What UK Drainage Contractors Actually Need From an Equipment Supplier

The more time I spend talking to UK drainage contractors, the more I think what they really need from an equipment supplier is actually quite simple.

They need equipment that works properly on site.

They need people who understand what the equipment is being asked to do. They need useful support when something goes wrong, sensible advice before they buy and the opportunity to actually see a system working.

And probably more than anything else, they need their supplier to make their job easier rather than adding another layer of complication.

Reliable equipment has to come first

There is obviously no point talking about relationships, support or service if the equipment itself isn't good enough.

Drainage equipment gets used in difficult environments. Cameras are pushed through dirty pipework. Crawlers are driven through sewers. Cable is repeatedly deployed and recovered. Equipment gets transported between jobs and used by different operators.

It isn't sitting on a desk.

If a contractor has a crew, vehicle and customer waiting on a job, the value of reliable equipment becomes obvious very quickly.

The specification sheet isn't the job

Specialist inspection systems can have some impressive specifications: resolution, cable length, pan-and-tilt capability, crawler size, locating functions, reporting software and plenty more.

But the question I keep coming back to is much simpler.

Somebody mainly inspecting smaller domestic drainage may need something completely different from somebody surveying large sewer networks.

Good advice starts with understanding those differences rather than trying to make the same product fit every customer.

Contractors should be able to try equipment properly

This is one of the areas I've felt particularly strongly about since leading Rausch UK.

If somebody is making a significant investment in inspection equipment, I think they should have the opportunity to see it working.

Preferably on something that resembles the work they actually do.

I've increasingly come to see demonstrations as part of giving good advice, rather than simply part of trying to make a sale.

Sometimes people just need somebody to answer the phone

This might sound almost too basic to mention, but it comes up again and again.

When a contractor needs help, they normally don't need it next week.

They may have somebody standing next to an inspection system trying to understand why something isn't behaving as expected, or they may be quoting a job involving a configuration they haven't used before.

Having access to somebody who understands the equipment can save a huge amount of wasted time.

The right equipment isn't much use if nobody can get it

Another thing that's become increasingly obvious to me is how important availability is.

Contractors have jobs booked. They win contracts. Equipment gets damaged. Requirements change.

Sometimes a purchase is planned months in advance. Sometimes it absolutely isn't.

Having useful equipment, accessories and spares available in the UK is therefore something I think a specialist supplier has to take seriously.

The relationship changes once the equipment is sold

The sale should really be the beginning of the relationship, not the end of it.

With specialist inspection equipment, customers may need training, servicing, repairs, replacement parts, software help or advice about using the equipment in a different application.

That's why I think after-sales support should be considered when choosing a system in the first place.

Don't oversell the customer

I don't think the best answer is automatically the most expensive system.

If somebody doesn't need a particular capability, there is very little value in convincing them to pay for it just because we can.

Equally, recommending something too limited just to get the initial price down isn't particularly helpful if the customer outgrows it six months later.

The difficult bit — and where a specialist supplier should earn its value — is finding the sensible point between the two.

The person buying the system isn't always the person using it

Operators very quickly find out whether a system is genuinely practical.

They know whether setting it up takes too long, which controls are awkward, which functions are useful and whether the equipment makes their job easier or harder.

Listening to those people is one of the best ways of understanding whether equipment is actually delivering what the brochure says it does.

What I think a good equipment supplier should actually provide

If I reduce the conversations I've had with contractors down to the things that seem to matter most, my list is fairly straightforward.

Good equipment matters. But the advice, demonstration, availability, service and support around it matter too. A good supplier should ultimately make it easier for the contractor to get the work done.