Direct Plumbing Solutions works to provide a quality customer experience for plumbing services
BATTLE GROUND — Making a call to a plumber is seen by many as an uncomfortable experience. For Eric Hanson, general manager of Direct Plumbing Solutions of Battle Ground, making sure that working with a plumber is not a terrible experience is a key business goal.
Direct Plumbing Solutions is currently a subsidiary company of parent Trademark Plumbing in Vancouver. However, Hanson was recently offered ownership of Direct Plumbing Solutions, and is in the process of purchasing the company. When the process is completed in November, Hanson said that Direct Plumbing Solutions will become an independent company.
Hanson said that every service the company provides revolves around “raising the bar for service.” In Hanson’s view, over the years service companies have become more focused on making money for the owners rather than providing the best service possible for their customers.
“It seems like that trust has been lost,” Hanson said.
At Direct Plumbing Solutions, Hanson wants to “bring the trust back into the service.” He wants to provide plumbing services and a company atmosphere that let customers know “it’s not going to be a bad experience.”
“What makes Direct Plumbing different and what really the objective is as far as raising the service bar,” Isaac Holmgren, marketing manager for Direct Plumbing Solutions, said, “is just our focus on understanding that we’re an experience business that does plumbing.”
Holmgren said that while calling a plumber is not a unique occurrence, Direct Services Plumbing aims to offer a quality of experience and service that may not be found at other plumbing services.
For Hanson and Holmgren, this means providing an experience that makes customers feel comfortable, safe and lets them know they can trust the company.
“We recognize that going into someone’s home is a really personal thing, and it’s a privilege that we take very seriously,” Holmgren said.
Most of the work that Direct Plumbing Solutions conducts is service and remodel work, Hanson said. Some of the services include changing plumbing fixtures, re-piping homes and updating plumbing fixtures. Hanson also said that Direct Plumbing Solutions works with local contractors on larger projects such as redoing bathrooms or kitchens.
A majority of the work that the company does currently is service calls to repair broken plumbing, Holmgren said.
“We don’t try to sell people services,” Holmgren said. A guiding principle of the company is that customers should make their own decisions, and Direct Plumbing Services works to provide advice regarding problems and options for solutions, Holmgren said.
According to Hanson, one aspect of the company that makes it unique is its dedication to following up with customers. He said that customers are contacted the day after a repair is made to ensure that it is still functioning properly. Further, Direct Plumbing Solutions employees check in periodically with customers to make sure the repairs or installations are still in good order.
Going forward, Hanson hopes to find other local home service companies, such as electricians and carpet cleaners, that have the same drive to provide excellent customer focused service. They could then group together and use resources and ideas mutually to “raise the bar as far as service goes,” Hanson said.
Working with other companies that share Direct Plumbing Solutions’ mission would also allow them to confidently recommend quality service providers to their customers, Holmgren said.
The company currently has four employees. Hanson began working in the plumbing industry in 2005, and when the purchase is complete, he will be a first time business owner as owner of Direct Plumbing Solutions. More information about Direct Plumbing Solutions can be found online at https://directplumbingsolutions.com/.
