The Customer’s Experience Part 2

For years I have looked for something we could “do” to set us apart from other companies that repair and upgrade sprinkler systems. As far as I know, Rainstat Irrigation is the only company that does exactly what we do. I’ve looked for anything that would make us something other than a commodity--which is just fixing your sprinkler system in trade for money.

What would make you way more than satisfied? What would make you say, or at least think, “Wow! They did something so terrific, so unexpected, I’m going to pick up the phone and tell all my friends about Rainstat Irrigation.”

Here are some attempts:

• We price everything up front, so you stay in control.
• We carry state-of-the-art tools, so we can actually solve your problem.
• We answer the phone so you can talk to a real person.
• We don’t hire druggies and alcoholics, so you can feel safe.
• We show up when we say we will, so your time is respected.
• We guarantee our work, so you don’t have to do this again.
• This work take a license, insurance and training. We have all of that.

I know. Yawn!

Here are some things we haven’t done:

• Give a free pen with every job, so you can write something.
  
• Do this for free, so we can get out of this business and do something else.
• Over-promise so we can get all the business.
• Under-deliver, so our margins are higher.
  

So, here's the way we decided to attack this:
We realize that you have a problem and you want that problem to go away as quickly and as painlessly as possible. No theatrics. No phony razzle-dazzle. And, if while we are working on your problem we can see some way to make your day, we want to do that, too.

If that creates a really great experience, well, we’re glad. But, if all we did was take care of the problem with as little overhead for you as possible, we will be happy with that too.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. What do we do? We do commercial and residential sprinkler system repair; upgrade existing systems with weather-based, smart controllers; install, repair and certify backflow devices; and solve drainage problems. You can call us at 254.829.3800 or find us on web here.

P.P.S. We just added an easy way for you to follow us. Just click on the "Follow" button at the top of the sidebar. It would be a real honor if you did.

The Customer's Experience

I want to tell you about my birthday lunch. A friend picked me up to try out the newest restaurant in town, Chuy’s. I like Mexican food.

I’m headed somewhere with this post that deals with some reading I’ve been doing about the customer “experience” -- the idea that you and I are looking for more than just __________ (fill in anything), we’re interested in an “experience.” We don’t want to go shopping, we want to go on an African safari complete with lions, tigers and bears. We don’t want to just go out to eat, we want EXCITEMENT, or some other mood. Me? I just wanted to enjoy the company of my friend, have a quiet enough place where we could talk and get a few bites to eat.

This friend heads up the Mexican food booth at our community’s annual Thanksgiving craft and children's fair. So, when he saw a group of ladies making tortillas by hand, we went over to take a look. They were standing behind a glass enclosure, so everyone could see exactly how and by whom their tortilla was made. One of the waitresses noticed that we were taking all this in and asked if we had any questions. My friend asked a few questions.

That was it. We sat down at our table and started looking at the menu.

A moment later, that same waitress walked up to our table and said, “Gentlemen, here are a few samples of our tortillas that I just took off the griddle. I thought you might enjoy them,” as she handed us a warmer-dish with tortillas in it.

THAT was nice.

So, I received a very positive “experience.” But I don’t think it was contrived. It was just a waitress that was thinking of someone other than herself. My guess is that there is no entry in a Chuy’s training manual that says to, “Take free tortillas by the table of a couple of old guys that happen to be interested in the tortilla process.” And that’s what made it pretty great.

We want to do that too. And, frankly, that’s a real problem. I’ll tell you about it in my next post, but if you want to look at our home page, you'll see our take on it.

Frozen Backflow Devices

Your backflow device may be frozen and you not know it.

And you may not know it until you start running your sprinkler system in the Spring. Other places discover it immediately because water started going everywhere!

Here are a couple of pictures of backflow devices we have been repairing for Texas WalMarts. If you weren't caught off guard with the very cold weather we had recently, you're in the minority.

If you're a Waco resident (under Waco water jurisdiction) you may be in for a surprise. Waco's code has changed. If your sprinkler's or commercial building's backflow device is the old kind--and it froze so it no longer functions, you'll have to bring it "up to code."

What does "up to code" mean? It just means your existing system will have to meet the same requirements that a new system would have to meet. Here's the short story:

Your yard is now classified as a "high hazard" from a risk to the potable water standpoint. That means you need a special kind of backflow device called a Reduced Pressure Zone (RPZ or RP). Two important aspects are that it is another expense and it can't be buried.

And THAT brings me back to why we've been so busy lately. We have been repairing and replacing unprotected, uninsulated backflow devices that froze. Part of the new code for Waco is that your fancy new backflow device has to be protected from the cold--so you won't have to do this again.

If we can help, please call us at 254.829.3800. We're licensed to repair and replace backflow devices.

Green is Good. Profitable Too!

Businesses in Waco are a frugal lot.

When they see that conserving, going green, or recycling can actually save them money, it's an easy decision to get on board. Now, you can water *less,* keep your landscape vibrant and healthy and reduce an expense you are already paying.

Here's a true story. It's about me and my own yard. I'm a trained irrigator. I don't want to brag, but my business dictates that I know what I'm talking about when it comes to watering landscapes. I know about all the plants' water requirements. I know about sprinklers, zoning, precipitation rates, soil types, blah, blah, blah. I KNOW how to schedule sprinklers to come on at the right time for the right amount. Don't ask me to play the piano, but I can say that I know irrigation.

A little over a year ago, I installed one of those new, smart controllers on my sprinkler system. What I found surprised me, frankly. I over-water. I checked my water usage and saved over 26% on my total water usage! Translating that into dollars is a savings of $558 in one year. So the biggest leak in my sprinkler system was me!

If you would like to know more, please call me. Especially if you're a business with a sprinkler system. (We'd love to talk to homeowners, too.) You can reach us at 254.829.3800.

Drainage

You know you need drainage help when water is where it’s not supposed to be.

Needs:
The most obvious need is when heavy rains bring water into the house or garage. Drainage needs also show up when rain washes dirty water into your pool or rain forms a stagnant pond.
Although we are not foundation experts, we have seen our heavy clay soils reek havoc to foundations that have a fluctuating moisture content. Keeping puddles of water away from your foundation may help.

Solutions:
We will use gravity instead of pumps because gravity never quits. Pumps have their place, but often our heaviest rains are accompanied by electricity-interrupting conditions--which, of course, makes the solution no solution at all. Proper drainage is accomplished by placing one or several catch-basins where water accumulates. These catch-basins are connected to an underground piping system that carries the water down to a lower discharge point.

Result:
What we’re trying to accomplish is a landscape that accepts all the water it can, and then discharges any excess to the city’s waste-water treatment system. In rural areas, we are simply trying to find an on-purpose place for the water to go.

Methods:
We cut our teeth in this business as landscapers, so maintaining an excellent, scar-free landscape is our primary goal. A normal installation will involve cutting the turf off the top of the trench, opening the trench, leveling it to an acceptable grade, installing the pipe and basins, backfilling the trench and re-installing the original sod. We try to make it look like we were never there.

Pricing:
Every drain job we have ever done has been very different. That’s okay because we will come out to your property with a transit and other measuring devices and give you an up-front price. Free. We call it a Promise because we don’t want people to confuse what we do with an estimate. Our Promise price will be your invoice price.