Taking stock: a service tech should never be caught without the right part or chemical. Now is the time to take a hard look at starting or improving your own inventory - service

Pool & Spa News, Dec 19, 2001 by Bob Dumas

The last thing any service technician wants is to leave a job site and waste time--and money--hunting down a needed part. What if the distributor is out of that elusive part? Odds are, the customer won't be very happy and the tech may well be out of a job.

"[If you don't have the part], the customer is going to find a guy who keeps one in stock, especially in June or July when they want to use the pool," says David Hawes, owner of H&H Pool Service in Dublin, Calif., and frequent seminar lecturer at several industry trade shows. "You need to provide a level of service that makes them say to their neighbors, `Good grief! Why are you waiting for them when our guy brings it right over? In fact, it was on his truck.'"

Retailers and builders have to deal with inventory every day; it's built into the job. And it should be for service techs as well.

Keep in mind, if one supplier is out of the part you seek, you may have to travel to another warehouse--and then another. In the end, you may end up having to order the part, which further adds to the delays and to the frustration of the client.

Industry veterans say staying well stocked will cut back on trips to the warehouse, save time and money, and help you provide top-notch customer service.

"It is good customer service," says A.J. Wilson, owner of Like New Pool Cleaning & Repair Service in San Diego. "I can get the job done for them without having to stop and go do something else."

Staying flexible

A well-stocked inventory allows the service technician to spend more time treating pool and spa water and repairing equipment rather than running around looking for supplies. This means you're making money, not spending it.

"The stuff that I use every week, I've learned to keep on hand," Wilson explains. "As soon as I use one [part], I try to bring in another one with the next supply trip."

This method also allows techs to remain flexible and independent, ready to complete a job fast and with very little notice.

"The No. 1 thing is that I don't like to be extremely dependent on distributors," Hawes says.

Once you make the move to maintain an inventory for your business, you'll have to decide which parts to stock and which ones to order on an as-needed basis. Consequently, the smaller, inexpensive parts will be the first things to consider.

"It's certainly not worthwhile to drive around from supplierto supplier for three or four hours ... in search of a $20 part," says Terri Hart, co-owner of Hart Pool & Spa in Arlington Heights, Ill.

The supply side

Sometimes it seems easier to let suppliers do the work, but in the end, you pay for that convenience.

"I know some guys who will take an entire pump to the distributor and say that they need the `stuff that goes in here,' and then they take it and go back to the job site," says Hawes. "That's an hour's drive time. If he had everything when he showed up [at the job], he'd be all done by now."

But how does the savvy service tech know what to keep on hand vs. what can be purchased "as needed"? Much comes from experience and trial and error, but there are things techs can do in anticipation.

"I make sure to keep plenty of what I call `little breakdown parts' [on hand]," says Steve Jones, owner/operator of Anglo American Pool Service & Repair in Torrance, Calif. "It's the normal kind of stuff that breaks down all the time--stuff you encounter more frequently, like pilot assemblies for heaters, washers, O-rings, things like that."

Wilson, another solo, independent technician, takes the same approach. "I keep a certain amount of [spare parts] on the truck at all times," he says. "Pieces of PVC, seals, switches--stuff for regular, everyday repairs."

Still, there are some things that wouldn't be prudent to stock because of their costs. While you want to keep a strong inventory, you don't want to tie up too much of the company's capital in parts that will sit and gather dust.

"If you look at the bottom line in terms of profitability, you almost can't have a full inventory, especially if you're going out to do repairs," says Hawes. "So, figure out what you are going to be using most of the time."

Hawes, whose company employs 15 service techs, says he encourages solo operators to keep track of the type and brand of equipment on all the pools on their respective routes.

"They have computer programs now for this type of thing," he says. "You can keep track of what every account has and just call it up [on the screen] and you will know what kind of part you need."

Wilson, while not utilizing a computer, takes a similar tack. "When I take on a new account, I write down the information on the equipment and even draw a diagram of the pool, including where the equipment pad is," he relates. "That way, I know all the parts [on that pool.]"

Hawes' company is a little more formal in its approach. "When we get a new client, we take down the name of the filter, model of heater and the tech gets all that information and puts it in the start-up forms," he explains. "Now, we are starting to go with digital pictures of all the equipment pads [on our routes]."