Recently active topics

Until now, Skimmer didn't have a clear way to distinguish between potential and active customers. Leads, inactive accounts, and current customers were all on the same list, with no easy way to tell them apart or track how they got there. These new enhancements change that. Customer status and lead tracking You can now segment customers by status: Lead, Active, or Inactive. This makes it easier to manage your pipeline, follow up on prospects, and keep your customer list organized.When you add a new contact who isn't a customer yet, you can mark them as a Lead. You can track where they came from using lead sources, helping you understand which marketing or referral channels are actually driving new business. Leads automatically convert to Active when a quote or job is created, so your data stays accurate without extra manual steps. You can also bulk-update statuses directly from the customer listing. Customer activity feed Each customer's detail page now includes an activity feed — a cen

There have been a lot of conversations lately on how to handle the jump in fuel prices without absorbing unsustainable expenses or surprising customers.The most common solution we're hearing is to notify customers that you're adding a temporary fuel surcharge so that the communication and plan are transparent, straightforward, and easy to remove once prices stabilize.Customers understand that fuel costs affect route-based businesses. A simple, honest explanation goes a long way. To make this easier to implement, here is a sample email you can customize and send to your customers, along with instructions for adding the temporary fee and deploying it in bulk in Skimmer.Learn how to add a bulk line item fee in Skimmer  Learn how to use Broadcast Emails in Skimmer  (NOTE: this feature is available on Scaling Up & Skimmer for Enterprise tiers)Copy, paste, and customize this email copy to fit your plan and brand voice: Dear Valued Customer,We want to keep you informed about a temporary c

Every pool pro has had this moment: You're at a pool and spot a worn pump, a failing heater, or a 10-year-old cleaner that's barely working. The opportunity is right there. You make a note to send a quote later, but by the time you get back to the office, the day has gotten away from you. Now there's a better way! We're hosting a live workshop to show you one of the biggest workflow upgrades coming to Skimmer: Quotes available directly in the mobile app!! That means you can create a quote, send it for approval, and move on to your next job, all from the field. No more reminders to "send the quote later." No more logging back into the web app after a long day. Just a faster way to capture opportunities while you or your team are already at the pool.And the best part? Whether you're a one-poler running the whole operation yourself or managing a team of technicians in the field, Mobile Quotes supports your workflow.Owner-operators can create and send quotes directly from the Skimmer mobil

Our latest workshop on chemical pricing and margin protection was such an eye-opener for everyone who joined. So we're sharing the recording and resources to help more members benefit from this knowledge. If your chemical costs have felt unpredictable lately, this post will help you start making changes. The big takeaway: clarity beats complexity! You don't need to overhaul your pricing model overnight. What matters most is understanding your true cost to serve and putting simple guardrails in place so chemical usage doesn't quietly eat your margin.As ​@cshalli  said during the session: "It's not about knowing the most chemistry, it's about knowing your cost per pool." 1. Watching the workshop recording Learn how to:Build hybrid chemical models that work in the real world Identify where you're unintentionally absorbing chemical risk Spot high-demand pools that need intentional pricing Use AI and reporting to see true margin per pool 2. Use these 3 resources to get started (attached at

 Swim season is right around the corner! In this video, we take you behind the scenes to show how pool companies prepare for swim season and what it takes to get ready for the busy summer months in the pool service industry.If you own a pool service business, work in the pool industry, or you're simply curious about what happens behind the scenes before pools open for the summer, this video will give you a real look at how professionals prepare.Whether you're a pool owner, pool technician, or pool business owner, these insights will help you understand what it takes to deliver reliable pool service during the busiest time of the year.👉 Topics covered in this video:• Preparing pool service routes for swim season• Pool equipment and chemical inventory planning• Getting technicians ready for the busy season• Business strategies for pool companies before summer• Why preparation is critical in the pool service industrySummer comes fast in the pool world, and preparation is everything!👍 If

We just launched service credits — and if you've ever manually adjusted an invoice, created a negative line item, or jumped into QuickBooks just to fix a billing mistake, this is going to make your life easier. What's a service credit?A service credit is how you issue a credit to a customer without touching cash. Think of it as a reverse invoice — it corrects the revenue in your books without requiring a refund or reopening a closed period. It's different from an account credit, which is for prepayments. Service credits are for corrections, missed services, goodwill gestures, and promotions. How it works:Create a service credit from the customer's billing page, add your line items (same structure as an invoice), pick a reason, and you're done. The credit gets added to the customer's account balance and automatically applies to their next invoice. If you're connected to QuickBooks Online, it syncs over as a credit memo — no double entry.One tip: when you're creating the credit, select t

We’re excited to partner with Heritage Pool Supply Group to bring tighter supplier connections into Skimmer.With this new integration, pool service professionals who buy from Heritage can keep product information and costs in sync directly inside Skimmer. That means fewer manual price checks, more accurate pricing, and less time spent managing catalogs across multiple systems.This partnership reflects a shared focus on helping pool pros run more efficient businesses. By connecting Skimmer with one of the industry’s leading suppliers, we’re making it easier to manage products where the work already happens. The first phase of this integration focuses on keeping product information accurate and cutting down manual catalog work while actively building toward deeper Heritage functionality which will include inventory visibility and ordering directly from Skimmer. Read more about the Skimmer- Heritage partnership → https://www.getskimmer.com/blog/skimmer-and-heritage-pool-supply-announce-st

Let’s talk about multi-tech jobs for a second.If you’re running installs, major repairs, or any job that needs more than one tech, you probably know the drill: duplicate work orders, schedule changes that require three updates, texts flying back and forth to confirm who’s actually showing up, and service records scattered across multiple jobs.It adds up fast. And it pulls time away from actually running the business.You’ve been asking for a better way to coordinate crews, and now it’s here. With multi-tech work orders in Skimmer, you can assign multiple technicians to a single work order, making it easier to handle equipment replacements, major repairs, and any job that needs more than one set of hands.NOTE: The Multi-tech work orders feature is included in the Scaling Up and Skimmer for Enterprise plans What’s new:Take on bigger jobs with confidenceAssign your entire crew to one work order. Everyone can see who’s on the job, what they’re responsible for, and when they need to be there

In February, we launched multi-tech work orders, a Heritage Pool Supply integration, CRM enhancements, reporting upgrades, and more. These enhancements help growing teams coordinate more efficiently, keep data accurate, and get a clearer picture of their business. Here’s what’s new: Heritage + Skimmer Integration  Connect your Heritage Pool Supply account directly to Skimmer to keep your product catalog automatically accurate. Your most-purchased products sync nightly from your selected Heritage branch, so when costs change, your pricing stays up to date without manual updates.Learn more here -> Multi-tech work orders  You can now assign multiple technicians to a single work order, making it easier to manage equipment installs, major repairs, and any job that needs more than one set of hands. Each tech gets their own instructions and time allocation, while the lead tech retains full control over readings, chemicals, and completion. All work rolls into a single service record and inv

In this session, ​@nikiacosta sits down with Hal Denbar (career pool operator, former CEO of National Pool Partners, Skimmer board member) and Megan Kendrick (publisher, PoolPro) to break down what the latest industry data is telling us—and what to do with it as we head into busy season. Using insights from Skimmer’s latest industry report (built from 1,600+ industry responses plus anonymized platform data from 1M+ pools), we dug into:Disciplined growth: Why the conversation is shifting from more pools to more profit Operational consistency: How repeatable systems reduce chaos as you scale Technology as a force multiplier: Turning software and integrations into real leverage Pricing discipline: Why “price is free profit” (and how to approach it without panic) Labor & staffing realities: Why there’s no “quick solve,” and what does differentiate winners Marketing benchmarks: What it realistically costs to play the digital game—and why speed-to-lead wins Consolidation & PE landsca

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

 We've had great conversations at our past regional meetups — lots of energy, insights, and honest discussions about running your business.This quarter, we're trying something new!Instead of meeting by region, we're grouping meetups by business size (number of pools served) because we've found the best conversations happen when we bring together owners facing similar challenges and opportunities at the same stage of growth.Pick the group that matches the size of your business and register for our virtual meet-ups:Under 150 pools on Thursday, March 5 @ 3 PM ET/ 2 PM CT/ 12 PM PT → REGISTER 151–349 pools on Wednesday, March 11 @ 3 PM ET/ 2 PM CT/ 12 PM PT → REGISTER 350–699 pools on Thursday, March 12 @ 3 PM ET/ 2 PM CT/ 12 PM PT → REGISTER 700+ pools on Friday, March 6 @ 3 PM ET/ 2 PM CT/ 12 PM PT →  REGISTEROur Customer Success team and I will facilitate, and here's what we've got planned:Discuss key findings from the State of Pool Service report and what that means for your 2026 busin

As pool service businesses grow, coordination and access control become harder to manage. Larger crews, more complex jobs, and higher-value work all introduce risk and operational drag.Skimmer has introduced two new capabilities built to help teams stay organized, protected, and scalable as operations expand. Advanced roles and permissions   Advanced roles and permissions give businesses granular control over feature access across both desktop and mobile. Instead of relying on basic Admin and Tech roles, teams can define access by responsibility, from full technicians and office managers to account reps and executives.Sensitive information like billing, customer data, and system settings can be restricted, while access remains flexible as teams grow, roles evolve, or locations are added. Multi-tech work orders  Multi-tech work orders simplify coordination for equipment installs, major repairs, and other crew-based jobs. Multiple technicians can be assigned to a single work order, with

Chemical costs continue to rise, and from my conversations with many pool pros, they are still relying on gut feel, "included" pricing, or inconsistent dosing habits that eat into profit margins. To help you build a repeatable, trackable, and profitable chemical strategy, I’m hosting our next LIVE workshop on this topic. I’m going to cover how chemical management isn't just about dosing—it's about protecting your margins while maintaining service quality, using Skimmer's tools and reporting to create a chemical strategy that scales with your business.What you'll learn:Chemical pricing models that work and hold up as costs continue to rise How to define clear service inclusions, exclusions and handling chemical overages Using Skimmer reporting insights to identify high-cost pools and service outliers How to have data-driven pricing conversations with your customers How tools like Orenda support consistency in the field without added complexity Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026Time: 1 PM

 Want to know how to get more pool service clients — and actually keep them long-term? In this video, I break down exactly how professional pool companies earn trust, build relationships, and grow their pool service business the right way. From meeting clients in person and clear communication, to weekly service reports, emergency support, licensing, and proactive pool education — this is how we separate average pool service from true professionals. If you're a pool pro looking to grow your route, or a homeowner wondering what great pool service should look like, this video covers:✔️ Why meeting pool clients in person matters✔️ The importance of strong two-way communication✔️ Weekly service reports and storm/weather updates✔️ Setting clear expectations from day one✔️ Being licensed and insured as a pool company✔️ How to handle pool emergencies professionally✔️ Why proactive service keeps clients long-term✔️ Delivering real customer service in the pool industry Great pool service isn’t