Published February 2008

Just One Chance

By Marian Bond (page 60)

A contractor in British Columbia believes there is a single opportunity to make a first impression on a customer — and that starts with the service van.

In the drain and pipe cleaning business, it’s all about first impressions, says Terry Kelloway. And in Kelloway’s view, the service vehicle is the key.

Kelloway, owner of Roto-Rooter of Parksville, B.C., wants the service van to send the right message the moment it pulls into the customer’s driveway.

“We compete against plumbing contractors whom you would not want to park within a block of your house because the vehicles are falling apart,” he says. “The first step to customer satisfaction is appearance.”

The company’s Chevrolet and Ford service vans put on approximately 19,000 to 22,000 miles per year. They’re kept in impeccable condition, and Kelloway believes that is one reason the company has consistently added and kept customers.

Kelloway and his wife, Melinda Lee, started out 14 years ago, working from their home. Today, they run a business that has seven service vans and 21 employees.

Technician pride

Kelloway and his technicians invest time in keeping the vans sharp and clean. Technicians are responsible for the vans’ condition. Some keep them so clean that, in Kelloway’s words, “You could eat off the floor.” Others need ongoing reminders.

Service technicians take their vans home each night, and when they begin the next day, they run through a 17-point checklist before starting the vehicle. They make sure the brakes are functioning, that the clutch and gearshift are operating smoothly, that there is no play in the steering, and that the lights, dashboard instruments and windshield wipers are working. They even check the horn and backup alert.

Drivers complete this check each workday. If they find problems, they report them to their supervisor immediately, and the vehicle does not go out that day. Trailer maintenance is also addressed with a checklist. Technicians look for worn tires, loose debris, loose bolts and fittings, and malfunctioning lights.

The checklist system is fairly new, but Kelloway expects it to make a big difference in keeping the vehicles in top condition. Before, vehicle problems tended to get lost in the shuffle during the company’s busy workdays.

“My whole goal is to eliminate the possibility of vehicle defects and to have a paper trail of those defects, as well as for the mechanical work performed,” Kelloway says. He personally reviews the checklist documentation.

No drips, please

Clean, well-maintained vehicles directly affect customer service. “Our customers are not happy if a vehicle leaves an oil drip on a driveway,” Kelloway says. “Out here, 90 percent of the driveways are exposed aggregate, glazed and finished, and really nice and appealing. One drop of oil or anti-freeze will stand out. Our area is made up of probably 75 percent retired people. It’s a high-income area. Landscaping is huge here.”

Generally, the company hires local garages for major repairs on its seven service vans and five pickup trucks. Minor jobs like alternators and radiator replacement and changing hoses or belts are done in-house. Anything related to changing oil or anti-freeze is done outside.

“Our terrain has extreme slopes,” Kelloway says. “Driveways have grades up to 35 percent. When you drive up those driveways, you bottom out on the back bumper. That means I’m replacing transmissions quite frequently.”

Maintenance on other equipment is also a high priority. “We have three pieces of excavation equipment, and maintenance on them is extremely high,” says Kelloway. “If they are not looked after, they can have problems with the tracks due to dust. They can have internal problems.

“If you don’t service the boom on a regular basis, the bushings wear out, and the wear goes into the metal. Then you’re re-honing the unit that holds the hydraulics. The machine becomes sloppy, and you run the risk of hitting the house if doing an excavation around a home.”

After every 200 hours on the excavation equipment, Kelloway has a licensed heavy-duty mechanic go over the machine from top to bottom and make any necessary repairs before the machine leaves the yard again.

Jetter care

The company also takes good care of its two trailer-mounted waterjetters — a Dynajet unit from Putzmeister America Water Tech-nology and a model 3510-E from Hi-Vac Corp./O’Brien Mfg.

Jetters get regular oil changes and hose maintenance. “You’re dealing with high- pressure water,” says Kelloway “We maintain the pressure hoses, the control valve, and the on/off water pressure valve. We do all this in-house.

“Our personnel have to trouble-shoot, because the equipment is so valuable for us. It works almost seven days a week. We can’t afford downtime. Downtime affects more than one customer. When you have to call and reschedule, that throws the schedule off, and it makes another customer mad. Also, downtime makes your customers feel that you are using old, outdated equipment.

“With a jetter, you want to pull in, turn the key on, and have it running properly, not sounding like a Harley-Davidson. High-pressure hoses have to be consistently monitored with every jetter job for any defects in the hose. If a hose malfunctions and blows a hole in it, you have a risk of the high-pressure spray hitting somebody.

“Hoses have to be inspected after every use of the unit. They have to be inspected as part of maintenance and discarded when they are past their time. Root cutters have to be inspected because you’re dealing with steel. You want to make sure you will not have a breakage in the line. You have to check to make sure the cutter heads are sharp and structurally intact, with no weak points.

“If the cutters are not maintained properly, that can double your time on root cutting. You are no longer trimming the roots properly, and you are taking more of the customer’s time. Result: an unhappy customer.” Service technicians sharpen root cutters onsite and check for metal fatigue and wear.

Outfitting service vans

The company’s service trucks come fully equipped with proper racking and with cabinetry designed to keep equipment from coming lose. The cabinets isolate drivers from material inside the truck during emergency stops. Vans are also equipped with up-to-date first-aid kits and a fire extinguisher.

The equipment in the seven vans varies, since three are used solely for drain cleaning and the other four for all other duties. The company owns pipe bursting equipment made by Earth Tool Company LLC, Gen Ear leak detection devices from General Pipe Cleaners, and SeeSnake push cameras from RIDGID.

Roto-Rooter recently added JaRay service business management software from Famhost. “It’s an online program developed for dispatching service technicians, keeping records and managing accounts,” says Kelloway. “It’s a web-based system and enables operation of our business from anywhere, even while we’re on vacation. We can log on and see in real-time everything happening in the office and in the service vehicles.”

Old Man Winter

The company’s challenges include dealing with weather. For about a month-and-a-half each year, says Kelloway, the temperature is at freezing. While the trucks can sit out, other equipment, such as jetters and cameras, must be brought indoors for the night.

After all, it’s the service vans and equipment that keep things on the move, no matter what the conditions outside. Roto-Rooter of Parksville keeps everything ready to roll, functioning efficiently and safely. It’s all part of providing service with an eye on customer satisfaction.