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A schedule changes and one of your techs is already three stops in. You call. It goes to voicemail, because they're at a pool with wet hands. You text, and nothing comes back. Twenty minutes later they call you, and by then you've reshuffled the day around them anyway.Now with tech alerts, you have somewhere to put that message. It goes straight to your tech's phone as a push notification, even when the Skimmer app is closed. You don't have to interrupt them, and you don't have to wait for a callback. The message is on their lock screen, and it's still in the app when they get to it.WATCH VIDEO How it worksLook for the paper plane icon in your top navigation and choose “Send tech alert” Pick who needs it: one person, a few people, or everyone in a role. “Add users by role” grabs all your route techs at once  Type your message, up to 500 characters. The title fills in with your name, and you can change it Send it. The alert lands on their phone right awayNOTE: If a tech misses it or swi

Working Capital through Stripe is our new financing program designed specifically for Skimmer pool pros! We’re excited to provide this new opportunity for you to invest in your business and long-term growth. It gives you fast, simple access to funding when you need it most—whether that’s upgrading gear or equipment, hiring help, or just getting through the slower months. Working Capital through Stripe, the same company you trust for your payment processing, makes it easier for you to secure flexible, on-demand financing.  The application only takes a few clicks and is based on factors like your payment volume and history through Skimmer. If you’re approved, you can receive funds in as little as one to two business days.  For more information, check out our Help Center article 👉 [HERE]  Stripe Capital offers financing types that include loans and merchant cash advances. All financing applications are subject to review prior to approval. In the US, Stripe Capital loans are issued by Cel

Not every integration actually saves you time. The right ones can eliminate duplicate work, reduce manual errors, and help your day-to-day operations run smoothly. We put together a guide highlighting what makes an integration valuable, what to look for when choosing one, and the questions to ask before adding another tool to your tech stack. Read the full article here: https://www.getskimmer.com/blog/pool-pros-guide-to-software-integrationsWhat integrations have made the biggest difference in your business? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. 

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 —

Google is retiring the standalone Local Services Ads dashboard. Starting with a phased rollout in early August 2026, LSA campaigns will move into the main Google Ads interface as a new campaign type Google calls Performance Max for pay-per-lead goals, with the migration continuing in waves through 2027. Google announced the change in its Ads documentation, and Search Engine Land covered the rollout details on July 20.For pool companies, this lands close to home. The first migration wave covers a small group of US advertisers in pet care, home services, wellness, and education, and pool service sits squarely inside the home services bucket. Whether your account moves in August or next spring, you will get advance notice from Google, and there is one thing you need to do before that notice arrives. We will get to it in a moment, because it is the only part of this change with a real deadline. Quick AnswerLocal Services Ads are not changing how they work. They are changing where you manag

 On July 23, 2026, Axios reported (Source) that Yelp signed a licensing agreement with OpenAI. Yelp’s reviews, ratings, photos, and business details now feed directly into ChatGPT’s answers, and Yelp’s Request a Quote feature is coming to the chatbot so users can ask a local service provider for pricing without ever leaving the conversation.If you run a pool service company, this is the most consequential change to pool service marketing since Google rolled out the Local Pack. A homeowner who used to type “pool cleaning near me” into Google and scan three map results can now ask ChatGPT “who should I hire to service my pool in Chandler” and get a shortlist, complete with star ratings, photos, and a quote request button.You are either on that shortlist or you are invisible. What Yelp and OpenAI Actually Agreed ToThe deal is a content licensing arrangement. Yelp supplies the local business layer, OpenAI decides how it appears inside ChatGPT, and Yelp branding travels with the content. Fi

July was very busy here at Skimmer HQ. These updates are about giving you more control with less manual work: order supplies without leaving Skimmer, get straight answers from AI Insights, move quote items to work orders without retyping them, and clear out alerts and issues in bulk instead of one at a time. Here's everything that shipped in July. Heritage ordering You can now order supplies directly from Heritage without leaving Skimmer, and link those orders to customers, quotes, and work orders. We also added a couple of safeguards: removing a line item from an order now asks you to confirm first, and leaving an order page with unsaved changes gives you a warning instead of silently losing your work. Want to see order history at a glance? There's now a procurement report, linked right from the reports page.Learn more:   AI Insights  AI Insights is officially out of early access and available to everyone. Ask it a question about your business in plain language, like how many stops go

What is your pool service business actually worth?It's not just your revenue, and it's not a number you can guess. So how do buyers decide?We sat down with Kris Wiig, CEO of Weld Valuations, to break down how pool service businesses actually get valued, and the moves that can add real money to your eventual exit, at any size. Exit planning isn't about selling tomorrow. It's about understanding what you've built and giving yourself options, whether you sell in a year, hand the business to your kids, or just want the freedom to step away for a month. Most owners assume revenue sets the price. It doesn't. As Kris put it, "just looking at your annual revenue, your EBITDA, in and of itself is not going to tell you how much your business is worth." Plus, get your free business value assessment from Weld Valuations. Find out what your business is worth and the factors driving your value.  Watch the replay 👇  What you'll learn about how buyers value your business 👇 What your business is real

We rebuilt the first thing you see when you log in. Instead of jumping between screens to find what needs attention, Skimmer Home gives you one view of your day, your routes, and your business.Why it mattersMost mornings start with the same questions: What's overdue? Who's running behind? How's the business doing? Home answers all three in one place, so you can act before the day gets away from you.What you getNeeds your attention - Your morning gut check. It surfaces what's most likely to need action today: overdue invoices, failed payments, skipped stops, unscheduled work orders, quotes awaiting approval, new leads, and more. Each card shows a count or dollar amount and links straight to the list. Cards only show when there's something to act on, so an empty section means you're on track. Today's operations - A real-time look at how routes are progressing. See team totals for the day, plus each technician's start time with an on-time or late flag, stop count, estimated finish, and a