No need for digging
Currently, Yarrow Plumbing has five plumbers in the field and two admin staff. Their point of difference? No dig plumbing. It was 13 years ago that Dennis identified the enormous benefit for both the plumber and client when using an alternative method instead of digging up pipes to perform work. This was especially the case when the pipe was under a house or a driveway.
We’ve all heard the story…
Plumber: “I’m afraid you’ve got a broken pipe.”
You: “Oh, that doesn’t sound good. Can you fix it?”
Plumber: “Yes, but it means digging up your driveway.”
No Dig plumbing is Dennis’ speciality. He’s been known to fix pipes where everyone else shook their heads. One such scenario was when an eight story apartment block had just been completed only to realise a large pipe underneath had completely collapsed. Dennis worked tirelessly for a week, in the end he was able to repair the eight metre length of crumpled pipe using his No Dig method, some ingenuity and some persistence.
The simPRO savings
Dennis attests that simPRO saves him at least 20-30% in operational costs. Pre-Builds and Take Off Templates enable Dennis to complete a quote in only 5 minutes. And to top it off, all stock and material is accounted for and sold on. Nothing ‘goes missing’.
“simPRO saves me around 20-30% when you account for the time saved and materials accounted for,”
Dennis Yarrow, Yarrow Plumbing
After ten years of using simPRO, not being tied to the office is a given. Every school holiday Dennis packs up the caravan and spends a minimum of one week with the family.
Then there are the Scripts in Connect for the guys in the field. Quality is ensured and time is saved. Dennis has provided a wide range of scripts for staff in the field to add descriptions to jobs which appear on invoices. By utilising pre-existing scripts, staff can choose the most appropriate scripts. It saves the guys in the field a load of time and ensures that what appears on the invoice reads well.
Managing staff to their capabilities
In the early days, Dennis managed a team of 50 plumbers under trying conditions in Papua New Guinea. A big take-away Dennis learned from managing such a team is to ‘manage to their capabilities’.
“All staff have strengths and weakness. I like to assign jobs accordingly. It means we look professional and doesn’t put unnecessary stress on anyone,”
Together with his years of experience and his role as a councilor on the board of Master Plumbers Association of Queensland, Dennis is well versed in the industry.
