Hot Tub Water Care Expectations
It is not uncommon to experience negligence from sellers when shopping for items. Products can often be made to sound easier to use and own more so than they truly are. Sometimes sellers outright bend reality out of innocent zeal, or for fear of losing a sale. Eventually reality reinserts itself, like a mountain of dirt, destroying an entire lawn without notice. Over time customers discover they were not informed of all the facts and find themselves frustrated. The key to offering great products and experiences is managing exceptions. Managing expectations requires truth telling. This includes highlighting the finer details, even if not so glamorous, as you help people discover what product is best for them.
I still remember making my first sale in the home wellness and leisure industry back in 2002. How could I forget. I sold a swimming pool and I failed to tell the customer how big the pile of dirt would be from the dig (no removal plan either!). They were not happy to see a mountain of dirt covering their little suburban lawn. It wasn’t intentional. However, I was not focused on being very intentional at that point in my career. The customers deserved and needed all the information and I failed to deliver.
Most details missed (or embellished) in the hot tub industry involves the area of water care. The entire industry knows water care is a top-of-mind concern for prospective buyers. Therefore, the pressure to make ones system sound extra glamorous to compete is real. Don’t get me wrong, technology has dramatically improved water care management systems over the past decade, but no system to date can honestly claim itself as ‘set it and forget it’, ’sanitizer free’, or ‘maintenance free’.
To date, all hot tubs and water care systems require some extra steps and great coaching. The steps needed to manage most systems are only burdensome when the customer is not informed of them in the first place! If transparency exists over what is required and what is not, the products true lifespan and replacement cost, and how often the water needs refreshed (drained and refilled), the future will be bright. If the water care system is not integrated with the hot tub itself, it’s worth verifying whether the manufacturer honors or voids the warranty as the result of installing it in the first place.
At one point in my career, a handful of retailers were installing salt water systems on hot tubs that were exclusively designed for swimming pools. Salt is a wonderful way to sanitize a hot tub. However, the right technology for this application is essential and slapping on a generic swimming pool version has long term consequences. The point is, customers should be searching for accuracy and clarity and a retailer who has a proven plan to coach them toward an enjoyable ownership experience.
Today, I am privileged to be part of an organization with a division solely focused on producing perfect water. Our company has been in the water treatment category since 1939! My exposure to this side of the business has shed even more light on what great customer service means when it comes to maintaining a safe and enjoyable water whether to drink or soak in. Our in-house water treatment experts would begin by learning about the source water before making any decisions. This data, combined with the customers desires, is the best starting place for the most positive outcome.
