Value Over Volume

I know I keep talking about this, but it bears repeating. in a plumbing business, the phone call is the first service.

I know a lot of people who view CSRs as booking machines. "We hired them to book the calls."

Yeah, that's the end result, sure. I agree. But the CSR role is so much more than that. It's one of the most important roles in a Trades company, but far too often they're viewed as second class citizens, a cost, a detriment, and sometimes, unfortunately, as disposable if the market takes a downturn. 

But, why?

It's a misconception of what the role actually is, and it's a miscommunication from CX leadership on the importance of the Blue Collar Call Center. 

A call center isn't a Cost Center, not if it's run correctly and staffed appropriately. 

It's the place where your marketing spend goes to thrive... or die. 

Before a wrench touches a pipe, before a tech pulls into the driveway, before a tool gets pulled from a bag, the customer has already made a decision.

That decision? Whether they trust your company or not.

That trust? It doesn’t come from your logo, your website, or even your pricing. It comes from the voice that picks up the phone.

That’s your CSR.

They are not button-pushers. Not receptionists. Not walking, talking appointment books. They’re definitely not chatbots.

They’re value builders.

They’re trust dealers.

They’re the frontline sales reps in tennis shoes… just sitting behind a desk instead of crawling under sinks.

If they’re just “taking orders,” your company is bleeding opportunity.

Nobody wakes up thinking, “Wow, today would be a great day for a backed-up sewer line!”

They’re calling because something broke. Something stinks. Something flooded.

They’re stressed, confused, maybe even embarrassed.

They're looking for certainty. They’re looking for help.

And the person on the phone? That’s their lifeline.

So if your CSR answers the phone with a dead voice, rushes through the call, and punches in the address like they’re working the drive-thru, what message does that send?

It says: “We don’t give a damn.”

But if that CSR listens, connects, explains the process clearly, and builds value in the technician and the service, it changes everything.

Now the customer says, “Thank God I called you.”

That’s not just good service. That’s a strategic advantage. And in an age where companies are still outsourcing their customer service to the lowest bidder BPO or replacing humans with AI agents... it's a also a competitive advantage. 

You want your techs to sell more in the field? Start by setting the table.

If the CSR can say, “We’re sending Chris out—he’s great with water heaters and actually just helped a neighbor of yours last week with the same issue,” you’ve already built credibility.

You’ve planted the seed.

Now when Chris shows up, the customer isn’t skeptical. They’re already on board.

Every minute a CSR spends building rapport is a minute a tech doesn’t have to spend convincing someone they know what they’re doing.

Your closing rates go up. Your average ticket goes up. Customer satisfaction goes up.

Everybody wins.

Let’s zoom out.

Sorry CEOs and Marketing, the customer doesn’t care about your mission statement.

They don’t care how many trucks you’ve got or how many billboards you have.

They care about how you made them feel in the first 30 seconds.

CSRs are your brand’s handshake. If that handshake is limp, unsure, or cold… you’re done.

But if it’s strong, confident, and helpful, now you’ve got something that scales.

You don’t build a great company with coupons and discounts.

You build it with people who give a damn—starting with the one who answers the phone.

Train your CSRs like they’re part of the sales team, because they are.

Give them context. Give them language. Give them pride.

Help them understand that booking the call is just the byproduct of doing the real job right:

Building value in the service.

Making the customer feel heard

Creating trust in the company.

If they do that, the schedule fills itself. The customer shows up warm. The tech walks in with a head start.

If they don’t? You’re just playing the price game with every other shop in town—and that’s a race to the bottom.

Your CSRs are not order takers.

They’re the tip of the spear.

The heartbeat of the customer experience.

The unseen salesforce that fuels the entire machine.

If you want to grow your plumbing business, it starts with that first “Hello.”

Train it. Protect it. Build it with intention.

Because value beats volume every single time.