How do I hand over my hot tub dealer’s service route and customers?

Build a route sheet. For each customer, note the address, the model of tub, what you do on each visit, how often, what they pay and any quirks such as gate codes or dogs. Keep it current. A buyer can learn more from that sheet than from a general promise of loyal customers.

Next, list open commitments: warranty work you have promised, prepaid service plans and parts on order. Your accountant can help you work out how prepaid plans should be treated, and your lawyer can tell you how the agreements move.

Then plan the ride-alongs. Take the buyer or their technician on real visits for a stretch of the season. Introduce them at each door and explain what has changed. Customers who meet the new person with you are more likely to stay, and they will ask better questions while you are there to answer them. Finally, be honest about weak spots, such as hard-to-reach homes or unhappy customers. A buyer who knows early can plan. Plan for the first season to feel slightly different to customers. Give them a clear contact name and number, and make sure the first few visits go well. Reliability in those early weeks decides whether the route survives.

Key takeaways

• Build a route sheet with every customer, tub and visit routine.
• List prepaid plans and warranty promises the buyer will inherit.
• Do ride-alongs so customers meet the new technician with you.