It’s said that appearances can be deceiving. But that’s not the case when you spot a gleaming Mr. Rooter Plumbing service van driving around southeastern Michigan.
The company’s spotless, well-maintained vehicles send a subliminal message to customers: The technicians inside are neat, efficient professionals who will do the job right — and just might keep your carpet clean, too.
The emphasis on clean machines is just one component of a company-wide philosophy that emphasizes exceeding customer expectations, says John Clark, vice president of operations at this Mr. Rooter operation, based in Detroit. The full-service plumbing and drain cleaning company serves a 14-county area in southeastern Michigan. About 90 percent of its business is residential.
The company’s reputation starts with sharp-looking vehicles, one of the most visible aspects of any service business. “There’s no doubt that the trucks promote awareness of the company, especially if they’re clean, nice-looking vehicles,” says Clark, whose company operates 40 service vans.
Most vehicles are 2006 and 2007 Chevrolet Express vans outfitted with shelves that hold a wide variety of plumbing parts. A majority of the trucks carry Model 100, 300 and 1065 drain-cleaning machines from Spartan Tool LLC, and the rest carry 100 and 1065 models. About 30 vehicles have Spartan Model 717 Mini Jets rated at 1,500 psi, as well RIDGID SeeSnake color camera systems from Ridge Tool Co.
The company also owns five trailer-mounted waterjetters: two Model 4016s from Harben Inc. and three Model 4018s from US Jetting (all 4,000 psi, 300-gallon capacity).
Maintenance a must
Each technician takes their van home after work. Every night, they must fuel, clean, organize and re-stock their vehicles so they’re ready to roll in the morning. Technicians are also responsible for routine maintenance, such as oil changes. Moreover, each truck undergoes a weekly inspection to ensure that it is clean, organized and well maintained, Clark notes.
The business prefers newer vehicles, replacing vans as needed instead of having a scheduled replacement plan. The company closely monitors all maintenance and upkeep costs so it can accurately determine when it makes sense to stop making repairs and sell a vehicle. That usually occurs around 100,000 miles. “It’s not just the cost of repairs, but the cost of having a truck down for a day,” Clark points out. “You’re not making any money if one of your trucks is sitting by the side of a road.”
Mr. Rooter contracts with outside vendors for vehicle repairs. The firm takes the same approach to re-stocking the vans with parts. Instead of carrying costly inventory, the company establishes accounts with supply houses scattered throughout its service area. With such a large service area, this system is almost a necessity, as it might take a driver “three or four hours to return to a central supply house.
“All the technician has to do is call the office and obtain a purchase order number, then go pick up the parts he needs,” Clark says. For weekend emergencies, the business owns a small building stocked with a trailer jetter and a small number of larger items, such as water heaters, garbage disposals and various sizes of pipe.
“We don’t want our technicians to have to buy things at retail outlets,” he says. “It helps us control costs.”
Efficient dispatching
Keeping track of and efficiently dispatching 40 vehicles could be a daunting task. But Mr. Rooter equips each truck with a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit. That allows a central dispatcher to see the location of each van on a large computer monitor, much as an air traffic controller tracks airplanes.
“We use GPS units for three reasons,” Clark says. “First of all, we can monitor the technicians and know what they’re doing. The second reason is quicker response time. Instead of having to call all the technicians to find who’s closest to a new job, we know right away whom to call.
“The third reason is for safety. If something happens, we know right where to go. Thankfully, we’ve had to use it only once in the last three years for a safety issue. We had a truck end up in a ditch, and we used the GPS to find exactly where it was.”
Technicians also carry Nextel phones that keep them in constant communication with the dispatch center and with other technicians. “That way the technicians don’t have to use a customer’s phone or waste time trying to find a pay phone,” Clark explains. “They can also call for immediate technical support if they need help.”
Committed to customers
The company has changed dramatically since owner Mike Ciaramitaro first went into business with just a pickup truck and a cable machine. But one thing has remained constant: a focus on customer service. “Part of our philosophy is exceeding customer expectations,” Clark says.
He observes that many customers expect technicians to be late, sloppy and dirty. Mr. Rooter technicians combat that stereotype by doing the little things: calling ahead to tell a customer they’re on the way to a job, wearing uniforms and ID badges, putting on shoe covers before entering a home, laying down protective tarps while working, and cleaning up any mess before leaving.
They also look at the big picture after making a repair. “We’re not about a quick hit and run,” says Clark. “We’re concerned about the immediate problem, but we’re also on the lookout for potential problems that could crop up later. Instead of just opening a drain and leaving, our technicians will test it and look inside the drainpipe with a camera. When they finish a job, they perform a complete inspection of a home’s plumbing.”
Technicians also take time to explain to customers what they’re going to do before they start working. When finished, they explain how, for example, a new water heater or garbage disposal works and the benefits the new unit provides. They also walk the customer through the product warranty.
“We’ll even fill out a warranty postcard, put a stamp on it and mail it for the customer,” Clark notes. “People really appreciate that we take the time to thoroughly educate them. I can’t tell you how many calls we get each year from customers who say their garbage disposal doesn’t work, and one of our technicians goes in and simply presses the reset button. We take the time to tell people about things like that.”
Get what you pay for
As a result, a typical service call from a Mr. Rooter technician lasts one to two hours. “We do three jobs a day compared to 10 to 12 jobs a day for other companies,” Clark notes. The lower business volume forces Mr. Rooter to charge higher prices than some plumbers, but customers don’t seem to mind if they receive superior service.
“A Mercedes-Benz is more expensive than a Ford Pinto,” he says. “People expect to pay more for quality.” That brings up another benefit Mr. Rooter offers customers: flat-rate pricing. All job prices are based on industry standards for the amount of time it should take to complete it, Clark says.
“Every technician has the same price book, which is sort of like a menu in a restaurant,” he explains. “This has two benefits. First, it protects the customer against additional charges if a job takes longer than expected. Second, a technician can’t make up a price. The price is the same regardless of the neighborhood, the area or the technician.”
The focus on customer service appears to be working. Last year, the franchise posted sales just shy of $10 million, and is on track to reach $11 million this year.
“We still face a lot of challenges,” Clark says. “The Michigan economy isn’t very strong, so people start to pinch pennies and do repairs themselves. So we’re always in competition with big-box retailers like Lowe’s, Menards and Home Depot.
“But we compete by providing superior service — by doing things right the first time so we don’t have to waste time and gas going back a second time. Exceeding customer expectations is the only way we can do what we do.”
With Mr. Rooter, clean machines clearly reflect the quality of service provided. What customers see is what they get: neat, professional and efficient drain-cleaning service — with no carpet-cleaning bill included.
