By Brian Birch
From the October 2024 Issue
In the unforgiving world of snow removal, proper planning is the key to success. Talk to any contractor who has managed more than a few winters successfully. They will agree. But such a broad topic gets muddy quickly, so let’s break winter planning down into manageable parts, since quite a few areas are going to need focus prior to the first flake falling.
Clients
Understanding your client base, their levels of service, and the scope of what you are going to be servicing is critical to planning for success. Things can go wrong fast in a snowstorm, so having your ducks in a row will be pivotal to meeting service agreements and keeping lines of communication open.
Reviewing the level of service requirements you’ve agreed to in contracts is essential in the lead up to the season. Document any special needs, picky clients, or high-risk areas now and have a plan to address these issues later.
Some examples of what to check for:
Did you agree to snow removal/hauling? If so, ensure you have a plan for staging on site as well as a legal plan to dump the snow.
Do you have low-tolerance accounts? Make sure you understand contractually what you agreed to, the priority areas that are going to be critical during winter weather, and that you have the equipment and staffing (and backups for both) to manage these sites.
Check service starts. If you have trigger depths or clauses about when service starts/ends, make sure you have planned appropriately and documented this for your teams.
Conduct a site hazard analysis and notify the client of any pre-existing conditions, risky areas, or damage that you see on the site. Take pictures and document it all for the future. Doing so prevents you from having to pay for damage you didn’t cause.
Communicating with clients is critical, and you should spend some time and effort mapping out your plan. Do you have “problem” accounts? Anticipating their needs and using kid gloves can help, but that only goes so far. Make sure account managers are versed in the challenges tied to the account, and that clear lines of communication exist. But remember, don’t compromise your values or put your team or profit at risk for a problematic client!
When it comes to preseason communications plans, think of it from their perspective: what is coming, what is happening during the storm, and what you are doing to finish post-storm.
Pre-event: Provide the forecast and initial dispatch plan. Make sure you don’t overshare or overpromise—just a general overview and your current service approach.
During the event: Communicate the current state of operations, forecast changes and resulting changes to the event plan. If equipment breakdowns or staff no-shows slow you down, share the contingency plans to hopefully head off the “why hasn’t my site been cleared yet” text or phone call.
Post-event: Wrap-up with information regarding event follow-up (e.g., clean up, hauling, ice watch plans) and provide the required service verification documentation. For clients who require store manager signoffs, ensure that this is documented and a team member on site has been assigned to ensure proper client follow-up is conducted.
People
Your clients are important, but your staff who will conduct the work are, too! Don’t leave them out in the cold—proper planning is critical for their safety and the quality of service they provide.
Here are some best practices to implement with your teams in the preseason:
Training. Make sure all new employees have been formally onboarded, and that every team member who will be in the elements has been trained on proper safety procedures, their core duties, and proper clothing and behavior on client sites.
Documentation procedures and processes. Proper service documentation, whether you do it by paper or via digital means, can’t be overlooked in this industry! Service verification is critical to managing liability and for becoming more efficient as a service provider over time. Educate your team on how to submit their service information, including why this matters so much.
You can’t take care of your clients’ sites if you don’t take care of your employees. But your subcontractors need some love too! If you work with subs, make sure:
Certificates of Insurance (COI) are on file and updated
W-9s are on file and updated
Subcontractors are oriented to the sites they are responsible for, as well as any broad-based outcomes or needs you have for those sites.
A backup plan is in place in case a subcontractor fails or bails during the season
Equipment
Making sure your equipment and materials are in good shape is essential. Clumped salt that jams the spreader, worn-out plow cutting edges, cracked shovels … none of these inspire confidence in your team; they reflect poorly on your brand; and they create unsafe conditions. Your fleet, whether its 2 trucks or 20, should be in prime operating condition prior to the season—remember, Mother Nature won’t wait for you to be ready.
Establish a schedule. Prioritize your preseason equipment roll out and scheduled maintenance throughout winter. You don’t want to give the “go” signal for a storm and have equipment not start. Identify your company’s snow season kickoff date and calculate the time you need to get your equipment ready. Leave plenty of time, knowing that current season maintenance and breakdowns may temporarily derail the schedule.
Follow the manufacturers’ recommended service intervals. Companies who perform other services may not be able to make a complete switch over to winter operations. If not, prepare one or two trucks with plows and spreaders in case of an early storm and add more equipment as winter nears.
In-season tasks. Being ready for the first storm is great, but great planning requires more! Develop and finetune a set of checklists and shutdown processes that help your team maintain the equipment. This means having a plan for storing equipment between storms, washing equipment after service, and having a central person or team be accountable for vehicle maintenance.
Order parts early. The closer you get to the start of the season, the better the chance that parts will be on backorder. Stock major parts, such as plow pumps, spreader motors, etc., that may be hard to find in the middle of a storm. Create a simple protocol to manage your inventory, to find parts easily when you need them, and to keep the parts safe and clean.
Establish breakdown procedures. Keep an equipment “first aid” kit handy. At minimum, every truck should have basic hand tools and a hydraulic hose repair kit as the first line of defense in the event of a breakdown. Ensure your drivers and site managers follow protocol, including how to report problems and any required documentation.
Snow and ice management is a difficult industry to begin with — failure to plan puts you behind the eight ball and makes it much more difficult for your team to execute your plan and satisfy your customers. Plan well and you will win!
Brian Birch is a freelance contributor for the Snow & Ice Management Association. Brian helps small businesses and organizations tackle big challenges, one bad joke at a time. Find him online at harrierbiz.com.
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