Teaming Up With Your Pool Company For a Winning Pool Season
2022 is here and it is time to plan for another pool season. However, rapid inflation, staffing challenges, and supply chain issues threaten what should otherwise be an exciting time for everyone, the opening of the community pool.
While there are no simple solutions to these challenges, there is a simple strategy to take to improve your chances of having a successful pool season. Team up with your pool company!
Successful pool seasons don’t happen by accident. Team up with your pool company by planning ahead. Some of the best ways to team up and plan ahead include:
- Sign your service contract early to allow your pool company ample preparation time.
- Help your pool company recruit staff by letting your community know about available positions. This is particularly important for lifeguards and pool attendants. This can be as easy as advertising the positions in your community newsletter, allowing your company to post “Now Hiring” signs, or connecting them to area schools and community contacts.
- Ask your pool company to let you know about anticipated repairs or facility updates. Put these items in your budget immediately.
- Ask your pool company what improvements (if any) could make your facility operate more efficiently and cost-effectively, and make their job easier. Sometimes simple changes can reduce work and improve facility aesthetics. It doesn’t always require spending money. It could be as simple as coordinating service days between vendors (pool company, landscaper, maid service, trash service) for better efficiency.
- Prioritize repairs and renovation work, and schedule the work now, even if that means scheduling work for after pool season. Many pool contractors are backlogged for months, so getting on their schedule now is critical to having your work completed in time.
- Order supplies and equipment extra early. Products that used to be available in days now often take months to arrive.
Ongoing collaborative communication with your pool company is crucial to teaming up, as circumstances can change quickly. Keep in mind that in the new marketplace, product availability trumps price. No one wants to be gouged, including your pool company. Planning equipment and supply purchases ahead of time help ensure the best pricing and availability for you and your pool company.
Following these tips for teaming up with your pool company will drastically improve your chances of a winning pool season!
