Welcome to Today’s Segment of “People Can’t Read”…

WARNING: This is a long post (7-minute read) about people who don’t read. We recognize the irony. Those who need it most have probably already stopped reading. LOL.

Every once in a while, something happens that reminds me why I occasionally write these little educational masterpieces.

Yesterday was one of those days.

Before anyone gets offended, understand that we’re having a little fun here. We appreciate our customers, and most of them are wonderful people. But after more than 30 years in the service business, I’ve learned that providing instructions and getting people to actually read them are two entirely different accomplishments.

The Teacher, the Book Report, and the Failing Grade

Imagine a teacher handing students a comprehensive outline for a book report.

Everything they need is right there: the instructions, requirements, deadlines, and expectations.

One student doesn’t bother reading the outline, turns in the assignment incorrectly, and then complains when they get a failing grade.

Now, welcome to the wonderful world of running a service business!

We provide detailed terms of service, a regularly updated scheduling calendar, and a blog explaining how our sprinkler blowout season operates. Customers must acknowledge our terms before submitting their signup forms.

Seems straightforward, doesn’t it?

Apparently, we’ve underestimated the complexity of the checkbox.

The Checkbox Isn’t There for Decoration!

Yesterday, a property owner who had already signed up several properties for our sprinkler blowout service contacted me to ask about scheduling. He wanted to know when we would be coming so he could notify his tenants a few days in advance.

That’s a reasonable concern for someone managing a rental property.

The problem is that our sign-up form and terms of service already explain how our scheduling works, including the fact that we provide notification the evening before service rather than several days in advance.

So I explained our procedures to him again.

Only after that explanation did he tell me our scheduling procedures wouldn’t work for his rental property because of tenants, dogs, locked gates, and access considerations.

Now, I completely understand that rental properties can present additional challenges. We service rental properties regularly.

But here’s the million-dollar question:

If our scheduling procedures weren’t going to work for your property, why agree to them and sign up in the first place?

That’s why we provide our terms before customers submit requests and require them to acknowledge them.

The property owner ultimately canceled the requests, which is perfectly fine. We’d much rather someone cancel than have our technician arrive at a property where access hasn’t been arranged.

But the entire exchange could have been avoided with a couple of minutes of reading.

Now, I’m not suggesting everyone needs to study our terms like they’re preparing for the bar exam. There won’t be a pop quiz, and we don’t require a book report.

We’d appreciate it if everyone read the instructions before announcing they won’t work. LOL.

Why Can’t You Just Give Me an Appointment?

We coordinate thousands of sprinkler blowouts throughout the Treasure Valley during a relatively short season.

Scheduling individual appointments for every property would make that volume of work nearly impossible to complete.

Instead, we organize our technicians geographically, grouping nearby properties to minimize driving and maximize the number of systems we can winterize each day.

Think about it. If we scheduled one customer at 9:00 in Meridian, another at 10:30 in Eagle, and another at noon in Kuna, we’d spend more time driving than working.

And then someone would wonder why we weren’t finished before winter. My grandchildren would have grandchildren before we finished the season.

Our scheduling calendar shows which areas we’re planning to service, but it isn’t a list of guaranteed individual appointments.

That brings us to another frequently misunderstood part of our operation.

Why Do We Wait Until the Night Before to Create Our Routes?

Because customers sign up and cancel every single day.

Imagine we create Tuesday’s route on Sunday.

On Monday, three customers on that route cancel. Meanwhile, another customer signs up who lives three doors down from one of our scheduled stops.

Now our route includes three properties we shouldn’t visit and misses one we could have serviced while we were already in the neighborhood.

Not exactly a brilliant use of time or fuel, is it?

That’s why we wait until the evening before service.

We process the latest signups and cancellations, review the area’s properties, and build each technician’s route using the most current information available.

Our calendar tells you when we plan to be in your area. Your night-before notification tells you when you’re actually scheduled.

Waiting until the night before isn’t procrastination. It’s deliberate planning.

After all, we’d rather include your house while we’re already three doors away than discover your signup after we’ve driven across town.

Welcome to Our Communications Center!

While our technicians winterize sprinkler systems, an entirely different operation takes place behind the scenes.

Text messages. Emails. Cancellations. New signups. Customer questions. Payment issues. Route adjustments.

And then more text messages.

At times, our messaging screen resembles a communications center that would make an air traffic controller ask for a coffee break.

Here’s the remarkable part.

I’d estimate that approximately 75% of the questions we receive have already been answered on our website, in our terms of service, on our scheduling calendar, or in our blog.

And we’re not talking about a blog nobody reads.

We’re still getting approximately 10,000 readers a month!

Yet yesterday, I encountered a longtime customer who didn’t even realize we had a blog.

At this point, I’m beginning to think our next advertising project needs to be a billboard visible from space.

Of course, someone would probably text us to ask what the billboard says.

The Hidden Cost of Not Reading

Here’s where the humor meets reality.

Every unnecessary phone call, email, or text message takes time that could be spent helping customers with genuine problems. This is why we don’t take calls during busy seasons.

And when a technician arrives at a locked gate or encounters an unsecured dog, the consequences go beyond answering another question.

That delay can affect every customer still waiting along the route.

Multiply these interruptions across thousands of service requests, and the wasted time becomes substantial.

We don’t expect anyone to memorize our website. We simply ask customers to read the information relevant to the service they’re requesting and make the necessary arrangements before our technicians arrive.

That’s why we provide those instructions.

Back to the Classroom…

Remember that student who didn’t read the book report instructions?

There’s an important difference between school and the real world.

In school, failing to read the instructions can cost you a grade. In the real world, it can cost you money. The difference is that we’re not running a classroom, and our technicians aren’t being paid to teach reading comprehension.

And yes, sometimes failing to follow the agreed-upon service requirements results in an invoice.

Unlike a teacher, we can’t simply write a big red F at the top of your signup form.

Although, after some of the conversations we’ve had this season, I admit the thought has crossed my mind. LOL.

So here’s today’s friendly reminder:

Read the terms. Check the calendar. Visit the blog. And please, make sure your property is ready when our technicians arrive.

We genuinely appreciate your business, and we’re doing everything we can to get everyone taken care of before winter.

Until the next installment of People Can’t Read…

Remember: The checkbox isn’t there for decoration!

And if you’re wondering where to find our blog…

Well, you’re reading it.

Today’s Routes

Eddie — Boise 83713 with Leroy

North Lena Avenue
West Rader Drive
West Violet Court
Fiddler Drive
West Engelmann Drive
West Bluebell Drive
West Bellflower Drive
North Sparkford Way
North Bennington Way
North Heathrow Way
North Rosepoint Place
North Forbes Avenue
West Rochester Drive
West Meadowdale Drive
West Paint Street
North Wellspring Avenue
West Satinleaf Drive

Jesse — Boise 83716 with Orange Julius (OJ)

East Grand Prairie Drive
East Mill Station Drive
East Trekker Rim Drive
South Morning Light Place
South Epsilon Avenue
South Silverwood Place
East Oakridge Street
South Trailridge Avenue
East Pineridge Drive
East Oakridge Drive
East Aubrietta Court
South Nasturtium Place
South Fuchsia Place