Valve Test and Repair Companies: How to Get Started with Inline Valve Testing
Keeping your valve test and repair company ahead of the competition means keeping up with and staying ahead of industry trends. When you can provide customers with a testing service that reduces their downtime and saves them money, you’re going to see more work and better returns.
One popular trend in valve testing is inline safety relief valve testing. If you’ve been considering adding inline safety relief valve testing to your company’s service offerings, but aren’t sure where to start, here’s what you need to know. From selling the service to your own team to choosing the right equipment, here’s how to get started with inline valve testing:
Explaining the Benefits of This New Service Offering
When you add a new service offering to your valve test and repair shop, getting your team on board is one of the most important steps. If your technicians and sales team aren’t on board or don’t understand why you’re adding inline testing to your list of services, you’re going to have a hard time selling it to your customers.
Before you even make a final decision on your equipment or sign your technicians up for training, make sure you explain the benefits of offering inline safety relief valve testing to your team.
- It can make your company more profitable
- It helps you stand out from the competition
- It provides added value for your customers
- It increases your billable hour capacity
- It’s a service your clients want, and that you can provide
- It will make your technician’s job easier and more efficient
When your team understands why you’re adding inline testing to your list of services, you’ll get more buy-in all around. Your technicians are likely to do better in their training and can help you choose the best equipment, and your sales team will be willing to upsell clients to this new service whenever possible because they see the benefits too.
Finding the Right Equipment
When your team is on board with adding inline safety valve testing to your company’s list of services, it’s time to find the right equipment. If possible, enlist some of your top technicians to weigh in on the equipment options — they’re going to be the ones using the equipment after all — it’s important that they like it and feel they can use it comfortably. A few other features to look for in the right inline safety relief valve testing equipment include:
Electric-motor-operated lift mechanism
Inline safety testing systems that make use of an electric motor, rather than hydraulics to handle the heavy lifting, provide more accurate, repeatable results. What’s more, electric systems are much lighter and easier to handle — there’s no hassle of heavy hydraulic hoses that can be messy and are difficult to haul around facilities.
One-touch testing
One-touch testing is a great feature for your business, and for your technicians. Systems like the AccuTEST inline valve testing system run safety valve tests through one control panel that walks technicians through the complete valve test with the press of one button. This makes life much easier for your technicians and allows them to focus on the more skilled parts of their job — making any necessary adjustments to the valves and interpreting the results. It’s also a much faster process, meaning your techs can test more valves in less time, increasing your billable hours.
Portability
Your technicians are your company’s most important and most valuable asset. Your testing equipment should put their needs first, which is why a portable, easy-to-carry inline safety relief valve testing system is a must. Your techs should be worried about testing valves properly, and making sure your customers get the best service possible — not about how they’re going to get their equipment in and out of a facility.
By investing in a portable, compact inline testing system, you’re investing in your technicians, and you’re also ensuring your new service can be done by a minimal number of technicians. This frees up the rest of your team to work on other jobs, increasing your company’s capacity for service jobs.
Choosing the right inline safety relief valve testing equipment is key to implementing a new service offering that can grow your business. Take a good hard look at the options available to you before you make a final decision.
Training Your Technicians
Once you’ve decided which testing system is best for your company, it’s time to make sure your technicians have the training they need to implement this new service. In general, it’s a good idea to find a training course that’s offered by your equipment provider. Many inline safety relief valve equipment manufacturers offer training alongside the purchase of their product. You just need to make sure that they’ll work to ensure all of your technicians are trained properly.
It’s also a good idea to look for training that comes with options that best suit your business. Interactive web training is a great option for techs who are always on the go because they can complete that training from anywhere that’s convenient for them. If you’d prefer to have all of your technicians trained at once, it’s a good idea to look for an on-site training option. Either way, quality training is important so your techs can make sure they’re doing everything right as you start to implement these new services for your customers.
Expanding Your Service Offerings to Customers
With your technicians on board and trained, and your new inline safety relief valve testing equipment in hand, it’s time to officially expand your service offering to customers. Start by letting your existing customers know you’re offering this new service, and be sure to explain the benefits of inline safety relief valve testing to them.
You can also update your website to include your new service offerings, as well as your pricing sheets. Above all, make sure your sales team knows about this new service offering and are comfortable suggesting it and its benefits to new prospects as well as returning customers. The faster you can get the word out, the more work you’ll start to see.
Inline valve testing equipment can save your technicians time, and make your company more attractive to potential clients. It’s a necessary addition in an industry that keeps evolving. If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of inline testing equipment, the AccuTEST team would love to help. Get in touch with us online, or schedule a free live demo of our inline safety relief valve testing equipment today!
