With A/C season right around the corner, America’s Preferred Home Warranty (APHW) wanted to ensure easy communication between contractors and their customer service representatives (CSRs). Enter Andy Miller, a service manager for Lammers Heating & Cooling in Jackson, Michigan, to train them in ‘chill.’
“APHW hired me to teach a refresher course on air conditioning components, equipment, and general knowledge,” Andy said. He displayed the common parts and components of an air conditioner to the CSRs, explaining how and why they might fail, and the causes behind it.
“It’s different when you can touch and see the equipment—when you can discuss it with a professional—than it is just to Google the part,” said Rusty Reynolds, the Call Center Operations Manager at APHW. “The development of our people is critical. When you know your job inside and out, it makes you more efficient and less stressed at the end of the day.”
Andy visited the company once before as well, covering furnace parts and components. “This sort of training is very proactive,” he said. “It helps their CSRs know what contractors are talking about over the phone—now they can picture the parts being discussed.”
The employees showed plenty of interest in the sessions, engaging with the technician. “They asked a lot of questions both times, even some questions I wasn’t expecting,” Andy said, adding that he’s pleased to see APHW pushing the education. “We deal with a lot of other home warranty companies that know nothing about what we’re talking about, and it’s like pulling teeth,” he said. “Giving them an idea of what we’re telling them helps us out.”
“Being able to support the industry with knowledgeable people is great for everybody,” Rusty said, adding that APHW’s employee development program will host more of this type of training in the future. “It feels good that we can do this as a company—it’s a win for everyone.”
The Capital Area 
Hard water can be a financial pain. You use twice as much soap for the same lather, have higher gas and electricity bills, go through clothing items faster, and have a harder time with appliance & plumbing maintenance—never mind what it does to your hair and skin in the shower. It can add up to hundreds of dollars every year, which is why water softeners are a standard household appliance across much of America. So, show your water softener some love once in a while! Your wallet will thank you.
Don’t Be a Stranger
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I know there’s still snow on the branches and ice in your driveway, so your air conditioner is probably the farthest thing from your mind. Don’t keep it on the back burner, though, or you may find yourself in hot water, or rather hot air.
Northerners may be considering some groundhog revenge—He said Spring would be EARLY this year!—but those down south are enjoying some much warmer weather. So, let’s dust off the old Spring-Cleaning chore list, and while we’re at it, let’s give your home a check-up too. (Don’t worry, Spring will make it up north eventually!)
Unless you’re super into Little House on the Prairie, chances are you’d prefer not to manually lift buckets of water out of a deep well several times a day. So be sure to give your modern-day alternative, the water well pump, some occasional maintenance—lest you should experience a ‘Wilder’ existence in the near-future.
It’s so easy to just scrape that extra little bit down the drain and let your garbage disposal handle it, right? Ah, but what you don’t know can hurt you—or at least the grinder below. Here are some tips to ensure you get the most out of your garbage disposal, and hopefully prevent it from grinding to a halt.
Ah, for the days when I would stand at the kitchen sink, up to my elbows in scalding, soapy water, scrubbing away at the slimy remains of our family dinner. Fond memories—riiiight.
Is your refrigerator running? Well, you’d better go catch it! Ha hah… ha… ahem.
