In June, Leland and Frank were graciously asked to be on the To the Point podcast from Ryno Strategic Solutions. Together, Leland and Frank told the story of how they grew Service Champions into the company it is today.
To the Point is a home services podcast that “gives back.” The hosts look for home service businesses that stand out and talk to people within the company about what sets them apart. What makes their company different and unique?
As we all could imagine, Leland and Frank have a lot to say about Service Champions.
The podcast begins the story of Service Champions with Leland’s humble beginnings in Kentucky. Leland got his start working on antique cars with his dad. Through these lessons, Leland learned he doesn’t have the “magic touch” for tools. However, he has the magic touch for business.
From the beginning, Leland was destined to strike out on his own. After graduating with a business degree from University of Kentucky, he moved to California. When he moved to California, Leland took up work with his uncle as a plumber.
After learning the working side of plumbing, Leland started his own company in the 90s, Allied Plumbing & Heating. Leland grew the company, sold it to a consolidator, and started to sow the seeds of Service Champions.
Leland started Service Champions in the year 2000. Every decision was deliberate, and every detail thought out. “I planned a lot, even down to the name,” said Leland. “I wanted to be the champions of service. Hence the name.”
Leland and Frank then go on to explain how and why the customer first business model of Service Champions works. “To have techs that are great, I knew I had to pay the techs better than anyone else in the industry,” said Leland. “If you pay your techs really well you can make it a point to take care of customers. Even to this day, we want them to take care of the customer better than anyone else and a little bit more.”
When it comes to the success of Service Champions, Leland and Frank break down the “secret sauce.” To put it simply, the secret sauce is just doing things the right way, which allows a company to succeed where many others don’t, because it’s just easier not to do things the right way.
To elaborate, it’s putting the customer first. As well as training our technicians, CSRs, dispatchers, and anyone else under the Service Champions umbrella to not cut corners and take the as much time as needed to go the extra mile.
That extra mile is what people associate with Service Champions. From superior customer service to Good Deeds For Free, Service Champions ensures a wonderful customer relationship for years to come.
And just like everything else, a big key to success is to always be curious and open to learning. As Leland says, “When you open up a business you’ve got to start learning. And to this day, I’m still learning.”
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