More Guides

Text Messaging For Plumbers

Learn how your plumbing business can benefit from texting, as well as the steps you’ll need to take to get started

Dani Henion wrote in Industry Guides
• September 29th 2023

Whether it’s reaching out to existing customers or prospective ones, a plumber’s communication strategy revolves around managing appointments. With SMS, you can get in touch with all your clients quickly, efficiently, and effectively. Here’s the full guide to how it works. 

As a plumber, your day could start installing pipe assemblies in a dishwasher on one side of town and end 28 miles away installing a water heater. And of course, any regularly scheduled day could get turned on its head in the instance of an emergency.

You need a speedy way to stay in contact with your clients to ensure everything gets done in a professional, timely manner. 

But thanks to the rise of robocalls, more than 77% of people avoid answering phone calls. And on average, emails sit in an inbox for 90 minutes before getting read! 

That’s where texting comes into play. Commercial and residential plumbers alike are using SimpleTexting to reach their audience to:

• Communicate appointment delays 
• Send appointment reminders 
• Provide service quotes
• Communicate with vendors for parts
• Answer customer questions
• And more!

We’ll cover these use cases in more detail below. But first, here’s why texting is so effective.

The problem with traditional communication methods is that they lack the speed and responsiveness that a plumber out in the field needs. 

From a burst pipe taking priority over a regularly scheduled service to a traffic jam delaying your arrival to a job. The bottom line is, you need a way to get information communicated quickly.

With 90% of text messages being read within three minutes of receipt, there’s no faster way to reach your customers. 

In addition to speed, there’s a few other aspects of texting that give it an edge. 

Texts are Customer Preferred

In a national survey on consumer preferences, 55% of people prefer SMS for appointment reminders vs. 35% of consumers who prefer email for those notifications. In addition to preference, text messages are highly effective at cutting down on missed appointments, which can cost you thousands of dollars each year. 

When an MGMA survey asked what would have prevented folks from missing appointments, 38.1% said a reminder via text message would have helped. That’s 14.3% more than those who said phone calls would have helped and 19.1% more than those who said email reminders.

SMS Can Integrate With Scheduling Tools

If you’re using a scheduling and dispatching tool like Jobber, ServiceTitan, or Workiz, you can integrate it with our texting platform in seconds. Automatically send a text message when a new quote is issued, an appointment is set, an invoice is delivered, and so much more. 

Not only does this save you time, but automating your administrative tasks can keep you organized and free from human error!

No Extra Apps are Necessary

Many messaging services require people to download an app to communicate, which your coworkers and clients aren’t always willing or able to do. 

Google even found that “download our app” on a website caused 69% of people to leave immediately. On the other hand, everyone has access to a mobile phone and knows how to text. All they have to do is give you their permission to send them a message, and you’re set!

There’s no other channel like texting that can guarantee the same engagement level, making it invaluable for your business’s communication strategy.

Examples of How Plumbers Use SMS Software

• How to Send Text Reminders to Customers
• How To Reach Customers With Texts
• Benefits of Texting

Although you do have the ability to send out mass text blasts to all your customers or staff, you’ll most likely be using SMS more for one-on-one conversations. 

So, there are a few elements to our platform that you’ll want to get familiar with. 

Click-to-Text Buttons

It’s easy to add a click-to-text button to your website. When a user taps on the button, the SMS app on their cellphone will automatically launch with a pre-written message. You can customize the text on the button to say anything: “I’d like to schedule an appointment,” “I’m interested in pricing,” etc. 

Business Texting Inbox

It’s easy to manage all of your client conversations with our business texting inbox. But the best part is that all incoming SMS messages are always free!

• Leave notes: These notes can be visible to you and your team. Discuss customer questions behind the scenes and make sure your team members are in the loop.
• Schedule messages: Schedule a particular date and time for your message to send. For example, service follow-ups, appointment reminders, and review requests. 
• Send files: Upload photos, PDFs, or other media and send them as links to individual contacts.
• Prioritize conversations: Choose the order in which incoming messages appear to you. Filter them by time received or time waiting. Now you can stay on top of your Inbox and make sure no leads get left behind.
• Mark conversations as resolved: When you’re done with a conversation, mark it as resolved to hide it from your Inbox. If a customer replies, it will be marked as open again.
• Snooze conversations: Hide conversations for a set period. When the snooze period ends (or if someone replies), it will appear at the top of your Inbox.

Next Steps

Getting started with texting is simple with our help. In addition to offering a two-week free trial, we’ll also set you up with:

• A complimentary toll-free number to begin texting your customers with.
• Access to our full library of resources and tutorials.
• Support from our team seven days a week.

If you have any questions about moving forward, you can also request a demo. Alternatively, you can text or call us at (866) 450-4185 or use the chat at the bottom of your screen!