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Industry news, training & life on the road

Industry news, training & life on the road

Get started in the community! Check out the latest industry news & training, plus share your stories from the road.

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JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

published in Life on the road

Say hello & share how you got into the pool service business

Hello and a warm welcome to The Pool Deck 🤗 My name is Justine, and I am your go-to for all things community 🙌 I am super pumped to get to know more members and see the co-creation, sharing of knowledge, and learning from one another take root across all our forums, groups, and events!This Life on the road forum is about getting to know each other better and sharing stories from our day. Plus, we’ll have some contests and other posts to make you smile 😀I started building communities working in the beer business and knew I had found my calling. I love bringing together people and watching the magic unfold—whether it’s new ideas, learning, or even just a bit of fun and laughter to brighten each others’ day! I have worked in software for a while now, and when @Travis told me about Skimmer’s mission, and I learned more about the pool service industry, it was an easy YES to join this team!Meeting with Skimmer customers over the past few months has only reinforced my decision -- we have

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2 months ago

jacknelsonatxTeam Skimmer

published in News, trends & training

Greetings from Jack, Skimmer's CEO

Hello everyone, Welcome to The Pool Deck! At Skimmer, our purpose is to empower pool and spa service professionals with a platform to build great l businesses. We began fulfilling this purpose by developing an all-in-one pool service management platform to simplify running your business, and from the feedback we've received, it seems to be working well. As we continue to grow, we've heard from our customers that they would like more opportunities to learn and collaborate with other Skimmer users and our team of experts. So, we started working on creating a community space where everyone can come together to share experiences and knowledge. We understand the importance of having a safe space to ask questions to learn together. But our purpose for The Pool Deck community goes beyond becoming a Skimmer super user. We have partnered with professionals to contribute in areas essential for helping you grow your business and achieve your goals. These experts will cover marketing, finance

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7 months ago

JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

published in News, trends & training

📢 Let’s talk: The State of Pool Service report is here!

Hey, Pool Deck! We’re excited about the launch of our second annual State of Pool Service Report, a deep dive into the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping our industry. This report wouldn’t exist without your input (so thank you!), and it highlights the hard work and resilience of pool pros like you. Here are some key takeaways from this year’s report:Economic pressures like inflation and labor shortages were the top challenges in 2024 and will continue into 2025. Many of you are optimistic about 2025 and plan to use strategic price increases to offset rising costs. Pool pros are getting more sophisticated with growth strategies, from diversifying services to adopting new technology. The rise of private equity in the industry is stirring mixed feelings. Marketing has evolved—fewer lead buys, more customer engagement. Despite price volatility, the plus chems pricing model hasn’t gained widespread adoption. Get your copy of the report today! We’d love to hear your thought

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17 hours ago

alexTeam Skimmer

published in News, trends & training

Skimmer Makes it Easy to Launch Your Own Customer PortalNews

Skimmer continues to invest in new tools designed to help our customers grow their businesses and, in turn, deliver an exceptional experience for their customers. With this goal as our north star, we are thrilled to announce the release of our latest tool, the Customer Portal. This turn-key white label feature can be easily enabled in the platform and branded with each company’s logo to enhance its brand presence and professional offering. The Customer Portal lets you share service history details to reduce time-consuming customer calls. When paired with Skimmer Billing, the Customer Portal opens up access to additional features like invoices, payment history, and, most importantly, payment methods. It is a perfect way to encourage your customers to enable Autopay to ensure they get paid on time and spend less time chasing outstanding invoices. The best part is that this new feature is included in your Skimmer subscription—that’s right, there is no additional charge to launch it to yo

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7 days ago

JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

published in News, trends & training

A Day of Learning and Networking at Skimmer’s First-Ever Pro Summit

Earlier this week, we hosted our first-ever Skimmer Pro Summit—Austin edition. Star Hill Ranch was the perfect venue to bring together our Central Texas community of company leaders and their Skimmer admins for a full day of professional development, networking, and fun. We were so energized by the opportunity to spend that much face time with our customers and connect them with other pool entrepreneurs to share best practices and inspire them with new ideas for growing their business, finding efficiencies, and maximizing Skimmer's value.Heritage Pool Supply Group was our exclusive event sponsor, plus we had a number of contributing partners who generously donated product samples to help us create an awesome Pro Summit package in addition to some cool Skimmer swag for all of our attendees: Sensafe’s Swim Check Fix phosphate tablets PoolRx’s bacteria and algae prevention units BluerayXL’s Mineral Purifier & Catalyst units Jack’s Magic Stain Identification Kits Portable power banks

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12 days ago

TravisTeam Skimmer

published in News, trends & training

A pool on the moon

How much would you charge to service it? 🤣 https://www.poolmagazine.com/pool-news/what-if-we-built-a-swimming-pool-on-the-moon/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1yHSygYxKm1TtjWPmpM2Vz1O-90sysj037TZByv4sSpfbBv5bAdmufbk0_aem_WibGSEGuyGUyK5fTer3HLg

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18 days ago

code3pools_opsConversation Starter

asked in Life on the road

Grand Pools

Our area is starting to have more lavish pool designs and I was wondering what are some tips and best practices to keep them clean - especially when you cannot reach all sides. The picture below is of a pool we were recently asked to quote for cleaning services.Is it normal to get in the pool to clean it - walk on the lounge shelf? Main Pool 7’ Deep EndOverflow 15 people Spa Equipment

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18 days ago

JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

published in News, trends & training

Warm Wishes From The Pool Deck

We want to take a moment to celebrate you—our incredible customers and community members! Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence inspire us every day. From long days in the field to growing your businesses and serving your customers, your success is what drives everything we do in The Pool Deck and at Skimmer. We sincerely appreciate all your contributions to making our online community a warm and welcoming space where people can learn from one another and find answers and ideas to achieve their goals.In the coming months, we look forward to offering more webinars, workshops, and content to expand the value with every visit to The Pool Deck.While our community team will take some time off during the holidays, The Pool Deck remains open. Feel free to visit if you need to connect, find answers, or share something interesting with our members.See you in 2025!

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1 month ago

code3pools_opsConversation Starter

posted in Life on the road

Cool Weather in Warm Areas

With winter approaching, we know some areas, like Florida, do not face the freezing tempuratures like others.What’s your winter pool game plan? ⛄Are you keeping it operational, lowering the water level, or covering it up? If you’re winterizing, what tips or tricks work best for you in our warmer climate? Do you advise customers to run the pumps during the “freeze” nights?Drop your thoughts or plans. Let’s share ideas and help everyone get ready for the season ahead!Oh, and how many of you had tire pressure alerts this morning? HAHA

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1 month ago

Chlorine KingSkimmer Verified Partner

asked in Life on the road

What do you lose out of your truck the most when in transit?

For me, it’s the dang Taylor test kits. I’ve launched mine like 100 times. I keep mine in the back of my riptide. I’ll be just driving along not paying attention to this camouflaged speed bumps… hit one and launch my kit all over the road. My buddy in this video was driving me to drop off one of my trucks to be wrapped and we got to launch his too ;) I’m curious to what you guys lose out of your trucks. Is it random stuff or something that seems to be consistent?

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1 month ago

JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

published in News, trends & training

Now Available: Skimmer Mobile App Tutorials in Spanish

We're excited to announce the launch of our Spanish video tutorials in The Pool Deck's Help Center. These tutorials will help you onboard new technicians and get them started using the Skimmer mobile app. We encourage you to share the link below with your Spanish-speaking team members; they do not need to be members of The Pool Deck to access this training content. ACCESS SPANISH TUTORIALS In addition to training new team members, you can share these videos on using key features with your existing team as a quick refresher. 💡The Pool Deck Community Tip: The Help Center also has training resources for onboarding English-speaking technicians. Click here to access and share this link with your team. Please let us know if you have any questions or requests for other resources. We are committed to ensuring your team has the proper training tools to master using the Skimmer mobile app.

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1 month ago

JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

published in News, trends & training

A Milestone Moment We Want to Celebrate With You

Skimmer has officially surpassed 30,000 users! We're incredibly proud to be the #1 pool service software platform, but this milestone belongs to you—our amazing customers and partners. Your dedication to growing and transforming the pool service industry fuels us daily, and we’re honored to be part of your journey. Thank you for trusting Skimmer to get organized, save time, and grow revenue. Here’s to many more milestones together!

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2 months ago

JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

published in News, trends & training

Time is running out to have your say in the 2025 State of Pool Service Report

Hey Pool Deck, The clock is ticking on the 2025 State of Pool Service survey. It only takes 10 minutes to fill out, and it’s a great opportunity for you to have your input included in one of the most comprehensive industry reports in the pool service industry. Complete the survey now. Hundreds of pool pros have already shared their thoughts, and we’re seeing some interesting trends emerge in the responses.So far, 59% have said that they’re forecasting to bring in more revenue in 2024 than they did in 2023. Additionally, the vast majority (85%!) of respondents are expecting to continue that trend and bring in more revenue in 2025 than in 2024. 53% of respondents have said that their 2024 growth was due to finding internal efficiencies. This beat out more aggressive growth tactics like expanding into new lines of business and acquiring routes. Growing top-line revenue is the biggest business goal for pros in 2025, with 52% of respondents stating this as their primary business goal. Does

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2 months ago

JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

published in News, trends & training

Virtual 3-day PHTA CST training course

If you or your team are looking for a Certified Service Technician Class, you can register for Kevin Tucker’s upcoming three-day virtual training on November 25, December 2, and 9. Visit his website for more information and to register: Educational Leverage

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2 months ago

JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

posted in Life on the road

Live from Dallas!

If you’re at the International Pool Spa Patio Expo come and visit the Skimmer team at booth 1600!We are having a fabulous day meeting with customers…plus we have some cool swag if you stop by to say 👋

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2 months ago

JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

published in News, trends & training

Exciting News: Skimmer is Growing to Serve You Better!

We’ve got some incredible news to share with you! Skimmer has raised $74 million in growth capital from Mainsail Partners, an investment firm that specializes in helping fast-growing companies like ours scale. This partnership means BIG things for the future of Skimmer and for pool pros like you!You already trust us to help you organize, manage, and grow your business, and with this new investment, we’re doubling down on our commitment to making your life even easier. Here’s what you can look forward to:🚀 Improved product & performanceWe’ll be investing heavily in enhancing Skimmer’s product, including making exciting updates to our customer management, reporting, and enterprise-grade features. That means more tools to help you grow your revenue, save time, and keep everything running smoothly.💡 Continuous innovationWe’re always striving to innovate and deliver new features that make a real difference in your day-to-day operations. This investment allows us to bring these innovat

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2 months ago

JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

published in News, trends & training

The 2025 State of Pool Service survey is now open!

Hey, Pool Deck — Skimmer is preparing our 2025 State of Pool Service report, and we need your input! Fill out the anonymous survey linked below and let us know what challenges and opportunities you expect in 2025.Last year’s report drew on input from pool professionals nationwide with 1600+ survey respondents, and market research.This year, we hope to top that with even more relevant insights into the pool service landscape to help you crush your goals in 2025. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE SURVEY Plus, after completing the survey, you’ll automatically be entered for a chance to win one of 4 awesome prizes:1st prize: Riptide SL vacuum valued at $2000 2nd prize: $500 in Heritage Pool Supply Group credit 3rd prize: Primate Pole 3X valued at $300 4th prize: A Skimmer swag pack The survey closes on November 15th.Also, if you still haven’t checked out the 2024 report, CLICK HERE to access all these insights and more:Pricing Data: Uncover the latest trends and benchmarks and pricing strategies.

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3 months ago

FlaviaSwimsTeam Skimmer

posted in News, trends & training

Milton Making Landfall

*** Post UPDATED ***Hello! I’d like to throw out there that the Small Business Administration offers disaster loans. You can see if you’re eligible here.They do require documentation. The typical documentation required to prove disaster-related damage or economic injury includes: insurance claims, photos, repair estimates, financial statements, tax returns, and other related documentation.For physical damage, it's important to document the direct impact on your property or equipment, while for economic injury (EIDL), demonstrating a decline in revenue and cash flow is key. Providing detailed, accurate, and timely information will help expedite your application and ensure that you receive the assistance you need.Naturally, it’s a little challenging for a service business to prove significant change in the business, but here are a few ideas to consider:If you took regular Skimmer service pictures on your pool and spa service route, utilize those as “before” pictures. Document the “after”

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3 months ago

FlaviaSwimsTeam Skimmer

posted in News, trends & training

Attributes of Routes Sold on Skimmer!

Thinking about buying or selling routes? Here are a handful of datapoints from the Skimmer universe on routes sold since June:Texas leads the way in routes sold, followed by Florida and Arizona.Monthly service size ranges from only a few service stops to 500+.2/3 of routes sold have Service Emails enabled. 50% of routes sold were enabled with Skimmer Billing.84% of all business volume was paid via online card/bank. That’s what we’ve got for now! What else are you interested in knowing about routes bought and sold on Skimmer? Let me know in the comments.

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3 months ago

JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

published in Life on the road

Memes That Scream Summer 2024: Submit yours now for a chance to WIN!

Summer 2024 was BUSY, and hopefully, you’re getting a chance to catch your breath and have some fun! We want to celebrate everyone’s efforts to maximize their customers’ backyard fun time with sparkling clean pools by giving away prize packs of our NEW Pool Deck swag! For a chance to win:Add the meme that best captures your summer 2024 mood to the thread below👇 Give a 👍👍👍 to the memes from other members that make you 🤣😅😍 The deadline to enter is Friday, October 4, 2024 A draw for 3 swag packs will be held from all contest entries, and winners will be notified Swag packs will include a t-shirt, buff, and water bottleWe can’t wait to see how your life on the road has been this summer 🚙☀️ PS - A HUGE thank you to @peopleops for modeling our NEW collection 😎

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3 months ago

code3pools_opsConversation Starter

asked in News, trends & training

Flooded Pools

This is our first time dealing with plodded pools after a storm. What are your best tips and recommended steps to effectively clean up flooded pools and ensure they are safe for swimming?

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3 months ago

nikiacostaTeam Skimmer

posted in News, trends & training

Preparing for US port strikes and possible supply chain disruptions

I spoke with an exec at a major distributor today, and he expressed that his executive team has been discussing the potential impact of a potential strike and closures of east coast and gulf region ports. As we saw with Covid, port closures and supply chain disruptions can have a direct impact on pricing and availability of chemicals, equipment, and parts. It is premature to speculate on the potential impact of the strike, but keep an eye on your chem and equipment prices and adjust your rates accordingly!Here are some suggestions to prepare for the potential impact: Consider stocking up on equipment and supplies you know you’re going to need. If you have outstanding quotes that your customers have not approved, give them a nudge to approve the quote. Let them know that pricing and availability may be uncertain. Prepare to increase prices in the event chem and equipment prices increase, especially if you include chems as part of your service pricing. Check out the Skimmer Price Incre

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3 months ago

JustineThe Pool Deck Community Team

published in News, trends & training

Winterization tips to help your customers get ready to RULE THE POOL next spring

As pool season comes to a close for those of us in the north, I am sharing Pentair’s recent post on how to guide your customers through winterization and turn them into repeat customers this spring.READ ARTICLE

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3 months ago

nikiacostaTeam Skimmer

asked in News, trends & training

Salt shortages?

I’ve seen several posts in fb groups posting about salt shortages, and it looks like some folks are making a run on salt. Is this happening in your market?

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3 months ago

nikiacostaTeam Skimmer

posted in Life on the road

Pool Spa Patio Expo Dallas 2024 - Last day for early bird registration!

The conference portion runs from November 9th -14th, and the expo hall will be open November 12th - 14th.Attend the expo portion FREE! Use Skimmer’s VIP code, 119736 when you register for yourself or your team members! And if you decide to attend, come find us in Booth #1600, right up front. We’ll be co-located with our friends from Primate Pool Tools and BluerayXL! Last Chance: PSP/Deck Expo Early Bird Rates End Tonight! Unlock the Best Rates and Exclusive Offers Before Time Runs Out. This year’s International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo™, co-located with Deck Expo, brings together professionals from across the pool, spa, patio, decking, and outdoor living industries for unparalleled education and networking. Early bird rates expire tonight—don’t wait to lock in the best deal for this must-attend event. Special Offer: If you register for GENESIS® C201: Construction School: Concrete Pools before September 30 you’ll receive a compl

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4 months ago

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