Sometimes providing great customer service involves more than just wearing boot covers, showing up on time and leaving job sites neat and clean. Technicians at Milestone Plumbing in Milwaukee do all of those things, but they also give customers added value by using parts that will help water tanks and other items last longer.

For example, owner Jessie Cannizzaro insists on using more expensive dielectric unions (she prefers those made by Watts Water Technologies) when installing water heaters. The unions act as an electrical barrier between the brass on one end and the copper on the other, which prevents accelerated corrosion in pipes.

The bottom line: The tanks last longer. Customers are happier. And Cannizzaro sleeps better at night. While the unions cost roughly four times more than conventional unions, she firmly believes it’s money well-spent.

Don’t customer protest about the added cost? Not if she educates them, she says.

“You need to explain that another company might have a lower price, but they’ll likely replace their water heater sooner,” Cannizzaro says. “You have to help clients understand the value.”

Plumbers at Milestone Plumbing also add an extra anode rod when they install Rheem water heaters.

“You just remove the nipple for the hot side of the water heater and install it,” Cannizzaro says. “It helps the tank last longer, and Rheem will extend the warranty for another four years if you install one.”

When installing sinks, Milestone Plumbing technicians use a more expensive P-trap, made by Keeney Mfg. They cost a little more, but provide added value because the rubber gaskets are “beefier” than typical nylon gaskets, Cannizzaro says.

“People who care more about the extra money aren’t our kind of customers,” she says. “At the end of the day, we’re putting our name behind our work, and it’s not about one-and-done jobs. We want clients for life, and this is one way to achieve that.”

Read more about Milestone Plumbing in this full profile featured in the April 2019 issue of Cleaner magazine.