Hear from our director Edward Clark about all things business and Gallant Plumbing.
Fantastic video production by John Leonard at U video & Spotlight Productions.
The Interview:
Sean: What are the specific services you provide and who do you provide them for?
Ed: General plumbing maintenance business, so what does that actually mean? We’re not involved in construction at all, as a rule. So it is really fixing the existing components of a building around all things associated with plumbing. So if there’s a roof leak, a burst pipe, a blocked drain, a hot water service is not working; they are the top 4 big things that we really do, or if there is an upgrade that is needed on an existing structure, that is what we typically focus our energy on.
We provide our service to predominantly asset managers. So that’s property managers, facility managers, owners corporations that really see the need to be serviced and serviced really well. And that’s where we think we really differentiate. Cause for us, anyone can do plumbing. Plumbing is just.. I say anyone but plumbing is your ticket to the game. It’s the experience that wraps around plumbing that makes our clients really happy to do business with us, so that’s like a Bryan from Tideways for example… We hope.
S: How have you differentiated?
E: I think one of the key frustrations customers have when dealing with a tradie, generally speaking, is just a lack of quality, concise communication; Where is the project positioned at any point in time along the way and that’s where we do really differentiate. It’s just on a really simple high level term. It’s just communicating the lights out, just so they know where things are in relation to what’s the problem, where is the problem, what needs to be done about it, what’s the costs associated, no surprises, no nasty business, this is unfortunately the situation we are in and this is what we need to do.
S: Asset Managers & Landlords; that’s obviously ideal as they need to communicate to tenants and people within in the building.
E: So we look at things a bit differently. We want to make the asset manager, the owners corporation manager, the facility manager look like the professional. We give them the information in a timely manner. They look like the professional cause they then communicate that to the building owner or the owners corporation committee. So it’s a really simple thing, but we’re trying to help them and not be another pain point for them.
S: And that’s a real disrupter in the trades industry.
E: It sounds simple doesn’t it and it is simple, but it’s just a no brainer for us.
S: What makes you passionate about bringing this service?
E: I was just let down by so many plumbers in the past and I just thought there has got to be a better way. So we got into it 3 years ago. Our vision is to redefine what it means to be a tradie and do business with a tradie, so there needs to be change. People are crying out for this change, so we’re hoping we’re delivering it.
S: So you see yourself as a disrupter in this industry?
E: Absolutely!
S: So what do you see as the future for people in the service provider industry like yourself? Who are going to be the leaders? How are you going to be the leader?
E: I suppose for us, the service is the simple thing. It’s we want to service you, where in the game of a service provider. But we want to view our profession as that; it is a profession. The stereotypical tradie can be a bit rough and gruff and we want to be like, well no; people choose this profession, let’s call it that and let’s behave like that, so really step up to the plate and own that we are professionals and we have to behave like that. So if we have to behave like that we do. It’s the way we perceive ourselves, it’s the way we serve our customers, it’s why the customers want to retreat us to.
S: I see through your social media and the information you put out there, is a lot of investment in your people. Is that where you see most of your time going?
E: A lot, yes. Next year is a big year for us in that space, so yes, absolutely. It’s all about the learning.
S: Who Inspires You?
E: Richard Branson. Out of the disruption of pretty traditional industries. Saw an opportunity across the airline industry. Just to change the way business is done. He’s an inspiration for me.
