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 Managing leads has always been one of those things that falls through the cracks when you're running a busy service business. A prospect calls while you're on a route, leaves a voicemail, and by the time you get back to them, they've already moved on. Or they fill out a contact form on your website and the details end up in an email inbox nobody checks until Friday.We wanted to fix that. So we built a public lead form that lives directly on your Customer Portal. What's includedA branded form hosted on your Customer Portal URL, with your company logo Captures name, email, phone, address, and an optional message Uses your customized lead sources so you can track where new business is coming from Creates a lead record in Skimmer automatically when submitted Sends you an instant email notification with the prospect's details and a link to their record If the prospect is already a customer, their message gets added to their existing record instead of creating a duplicate Built-in spam prot

May's releases are focused on the field — giving techs better tools to document what they find, communicate it clearly, and keep the back office informed in real time. Alongside that, two significant invoicing updates give pool service businesses more control over how they bill. Here's what's new: Mobile 12.13:  A significant mobile update shipped this month with several improvements worth knowing about.Video attachments on quotes — Techs can now record and attach up to two videos directly from the mobile app when building a quote. Equipment noise, leaks, water flow issues — anything that's easier to show than describe. Videos are compressed on the device before uploading and queue automatically when a connection becomes available.Note: video recordings include audio, so techs should be mindful of what's captured.Confirmation before deleting media — A confirmation prompt now appears before a photo or video is permanently deleted from a quote. Date and time stamp on all service photos —

We just shipped three updates to invoicing that work together to give you a clearer picture of where your money is actually coming from and more control over how and when your customers get billed. Service types You can now label the type of work each customer receives — full service, chems only, gold package, whatever your tiers look like and tie those labels directly to how revenue is categorized in your reporting and QBO sync.Before this, everything landed in one bucket. If you run multiple service tiers across a few routes, there was no clean way to see which service type was driving revenue at the end of the month. Now you can — without touching a spreadsheet. Invoice categories We’ve added custom invoice categories,  so your billing reflects how your business actually reports on income. Instead of everything collapsing into a generic "pool service" or "repairs" line, you can break income down into the categories that matter to you — residential repairs, commercial repairs, differ

Mobile 12.13 is live, and the headline feature is one we've heard from you for a while: you can now record and attach a video directly to a quote from the Skimmer app. Record video from quotes Sometimes a photo doesn't cut it. A gurgling pump, a slow leak, equipment that only acts up when it's running — these are the moments where video does the work. Now your techs can capture up to two videos per quote, right from the app. Videos compress on the device before uploading and queue automatically if they're offline and attached videos show up as downloadable files on web.A quick heads up: video records audio too. Great for capturing pump sounds, but worth keeping in mind if there's side conversation happening at the job site. What else is new in 12.13Photos taken in the app now have a date and time stamp printed directly on them — including photos taken offline. It appears in the bottom-right corner wherever the photo is displayed.Photos and videos now open directly in the browser instea

Checklists in Skimmer help ensure service work is done at the right time—whether that’s checking chlorine levels, vacuuming, or filter cleaning. You can make checklist items required, ask for photo evidence, and build them into your routine so nothing gets missed.With the new update** to checklists, Skimmer makes it easier to manage checklist items that do not need to happen at every visit and do not need to be billed for separately, like backwashing, line vac service, or regular filter cleans that are included with service.**This feature enhancement is included in the Scaling Up and Owning The Market tiersHow it worksFor admins:Go to your customer’s profile -> pool -> service checklist -> add Set a custom schedule for that checklist item—like monthly, quarterly, or whatever frequency fits your workflow.  Choose a start date for when the schedule should begin You still get all the accountability tools you’re used to—like mandatory checklist items and photo requirements  For te

In this first video of the AI series, I walk through how I’d set up Claude from scratch for a pool business and use it as a real operational tool, not just a novelty.I show how to start with a simple interview-style prompt so Claude can learn your business, services, tools, and workflow. From there, you can begin using it for things like upsell scripts, missed call and voicemail text replies, review responses, weekly Google Business Profile posts, and even winter revenue ideas.The bigger goal is to train AI to understand your business well enough to help save time, tighten operations, and support growth.I also touch on why it matters to feed Claude more context over time, including your writing style, customer communication patterns, and even real text or email examples so it can sound more like you.If you’re a pool pro who wants to start using AI in a practical way, this is a great place to begin. Create a free account at https://claude.ai. Watch the full video for the exact framework

What does it really take to run a tight operation when you're at full capacity? We sat down with Sarah Hoopes, Director of Operations at AE Pool Services, and a 10-year pool industry veteran who helped grow one company from 300 pools to 700+,  to talk through the real-world systems and habits that keep businesses running smoothly when things get crazy. Sarah has spent a decade in the pool industry, including 7 years helping grow a company from 300 pools and 9 employees to 700+ pools and 23 employees, and has held just about every role in a pool service business. The big idea she kept coming back to: efficiency isn't about working harder. It's about building systems that work for you — in the field, in the office, and with your team — so that growth doesn't just mean more chaos. Watch replay👇   We covered:Know your numbers — building a break-even model, understanding your true cost of service, and why cash flow (not P&L profit) is what actually keeps the lights on Price your servic

We launched The Pool Deck for pool pros to connect, share, and help each other build stronger businesses. Together, we have grown this community into something genuinely powerful, and we are celebrating our 2nd birthday the way we know best: by bringing our members together in person 🎉 That's right, we are giving away two all-expenses-paid trips to the Skimmer Pro Summit in San Antonio, TX, on October 16 and 17, 2026 🤠 The Pro Summit is the annual gathering for Skimmer customers where everything that makes this community great gets amplified!! Two full days of world-class education, hands-on Skimmer training, and real conversations with pool pros from across the country who are building businesses just like yours. Past attendees have told us that connecting directly with other pool pros and the Skimmer team has been instrumental to their success. That energy is real, and we want you to experience it!!The prize pack includes:One free pass to the Skimmer Pro Summit  Round-trip economy

Our friends at Primate Pool Tools have a special offer for Skimmer customers! Primate Pool Tools makes professional-grade carbon fiber pool poles and extensions designed to make pool cleaning easier, safer, and more efficient. These adjustable poles connect to common pool tools like skimmer nets, brushes, vacuums, and leaf rakes — giving pool pros better reach, durability, and control on every job. Plus, amazing service and warranty!  Use promo code GETSKIMMER to get $15 off every Primate Pool Tools pole or extension you purchase on their website. Learn more about the benefits of Primate poles in our Between Two Stops episode with Joe Sr. and Joe Jr. here. Have questions about Primate? Ask ​@PrimateJr  below!  

AI is rapidly changing how homeowners search for pool service companies — and the businesses adapting fastest are gaining a serious advantage.In this episode, I sit down with Jonathan Johnson and Ed Shahbazyan of Pool Profits (AKA ​@PoolProfits1) to talk about the future of pool service marketing, including SEO, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), AI-powered search, customer acquisition costs, and what pool pros need to do now to stay competitive online.They break down:✅ How AI tools like ChatGPT are changing customer search behavior✅ Why traditional SEO alone is no longer enough✅ The future of AI-driven booking and pricing searches✅ How to structure your website to generate more leads✅ Real marketing budgets and customer acquisition costs✅ Why answering the phone quickly still matters✅ Common mistakes pool companies make with marketing✅ How to think about ROI, CAC, and long-term growthWhether you're an owner-operator or scaling a large route business, this episode is packed with pra

Busy season is here, and we know keeping your team going strong through it is one of the hardest parts of running a pool service business.Our team dug into the research and put together a post on what actually causes burnout, and more importantly, what you can do about it before peak season peaks.  👉 Read here 👈 What's your go-to for keeping your team (or yourself) from burning out during the busy months? Drop it below 👇

The pool companies that come out of the busy season ahead aren’t always the biggest. They’re the most organized. Join us for a free live webinar featuring Sarah Hoopes, Director of Operations at AE Pool Services, who will share the operational systems she uses to run a 725-pool, 23-employee operation efficiently under pressure. From go-back reduction and route optimization to cross-training and daily communication, this session is built for pool pros who want real answers about:Operational changes that save time at every stop Go-back reduction through training and inventory management Route optimization for efficiency and profitability Cross-training technicians to build resilient teams Communication and time management workflows for busy seasonLive Q&A included. Recording sent to all registrants.👉 Register now! About our guest:‍Sarah Hoopes is the Director of Operations at AE Pool Services, bringing 10 years of industry experience — including hands-on leadership of a company that

If you buy from Heritage Pool Supply, you now have a simpler way to keep product costs and details up to date in Skimmer.With the new Heritage Product Integration, you can connect your Heritage account to Skimmer and automatically sync key product information for the items you buy most. Instead of manually checking prices or updating costs when Heritage makes changes, Skimmer handles it for you.NOTE: You'll need a Heritage Pool+ account to use this integration.  Want to see it in action? Watch the walk-through video below.  Here's what it means for your business:Your most frequently purchased Heritage products can be pulled directly into your Skimmer catalog Product names, descriptions, and costs sync nightly(11:59 pm) from your selected Heritage home branch When costs change, Skimmer updates them so your pricing stays accurate automatically You choose which products stay linked and which ones you manage manually This launch focuses on keeping product information accurate and cutting d

Did you know that several members of the Skimmer team come directly from the Pool & Spa service industry?Not only have we built an amazing team with software know-how, but we have also built a team with real industry expertise.​@AriaNovak is one of those people, and we’re proud to share her latest article for the Northeast Spa and Pool Association Edge Magazine, which is a great example of her knowledge in action.In her article, “Stop the Scramble, Build the Structure,” on pages 16 & 17, Aria breaks down what it actually takes to run a pool service company that doesn’t fall apart under pressure, from operational structure to building scalable systems that support long-term growth!Share your thoughts in the comments, and feel free to ​@AriaNovak any questions👇