At AtlasCare, our team members put their hearts into everything they do. From our hardworking technicians to our talented customer service representatives and accountants, everyone at AtlasCare has a story. The Ride Along series aims to highlight our valued team members and share their unique stories. For our first ever Ride Along interview, we’re tagging along on a few plumbing service calls with Jonathan, a passionate AtlasCare plumber and proud father.
Along the way to his first service call, Jonathan discusses the importance of transparency, why preventive plumbing is important and even shares a heartwarming story with a customer. Keep reading to get to know Jonathan!
How long have you been at AtlasCare?
I started with AtlasCare in the middle of October of 2019 but, I’ve been in the plumbing industry since 2001.
Describe what your daily routine usually looks like.
Actually, my day starts the night before. Typically, I will inspect my truck just to make sure that it is stocked with the supplies that I need. In the morning, I log into my first call and then give the customer a call to let them know I am on my way. Next, I dispatch myself and head right there.
What has been your favourite project so far or an interesting story that you want to share?
I had an interesting story yesterday. I was performing a water shut off for a customer in Mississauga. She was an older lady turning 84 this year. She lost her husband back in the summertime and lost her mother about a year ago almost around this time of the month.
She doesn’t have a lot of help. We happened to be sitting down and talking while we were finishing up the bill yesterday and she was talking about her mom and started crying and then I started crying and gave her a big hug. It doesn’t really relate to what I was doing on the job so much, but it was just a nice moment for two human beings. She wasn’t just seeing me as the plumber, she was seeing me as family because she was willing to open up and tell me about her life and struggles. In order to do that, you have to have the right people. You can’t have drones and you can’t have people who just wanna go there and work.
What makes AtlasCare so different from other companies, from your perspective?
I have always wanted to work for a company that has a good family base and offers support for its employees. One of the things that stood out to me is that AtlasCare truly cares about their employees. I’m a father and I’ve got a 4-year-old daughter and I have a tight pick-up schedule. AtlasCare allows me to structure my schedule in the morning so I can take her to school and if I ever need to leave a little early, they certainly make accommodations for that as well. Even around Christmas, there were some days where they said “Hey, you’ve got the option. Do you wanna work today or do you wanna spend time with your family?” As an employee, I really appreciate that.
It’s about the culture of the company, even though we are a fairly large company. I mean, you’ve seen how many employees we have. From the furnace technicians to the plumbers and the admin staff, everybody has the same mindset, so it makes it very easy to come here and to fit in and to feel like you’re part of the team.
A big part of the value that AtlasCare provides is transparency with customers.
We get that all the time. If you take a look at our reviews, the comments are usually something along the lines of “I couldn’t believe the service that we’ve received from AtlasCare whether it is from our heating division or plumbing division.” We offer consistent great service, so our customers appreciate it. For instance, our customers will usually say something along the lines of “They treated my home with respect. They’ve made me aware of what was going on. They explained everything to me step by step so that I knew as a homeowner what was going on. It’s not just somebody coming into my home doing something that I’m not sure of, at the cost of whatever it may be.” And I think that’s what makes the difference - if you don’t let the customer know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, then they don’t know or see the value for why you’re there.
How important are preventive measures when it comes to plumbing specifically?
As far as plumbing goes, some of the preventive measures are mainly focused around shut-offs and drains. The last thing somebody wants to deal with is a leaky faucet and discover that their shut-offs don’t work. Sometimes people don’t even know that they’ve got a running toilet! That’s why inspection and maintenance is so important. Instead of waiting until they’ve got a plumbing issue, homeowners need to be proactive.
Be a part of the AtlasCare team
From our quality service to our talented team and company culture, we care. To discover more about our unique culture, take a look at our culture book! Want to be a part of a talented team? Discover our current openings and apply today. Stay tuned for more Ride Along blogs with our awesome team!
