing we do as well is we knock on everybody's door, unless the clients don't want us to. Regardless whether they're at work or if we know they're at work, we always knock on the door. So for us, even with our staff, we want them to knock on the door. Not just uh show them that we're here, but you know, hello, how you doing? Yeah, you know, it's you had a good week, have you had any issues with the pool, or you know, just spark up a bit of a conversation with them?

SPEAKER_03 33:15

It's courtesy, really. Like it is courtesy. So we've been invited into their backyard, and I know look, some people are gonna go, geez, if I had to do that at every pool, like it'd take me twice as long to do my services. Um, but there is a fine art. Like I I actually um would say to my service technicians, if you've got somebody that's at home and they they come out to talk to you, chances are they're probably older, um, they're probably staffed for connection. And they're coming out because you're probably one of the few people that they're actually going to see this week. And so take the time to talk to them. But it doesn't need mean you need to stop. And so my service technicians were taught on the art of um letting them know, hey, great, it's great to see you. And I'm uh would love to stop and chat, but I've got a lot on my list today. I'm happy to um walk and talk if you want to hang with me while I do the service. Um, but otherwise I've just got to keep going. I'm sorry. And people would respect that. Sometimes they'd follow the technician down to the pool and the technician would keep working and the client would get their connection um need met, and then they would um let the client and let the service technician do their job. So um, but yeah, it is important. One of the things that I used to actually like to do and I advocate to all my coaching clients to do is pick five clients randomly each week. Pick them and call them. And so, as the business I know, especially, nothing more powerful than a quick call to say, hey, it's Lee from XYZ pool service. Just ringing to see how your service went this week. Um, were you happy with anything? There's is there anything of concern? Now, yeah, okay, that might invite um a complaint or somebody being a little bit miffed about whatever it is. But isn't that a good thing? You're actually taking the initiative, you're hearing them. They will feel like they're being valued and heard, and take that on. Like if somebody's actually got some feedback that might not be so favorable for your business, you can learn from that and you can improve from it. If they don't tell you and they, or they tell worse yet, they tell somebody else that they're unhappy, that doesn't paint you in a good light. So learn from from the not so good feedback. Um, all feedback is good feedback, in my opinion. It might not always be positive feedback, but it's always valuable.

SPEAKER_01 35:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:52

So um, but that connection and usually the response that I got was, wow, this is fantastic. Thank you for calling. Like they were impressed that we actually took the effort to call. The other thing that I love to do is follow up for people with green pools or um so even if it was somebody that had been into the shop, we'd done a green pool cleanup. We used to give them a cheat sheet that would help them talk them through how to do it. And then a couple of days later, I'd follow up with a phone call and say, hi, Mr. Smith, lean from the pool shop, just ringing to check how you went with that green pool cleanup, which stage is it at? Maybe you need to come back in and bring us another sample, like go through that process. But the the response was always very positive. You could do it with somebody that makes a big purchase from you. Maybe they've got a new blanket and roller that you've just installed or a robotic pool cleaner, ringing them up and saying, hey, just checking how you're going with that robotic pool cleaner. Have you worked out how to master the remote control or the app or whatever the case might be?

unknown 36:58

I think.

SPEAKER_04 36:59

Just in regards to the other follow-ups lately, how many, how many would your company do? Would it say they purchased um say they purchased the heat pump, for instance? You installed it, follow up maybe a week later, check everything in school, and then would you follow up again maybe a couple of months later, or was it usually just the one follow-up?

SPEAKER_03 37:21

I just generally did the one follow-up. Um so usually with uh a purchase like a heat pump, I might wait a couple of weeks for that. But I would diary it and schedule it so that it didn't get forgotten. Um with the ones in the shop, I used to actually keep a little list on my desk. So um if somebody came in and we talked them through a green pool cleanup, or um maybe they were flocking a pool and vacuuming it to waste, whatever it was that they were doing, it was something that was substantial, um, then I would just make a note of it on my desk. And they would be the people that I ring in a couple of days. Um and I always put on the note, I always put their name, uh, what the problem was that we were fixing, and what date they came in. Because they might have come in on Monday. There's no point ringing them on Tuesday because it hasn't been long enough. Um, so I generally left my calls until the Friday. So did them over Friday afternoon, made those those calls um to check in and see how they were doing. Like I said, the feedback was always really positive. Um, that they were impressed. The common reply was that they were impressed that we'd taken the time to actually ring and check how they'd go on with it. And what great service it was. So um remember, people might forget what you said or what you did, but they won't forget how you made them feel. And that's what connection's all about. It's about how you make them feel. Do you make them feel good about themselves? Do you make them feel secure in dealing with your company? Do you make them feel positive about their swimming pool? How do you make them feel? And if your business makes them feel good, then you've got a customer for life. It's not too bad.

SPEAKER_04 39:13

That's what you want.

SPEAKER_03 39:14

Yeah, that's exactly it. We're really lucky in the pool industry. Our customers come back to us. They have to, they're putting pool. Um, hopefully they don't go anywhere else, and that's what we want. That's a reason why we build connection. We build that connection, they will keep coming back to us. Not only that, but they'll recommend to all their friends to come to us, and that's what we do want. And the value of that customer over a lifetime is massive. We're not like any other retail store or an electrician or somebody like that. And how often do you need an electrician, chained at home?

SPEAKER_04 39:51

Like once a year, once every couple of years, if that's it.

SPEAKER_03 39:57

Yep. So plumber, electrician, you only need once or twice a year. If you're like pool technician, you probably need them a lot more than that.

SPEAKER_01 40:08

Once or twice a month.

SPEAKER_03 40:09

That's exactly it. Pool shop, the same. So depending on whether you're a DIY customer or whether you're getting somebody to come to you. And that we're actually quite unique for. So it's it's really valuable that we foster and nurture and value those relationships because that is the value of our business. Without customers, we don't have a business.

SPEAKER_01 40:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 40:38

So we we want to um build connection. And the hard thing is in this day and age is actually breaking through the noise. And by the noise, I mean if you're trying to get through to a new client or get marketing out to your existing clients, trying to go through social media um or email. How many emails do we get every day? It's like we used to hate the letterbox because it was always full of junk mail. We don't even get junk mail in our letterbox anymore. The junk mail comes straight through social media and email, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_01 41:16

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 41:17

And so our email inbox is almost taken over from our physical letterbox. Um, so how do we cut through that noise? And that's an that's an interesting one. Um so the stronger your connection is with your clients when you develop those similarities with them. Maybe you've both got kids, maybe they play the same sport as you. Um, maybe your parents are a similar age, whatever the the case might be, you're looking for similarities. You might have kids, they might have grandkids, like anything, like just trying to find common threads that help tie you together. Like I said, overseas, it's the opposite. Something as simple as that. But here, what what ties us together? And and finding some common threads can be really valuable and really connecting. So um, and that can help then differentiate your emails from anybody else's. Um, it can how does your social media connect? Do you actually break through the noise with your social media? And social media, like I'm not a social media know-how, like I do not know. I know how to post on my own page. Um, I'm not a marketing guru when it comes to social media. So um if that's something of interest, but if you connect with your followers and they like and they engage with your page through connection, then they're more likely to see your posts. So make it stuff that they can relate to. So we want to maximize what sets us apart from the mass merchants, the online, and those little annoying apps that we're seeing more of. We want to paint ourselves as the expert. We want to be the expert, we want to be extremely knowledgeable and of service and of value to our clients, but we also want to create connection. And they're the two key things that we need to do to set ourselves apart. It just now not only have we got online and mass merchants like we've been dealing with for years, now we've got apps that we've got to deal with as well. So maximize your connections, um, maximize your uh knowledge and expertise and be the experts. That's basically it.

SPEAKER_04 43:46

Very goodly. It's all been absorbed, no connection. I don't know if my not sure if my clients would appreciate me giving them a hug each time. Is that too much connection? But we'll try. I'll let you know.

SPEAKER_03 44:02

It's actually funny because I do have start clients still, like we sold our business two years ago, and I have clients stop me all the time in the street, or ex-clients, I should say, and ask me, what are you doing? How scott? What are the kids doing? Like, don't know, wouldn't know my kids if they fell over them in the street, but they're interested to ask because they felt connected. And we that was a big thing for us with our marketing, is it was all about connection when it came to our marketing. Uh, our vehicles had pictures of our kids on it, um, kids having fun. What says pools more than kids having fun in a pool? And they felt connected to us. Our clients felt connected to us, we felt connected to them, and and that was really valuable. So um, yeah. I hope that information helps everybody out there, and that you got something out of today's podcast. Um if you have a suggestion or a question, a topic that you would like to send in, please do so. Uh talkingpools at gmail.com and Rudy will forward that on to the most applicable person. Um otherwise, thank you for listening. We will see you next week, same bat time, same bat channel. Um, if anybody's as old as I am, they'll bring them to that. But um, yeah, we hope you have a great week and we'll see you next week. See you.