“Being in Wisconsin, most facets of our business are impacted seasonally, so we emphasize the appropriate product offerings when people need them.”
— Michael Panella, Sales Manager, Swimming Pool Services Pools | Spas | Outdoor Living
Swimming Pool Services rightfully earned its reputation for providing unmatchable customer service since 1967. Like many other companies,it provides customers with design, build and service for inground pools, but what differentiates it from the competition is its ability to carry outits mission in everything the company does. “Swimming Pool Services strives to make it easy to have a private paradise in your backyard,” says Michael Panella, sales manager. “Everything we do adheres to this philosophy we’ve set for ourselves.”
The most impactful expectation that the company follows is remembering the name of every client. “We are in the business of building relationships, and the first step in a relationship is learning the other person’s name,” says Panella. To further set it apart from big-box stores and competitors is the company’s after-care process. Once a newly purchased spa is up and running, Swimming Pool Services travels to a client’s home, provides an operational tutorial and ensures they are comfortable in caring for their new home addition. As a special thank you, the company also sends Carol’s Cookies to their customers after major purchases, which specializes in gourmet, handmade cookies with all-natural ingredients.
Swimming Pool Services not only knows how to care for its customers, but it goes above and beyond for its team, too. “We work to live. It’s not the other way around,” says Panella. “We do whatever we can to help our team reach their personal goals — and that starts in the workplace. We treat our team exceptionally well, award their efforts and offer a $3,000 bonus to team members who are referred to us and stay with us for at least two years.”
A regular customer of Swimming Pool Services knows that things don’t stay the same for very long, and the company appropriately changes displays and products to cater to what people need during certain months, which is influenced by Wisconsin’s ever-changing seasons. Aside from all the product offerings, customers will also find an 8- by 14-foot inground pool in the store. “The indoor swimming pool allows us to demonstrate features that people look for when building a pool, such as an automatic pool cover, laminar deck jets, LED lights and more,” says Panella. “We also have the perfect place to test out Polaris cleaners that are brought in for repair.”
“In the upcoming year, we plan to add another location and double the number of hot tub units sold,” says Panella. Due to the volume of customer referrals, customer perks and word-of-mouth advertising, Swimming Pool Services is booked for inground pool builds until mid 2024. “We work everyday with the same vision in mind, which empowers us to enjoy spending our days together and providing our clients with the very best the industry has to offer.”
This article first appeared in the April 2023 issue of AQUA Magazine — the top resource for retailers, builders and service pros in the pool and spa industry. Subscriptions to the print magazine are free to all industry professionals. Click here to subscribe.
