The Plan · Keep the Customer · Step 29 of 30
Send a Prevention Plan
You just cleared a line that was backing up. To the customer, that clog felt like bad luck. If you leave without explaining what actually caused it, you're the person they call in a panic next time. If you send a short prevention plan, you become the expert they trust and the name they save.
A prevention note costs you five minutes and buys you loyalty, referrals, and repeat work. It also cuts the "why did this happen again?" callbacks that eat your day.
Tell them what caused it, in plain English
Every clog has a story. Grease from the kitchen sink. Roots in the sewer line. Wipes and "flushable" products that don't break down. Say what you found on their specific job, not a generic warning. Customers remember the truck that explained the problem.
"Hi [Name], here's what we found today: your kitchen line was coated with hardened grease about 30 feet in. That's what caused the slow drain and the backup. It's fully cleared now and flowing at full bore."
Give them 3-4 specific habits, not a lecture
Keep the list short and tied to what you actually saw. Match the tips to the clog: grease habits for a kitchen line, root/camera advice for a sewer, flush rules for a toilet line.
"To keep this line clear:
1. Never pour grease or oil down the drain — let it cool, jar it, trash it.
2. Once a month, run a monthly enzyme treatment overnight to eat what builds up.
3. Only flush the 3 P's — pee, poo, and (toilet) paper. No wipes, even 'flushable'
ones.
4. Since we saw early root intrusion on camera, book an annual camera check so we catch
it before it backs up."
Put your prevention plan in writing and leave it behind
Text or email it the same day so it lives on their phone. A one-page printed version in the truck works too. Either way, put your name, number, and "we have your camera history on file" on it. That last line is why they call you and not a coupon in the mailbox.
"Thanks for having [Company] out today. Your line is clear. To keep it that way, follow the 4 tips above. We saved your camera footage, so if anything changes we can get right to it. Most kitchen lines like yours benefit from a jetting every 12-18 months — we'll send a reminder when you're due. Questions? Text this number anytime."
Set a reminder to check back
The prevention note plants the seed; the reminder closes the loop. Drop a note in your calendar or CRM for 12 months out (sooner for restaurants or root-prone sewers). When it fires, one text turns a past job into a booked one.
Highsmith Plumbing publishes a clear, chemical-free clog-prevention guide that walks homeowners through the daily habits that keep drains flowing. It positions them as the expert who wants to save you the callout, which is exactly what earns the callout when something does go wrong.
Do this: before you leave your next job, text the customer three prevention tips tied to what you found and set a 12-month reminder to check in. Turn the fix into a relationship.
Don't want to do this yourself?
We'll set it up and run it for you — this step and the rest of the plan — so you can stay on the truck. Built for jetting and drain-line companies only.
Have us do it →