Plumbing in a digital world: How Tablets will Change the Industry
The landscape of the plumbing business has changed dramatically over the past five years. We have gone from phone books to iPhones in an instant. At the forefront of embracing new technology into their business is Rooter-Man Plumbers.
AN INDUSTRY CHANGED
Over the course of the last five years the paradigm of communication has shifted immeasurably. The shift from landlines to cell phones seemed like an eternity, but the change from cellphones to iPhones, Smart Phones and Androids occurred in an instant. The new toy-of-the-moment is tablets, and over the course of the next couple years they will stabilize and become the “norm” in an ever-changing business.
Every major player in the tech world- from HP to Sony – has developed a tablet to compete with the almighty iPad tablet. The invent of the tablet has blown up the notion of the iPhone and compacted the convenience of the laptop to create a mobile web-surfing device that is a game-changer in the plumbing business.
Technology has changed the way we, as a plumbing business, communicate with customers and our plumbing technicians in the field. As recently as 2008, the Yellow Pages ruled the plumbing business and it was the only method by which customers found plumbing companies. In 20011, we find an industry that has gone completely online. As a plumbing company, Rooter-Man has a roster of technicians that all use iPhones to communicate with head offices and receive calls that are dispatched via text and e-mail…no paper required.
CUSTOMERS IMPATCED
iPhones and Android Smart Phones have altered the way customers reach their local plumbing company. Users simply “Google” (as the verb is now known) the company name and click on a phone number without even leaving the browser. As amazing as iPhones and Androids are, but they do have a “shelf life”. The invent of tablets is taking the world by storm, and tablets are quickly prevailing as the more practical method of Internet searching eclipsing desktops and laptops
PLUMBING TECHNICIANS IMPACTED
Even plumbing technicians in the field have been impacted by the technological innovations of the last few years. Before 2008, “MiKE Phones” were the industry-standard; awkward and cumbersome, they were how plumbing offices communicated with their plumbers in the field. That has all changed thanks to the invention of the iPhone / Smart Phones. At Rooter-Man, our technicians now carry all of their information on their iPhones — everything from service calendars to incoming call information is housed in their iPhones.
CONTENT, INFORMATION AND PAYMENT COMBINED…
Tablets are definitely the way of the future in the plumbing business. They are link users to companies instantly and you can connect with a company without even leaving the browser page. Furthermore, they make the web search process easier for everyone, allowing everyone access to the same content regardless of what device they are using. Tablets such as the Kindle Fire and BlackBerry Playbooks are small enough for a lady to carry in her purse or a man to carry in his briefcase, and they can use them anywhere and connect with a variance of companies with great ease. But what tablets have greatly improved upon is the web-surfing experience. No more small screens or prolonged upload times; tablets have put your laptop in the palm of your hand. By 2013, we will be a tablet-based society.
Furthermore, powerful advances like credit card processing by Square will allow plumbing technicians to accept payment on-site via their tablet (or iPhone).
Plumbing companies are now plumbing in a digital world. The industry has changed forever and plumbing companies like Rooter-Man Plumbers are at the forefront of adopting technological innovation into their day-to-day business.
