Small business owners do not have a great deal of wiggle room within the business budget. This means you’re always on the lookout for ways to save money on all aspects of your business while still providing your customers and employees the best possible experience within the means of your business. One area where you should not skimp, though, is when hiring a plumber. These are just a few important details you should keep in mind when in the market for a plumber for your small business.
Hire Insured and Bonded Plumbers
While it may seem like a luxury, your business could be on the hook, quite literally, if something goes wrong at the hands of a plumber who is not insured, or, in some cases, bonded. If there is an injury or accident resulting from the work the plumber did for you, or if the plumber becomes injured while performing work on your property, it could spell bad things for your business if the plumber lacks the appropriate insurance coverage. Bonding offers you additional protection from issues like late work or improper work.
Hire Only Experienced Plumbers
It’s great to give new guys a chance in many areas of business. Sometimes it can be a real boon, but there are some things that are taught best outside the classroom. Plumbing is among them. There’s nothing quite like experience to teach plumbers what works (and doesn’t work) in the field. The more experience a plumber has in the industry, the greater the odds are that he’s experienced many of these mishaps himself and now has the wisdom not to repeat the mistakes.
If licensing is available in your state, you may wish to hire only licensed plumbers. Licensing indicates that a plumber has the training and field experience to do the job at an expert level. It’s no guarantee, but greatly improves the odds that you’re dealing with an honorable contractor. Don’t forget that some states require licensed contractors. Make sure you follow state laws concerning plumbers and all other contractors when hiring them or it could cost you big somewhere down the road.
Ask for (and Check) References
References are a good indication of quality work. If a plumber has plenty of people who are willing and happy to vouch for the work he’s done for them, the odds are good that he’ll provide consistent quality in the work he does for you. Just don’t forget to take the time to check them out before engaging in any contract with the plumber to be on the safe side.
You wear many hats as a small business owner. Getting the right contractors the first time around saves your business time, effort, and resources that would otherwise be invested in correcting the mistake later.
