Time is Money

When building and running a small pool service business, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by the many tasks. The day-to-day often involves far more than netting and jetting. From invoicing and handling customer communications to keeping the correct chemicals in stock, having a good grasp on time management is critical to success.

Setting limits and expectations

“Basically, everything is time-oriented when you’re a single-poler,” says David Van Brunt, who started as a one-poler and now balances servicing with being the host of The Pool Guy Podcast Show and owner of Swimming Pool Learning. “To really be successful out there, you have to limit yourself on what you can do,” he says. “The best scenario would be to have a route on four days during the week and having one free day to do anything that needs to be done.”

Kim Langley, owner and operator of Tried & True Pool Company in South Carolina, started as a one-poler and has since enlisted the help of her family as the business grew. She agrees that setting limits and expectations is key. For Langley, that means meeting new clients face-to-face before committing to service. She also reserves Mondays for things like inventory or repairs. “Mondays have always been my flex day,” she says. “It’s been my day that I could either schedule some stuff that we couldn’t get to throughout the week, or I could reflect and see how to make the rest of the week better.”

Consistent and clear communication

Both Van Brunt and Langley agree that regular clients should be the priority when scheduling and using tools like email or scheduling software. “There are all kinds of routing apps that are popular,” Van Brunt says. “Skimmer, Pool Service Software, Pay the Pool Man — they’re all great in helping you stay organized. Any of those help with routing and planning. Some apps can even send text messages to a customer if you’re running behind schedule.”

For Langley, who takes pride in transparency, Skimmer is a great option because customers can see the exact chemical usage, filter changes and more. 

 “Skimmer has been a huge asset to our company,” Langley says. “[It’s all about] management — keeping everything in line, keeping records of everything and being able to go back. Now that they have a customer portal, the customer can go in and look back [at their service history] for as long as they’ve been a client.”

In regions with defined pool seasons, scheduling tends to change throughout the year. In the winter months, Langley adjusts service frequency for regular clients from weekly to biweekly. She also sends out a newsletter encouraging customers to book maintenance and services that may have been delayed during the busy pool season.

Handling new business when overbooked

With limited staff, sometimes there is simply no time for accepting new jobs or adding to a route. This could mean keeping to a specific service area, but saying no is never ideal. Great service attracts new customers, even when you aren’t looking for more work. “People will still approach you,” Van Brunt says. “And if a customer refers them to you and you can’t do it, you should have a network of other people you can refer to.” Van Brunt advises being mindful about how you turn down a customer, noting that you never know if they’ll end up leaving you a negative review. 

Langley collaborates with other women-owned businesses to ensure potential customers receive quality service. If her business’s schedule is full, she makes a point of sharing the workload by referring clients to trusted partners. 

“Saying no is hard because not only is that disappointing the client, it is also taking away from our income, but being able to give them other options versus saying no and hanging up the phone is a huge factor later,” she says.

Taking time off

Looking to take time off when the calendar is packed? Langley and Van Brunt have different strategies. 

Langley plans her family vacations during the offseason, from December to April, when services are spaced out with empty weeks in between. Since most of Van Brunt’s clients schedule four services per month, but some months have five weeks, he ends up with a few extra days spread throughout the year. These days can add up, giving him several weeks of potential vacation time.