As Christmas is fast approaching, the plumbing experts at Yell Business are offering advice on how to handle the increased call-outs that come with the festive season. Not only will people need help with leaking taps and boiler issues, they are also facing issues like blocked pipes caused by turkey fat, oils and creams being poured down the sink.
With heightened demand resulting in more people searching for help, it pays to stand out, says Sarah O’Rafferty at Yell Business, who advises on issues ranging from the need to give help and advice to customers via social media, to simply being transparent about seasonal pricing, to save any unwanted cost conversations with customers.
Be as transparent as possible about your prices and opening hours
The festive period is busy and stressful enough without having to quibble over quotes and take endless ‘out of hours’ calls and messages. Set strict rules for you and your business and let your customers know what these are.
One of the most common plumbing problems at Christmas is when people pour leftover turkey fat down the sink which hardens and causes a blockage. You’ll know already what to charge for this (£80-£120 is common), so let your customers know upfront when you speak to them and on your website/social media profiles that this is the going rate. But also leave yourself some wiggle room in case the blocked pipe is difficult to access, or it has caused further problems that need attending to. Most customers will understand the need for increased prices, but they won’t want to be surprised!
Similarly, being honest and upfront about your opening hours, any additional charges customers will incur on bank holidays and evenings, and how best to get hold of you will always be appreciated.
Charge fairly and accurately against the competition
It can be tempting to hike prices significantly during busy periods, especially when emergency callouts are more common. While undercutting competition also has its appeal, there’s little sense in lowering your prices, as you’ll be inundated with enquiries that you won’t be able to answer – causing frustration on both sides. When you set your prices too high, you’ll be left twiddling your thumbs with less work than you’d planned for. A little research into what your competition is charging and what people have paid in the past, or are willing to pay, will put you in the best possible position to price your services fairly.
Plan your time effectively
One of the many plumbers we work with at Yell Business told us that they get called out for about ten of these types of blockages a day, during the festive period. Whilst this will vary from region to region, it’s a good idea to look back at the number of callouts you’ve had in previous years and plan your time accordingly. Having enough capacity and staff on hand to service all of the enquiries you’re likely to get will help keep stress to a minimum and profits to a maximum.
Offer prevention rather than cure
Keeping your website and any social media profiles related to your business up to date is important at any time of year, but particularly for the festive season. Accurate contact details, opening times and pricing is a must and you could also consider offering advice where possible over Christmas to push non-urgent jobs back until after the holiday period.
An effective marketing tool at this time of year is to showcase your expertise by offering short, simple videos on what to avoid putting down plugholes and how to alleviate small plumbing issues without the need for an emergency call out. This will in turn help to build trust with your customers and the local community, which in turn will result in more work in the long run.
For more information on how Yell can help plumbers with their presence online at any time of the year, visit: https://business.yell.com/industry/digital-marketing-for-plumbers/
