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Plumbing Service Technician Job Description Template: Hire Top Techs to Grow Your Business
Plumbing
Many plumbing companies face rising demand for their services but struggle to find adequate plumbing service technicians. The numbers prove it, as job postings for workers with plumbing experience swelled by more than 133% since early 2020, according to a plumber jobs database shared with ServiceTitan by ZipRecruiter.
As a plumbing company, you need to find quality workers to fill job openings so you can schedule more jobs, maintain top customer service, and grow your commercial or residential service business. A customized, up-to-date plumbing service technician job description enables you to identify the best techs, so you can hire and train the employees you need.
When done correctly, job descriptions give your company a well-executed playbook for the entire employee life cycle, says Ian Schotanus of The Big Picture Consulting, who calls himself "The HR Guy for the Trades."
"It manages expectations. It provides clarity, and it gives you a baseline to build that employer-employee relationship," Schotanus says.
Maximize your plumbing service tech job description by using an all-in-one plumbing software solution, and read on to learn additional best practices for hiring.
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Table of Contents
Build procedures to boost performance
When you build company-wide procedures, you streamline your employees' workflow and help them work more efficiently and with greater success.
ServiceTitan Mobile gives your techs what they need, right in the field. Standardize your processes by uploading forms into the app so they automatically trigger during different parts of the job cycle, ensuring your plumbers remember to cover every detail, no matter if the job entails installing a water heater, replacing a garbage disposal, or diagnosing a plumbing system problem.
Boost your average job ticket by supplying your techs the tools to build branded, tiered cost estimates based on the right price with just a few taps, complete with high-quality photos, videos, and descriptions. This way, the customer can visually compare good-better-best options and choose a higher-priced option made affordable with customer financing, therefore maximizing your profit.
When your plumbing service technicians can access complete customer information, including CSR notes or outstanding estimates, it makes it easier than ever for them to provide excellent customer service. Satisfied customers lead to more referrals and top online reviews.
Customize your plumbing service technician job description
Plumbing service technicians play a foundational role in your company as they respond to service calls and repair plumbing for customers. Not only do they fix or replace plumbing fixtures like faucets, showerheads and toilets, but they repair pipes or gas lines, perform plumbing installations, and provide routine maintenance in a multitude of work environments.
Besides troubleshooting plumbing problems, they also need superior communication skills as they explain problems to customers, suggest solutions, and sell service agreements.
If your plumbing company needs to create or update your job descriptions, consider using a consulting company, a business success group, or a plumbing service technician job description template. If you use a template to write your own, make sure you customize the job title and description. Depending on your job type, your plumbing service technician may perform different duties.
Recruiting plumbing service technicians in a competitive hiring market requires a detailed and compelling job description. Save time writing your job description and make it simple with this customizable plumbing service technician job description template.
Plumbing Service Technician
The Plumbing Service Technician will apply their technical skills and knowledge in performing diagnostic, service, and installation of plumbing in residential and light commercial environments and ensure that work is performed in accordance with relevant codes. Responsibilities include assembling, installing or repairing pipes, fittings, or fixtures of heating, water, or drainage systems in accordance with plumbing code specifications.
► Primary responsibilities:
Performs residential and light commercial service calls to diagnose and resolve plumbing issues.
Identifies potential problems to prevent premature and/or unexpected breakdowns/callbacks.
Maintains and repairs plumbing systems carrying water, steam, chemicals, and fuel in heating, cooling, lubricating and other process piping systems.
Inspects high-pressure, air, steam, water, and gas systems to ascertain malfunctions.
Repairs or replaces plumbing fixtures, tests joints, and pipe systems.
Interprets drawings and specifications to determine layout requirements.
Reviews blueprints, building codes or specifications to determine work details and procedure.
Studies building plans and inspects structures to assess material and equipment needs, establish sequence of pipe installations, and plan installation around obstructions.
Measure, cut, thread, bend, ream, and install pipe and pipe fittings.
Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings.
Locates and marks position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures.
Installs pipe assemblies, fittings, valves, appliances or fixtures using hand or power tools.
Maintains accurate documentation of service calls and time management.
Submits all complete paperwork in an accurate and timely manner.
Maintains properly clean and stocked service vehicle.
Attends weekly departmental meetings.
Participates in periodic inventory and truck inspections.
Maintains tools and machinery in good condition and uses all tools in a safety-conscious manner.
Explains to the client each service performed each time a maintenance or repair is completed and ensures complete customer satisfaction.
Explains club membership agreements to every client; maintains a 25% Club Membership conversion rate on repair clients.
Documents Part Sheets listing, corresponding job numbers and parts used on each job and turns in to the office daily.
Debriefs with dispatch after completion of every job.
Creates or calls in for PO numbers for any materials picked up at suppliers and provides cost before and after taxes to ensure accuracy.
Turns in all parts receipts/packing slips daily and has corresponding job numbers written on them.
Provides pricing to the customer for approval prior to performing any work.
Retains 80% of Membership Clients and maintains an 80% appointment conversion ratio in the home.
Maximizes lead opportunities based on the company's business plan.
Participate in all company-sponsored training classes.
Always maintain a professional image by:
Wearing only company-approved and provided Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® apparel.
Following safety policies and procedures.
Abiding by all company standards of performance and code of ethics.
Maintaining a courteous demeanor with all customers and associates.
Maintains company vehicle, ensuring cleanliness and organization, both inside and out.
Respecting the customer’s property.
► Required knowledge, skills and abilities:
Must have a minimum of five years of verifiable plumbing experience in a residential service and maintenance operation.
Knowledge of local and national plumbing codes.
Ability to read and interpret blueprints and drawings.
Basic change order cost estimating experience.
Computer proficiency to include Microsoft Word and Excel.
Valid driver’s license and a clean driving record.
► Educational/certification requirements:
GED or High School Diploma.
Journeyman license
Preferred: Associate degree in related field.
► Environmental conditions:
Field service environment.
Exposure to smells associated with sewer and water, sounds associated with power tools.
Exposure to dust and other debris.
Extreme weather conditions.
Extended work hours to include day and/or evening shifts.
Local travel.
► Physical requirements:
Ability to work under stressful conditions and may be exposed to verbal and/or physical confrontations.
Must be able to work extended hours, nights or weekends.
Ability to stand, walk, and climb ladders and stairs.
Ability to climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, and/or crawl.
Natural or corrected vision to see and focus for close, distance, peripheral vision with normal depth perception.
Work assignments may be performed with or without reasonable accommodation to a known disability.
“If you take somebody else's job descriptions, especially if they come from out of state, there’s going to be different expectations,” Schotanus says. “Are you wanting to grow your business and structure your business, or do you want to try to make a carbon copy of that business?”
Job descriptions enable your company to set expectations, develop job training programs, evaluate performance, and build a blueprint for promotions and future career pathing, says Vanessa Gonzales, Senior Manager of Product Utilization at ServiceTitan and owner of Albuquerque Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.
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Strategize recruitment and hiring
While your plumber job description needs to be individualized to fit your company, a plumbing service technician should possess foundational skills and understand plumbing system functions. They may work as an entry-level plumber, depending on their license and experience.
Typical requirements may include:
High school diploma or GED.
A plumbing license or minimum 2-4 years of plumbing experience.
Valid driver's license and acceptable driving record.
Pass a background check and drug screening.
Excellent customer service skills.
Ability to lift, climb ladders, work in tight spaces, and proficiency with power tools.
Post comprehensive plumbing service technician job descriptions on trade job boards, national job boards such as ZipRecruiter, Indeed, LinkedIn, or social media to advertise jobs. Recruit plumbing techs by word-of-mouth, offering bonuses to your current employees for referrals that result in a new hire.
A competitive full-time plumbing service technician salary goes a long way to attract quality applicants. The 50th percentile salary for plumbers with intermediate experience (2-4 years) is $57,700, and for senior plumbers (4-6 years), it’s $60,700, according to a plumber salary database shared with ServiceTitan by Payfactors.com.
Offer competitive benefits, such as health, vision, dental and life insurance, a retirement plan with company matching funds, and paid holidays and vacation time. Extra incentives like tuition reimbursement, tool purchasing, a take-home company vehicle, or performance-based bonuses may sway job seekers in your favor.
As your company performs plumber interviews, whether for residential or commercial work, focus on your company's core values so you can hire techs who work well together as a team.
Prioritize plumbing service technician training
Plumbing service technician training allows you to train your techs on your company's processes and procedures. If you hire right, training also enables you to train techs to become future supervisors.
If you hire less-experienced techs who show aptitude and possess the right traits, they can learn on the job working alongside more experienced plumbers. Depending on your state's plumbing license requirements, they could gain the required years' experience to earn their journeyman or master plumber's license.
In-house training enables you to personalize your training based on your company values. Russell Furr, owner of Culpepper Home Services in Virginia, relies heavily on training techs to develop empathy for customer needs.
“One of the things I enjoyed the most in the field was just interacting with customers and learning what their needs were,” says Furr, in a recent ServiceTitan Toolbox for the Trades podcast. “That’s what I did—served their needs, not mine. And that’s what we always need to do.”
As your company hires and trains, strategize and think long-term about employee roles to remain flexible and dynamic as your company grows.
Streamline plumbing operations
Improve your plumbing company's efficiency by using ServiceTitan scheduling software to maximize the schedules of your plumbing service technicians. Save time by assigning the right techs to the right call, flagging specific jobs as needed, so techs arrive prepared.
Keep the lines of communication open between your dispatchers and techs in the field with ServiceTitan dispatch software, extending, shortening, or rescheduling jobs as needed. All job information, even call history and customer communication, remains in one place, keeping every team member in the loop.
Simplify payroll and customized incentive pay structures with automated payroll software to reward your top-performing techs and increase employee satisfaction. The integration with other critical software means you can easily track profitability and efficiency.
Monitor plumbing service technician performance
Field reporting software gives plumbing companies granular data on generated revenue, memberships sold, and detailed information for individual plumbing service technicians. When plumbing companies keep an eye on numbers in real time, it gives greater accountability and enables immediate improvement.
“If you want the job description to be effective and useful, then you have to hold people accountable to it,” Schotanus says.
Track the key performance indicators (KPIs) that mean the most to your plumbing company, so you can compare individual employee performance to overall company goals, improve efficiency, and drive growth.
