Plumbers practice a specialized trade. But how do they get to be so adept at what they do? What’s their training like? The Tampa plumbers who work for Dave Cass at Cass Plumbing, Inc., have been through “local Florida trade schools and whatnot,” says Cass. On top of that, Cass’s Tampa plumbers get continued training to stay at the forefront of developments in plumbing technology. In fact, Cass even has a training room at his shop. “We do a lot of our training in-house,” he says.
Because Cass wants his team to be tuned into the technical “hows” and “whys” of the machinery and materials typically used in the industry, he has manufacturers come to his shop and train his Tampa plumbers directly. The team regularly learns about emerging products as well as older, time-tested products.
“Many manufacturers offer this kind of training as a service to us,” says Cass. “We just had a guy a couple of weeks ago come from Northstar. They do all kinds of water filtration equipment, as well as water softeners. That’s a big product down here.” When Northstar’s training personnel visited Cass’s establishment, they “schooled the plumbers on different water filtration systems, and got our guys certified in the company’s products,” Cass explains.
In-house training, says Cass, helps his company avoid call-backs. “We want to avoid the situation where a guy fixes something, and then we’re out at the client’s place again the next week fixing our own work at no charge,” says Cass. He believes that regular on-the-job training cuts back on call-backs because his Tampa plumbers keep their skills fresh, and constantly renew their understanding of the brands they work with.
Some months ago, Cass’s Tampa plumbers were having trouble with toilets they installed. Broken pieces were being replaced with broken pieces. They noticed the pattern immediately and put their training to work, locating the cause of the problem. “We performed a color-dye test on our toilet bowls to make sure they weren’t leaking. If they are leaking from the tank into the bowl, then the toilets will flush every 10-15 minutes automatically,” says Cass. That’s a waste of water. “If we see a pattern developing of a problem, we immediately troubleshoot, and if necessary, get extra training to fill in any knowledge gaps.”
Offering ongoing training to employees is only part of Cass’s commitment to excellence in the plumbing field. And that’s something that the Tampa residents who use his services will no doubt grow to appreciate more and more as plumbing technologies continue to evolve.
