Most plumbing jobs are urgent and quick. Two years later, the homeowner can't name who came, and searches again.
Plumbing play · Past customers
Plumbing past customer reactivation: win back the customers you already earned.
Your customer list is full of homeowners who called once for a clog or a leak, liked the work, and then forgot your name. Spur turns that list into a reactivation campaign: a personal card about their last job and their home's plumbing, mailed to everyone you haven't seen in 18 months, with a scan alert when they're ready to book.
Free forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
USPSFirst-Class
Denise Howard2614 Bardstown RdLouisville, KY 40205Scan to book your $59 check
Denise H. booked a returning-customer check · 46 min ago
AI-written for this owner · Mailed in 2 days
18+ monthssince their last job, the default win-back window
Your listuploaded from your FSM or a spreadsheet
Last joband home details on every card
The problem
Your cheapest new plumbing job is a customer you already served.
The water heater you noted as 11 years old is now 13. The galvanized line you flagged is still there. Nobody followed up.
Win-back emails land in promotions tabs. A personal card in the mailbox gets read.
How it works
From list to mailbox in one workflow.
Five steps from a dormant customer list to booked jobs.
app.usespur.com
See it in Spur
A past plumbing customer list in Spur
Sample lapsed customers from one Louisville plumbing company. Names are partly masked.
Your customer listLast job 18–60 moNot a plan memberStill owns the homeLouisville, KY
- Denise H.2614 Bardstown RdKitchen drain · 2023Tank now ~13 yrsBuilt 1962
- Rick & Jo B.1820 Eastview AveToilet replacement · 2022Built 1948Galvanized noted
- Simone A.3307 Lexington RdWater heater install · 2019Flush due
- Ken M.2115 Woodford PlMain line cleared · 2022Clay sewer likelyMature trees
- Laura P.1932 Deer Park AveLeak repair · 2023Built 1955
AI draft for Denise H. · 2614 Bardstown Rd
WE FIXED YOUR KITCHEN DRAIN IN 2023. HOW'S THE REST?
Hi Denise, we cleared your kitchen drain in the spring of 2023. Our tech noted that your water heater was about 11 years old then, so it's now around 13, which is when most tanks start to show their age.
As a returning customer, you can book a $59 whole-home plumbing check: water heater, supply lines, shutoff valves, and drains. You'll get an honest read on what needs attention and what can wait.
Scan the code to pick a time, or call us. We'd be glad to see you again.
Derby City Plumbing · KY MP #M7712 · (502) 555-0175
Sample data for illustration. Your results depend on your market and filters.
Playbook
How to win back lapsed plumbing customers
Plumbing customers are easy to lose because most jobs are quick and urgent. The homeowner calls, you fix the clog or the leak, and they don't think about plumbing again until the next emergency. By then they've forgotten your name and search online, often landing on a competitor who paid for the click. Reactivation mail is the cheapest fix, because you're reaching people who already chose you once.
Your job notes are the secret weapon. Plumbers see a lot during a service call: the age of the water heater, galvanized pipe in the basement, a sewer line that keeps clogging, a shutoff valve that wouldn't turn. Those notes become the most persuasive reactivation messages possible. "Your water heater was 11 when we visited and it's 13 now" is specific, useful, and impossible for a competitor to say.
Segment the list. Customers with a water heater noted as aging are replacement prospects. Customers in older homes with drain or sewer calls are camera inspection prospects. Customers you installed equipment for are due for maintenance, such as a water heater flush. Remove current plan members, anyone who has sold the house (check the current owner on record), and anyone who asked not to be contacted.
Offer a returning-customer rate on a whole-home check, and include a maintenance plan option so the reactivated customer doesn't lapse again. Automate the trigger at 18 months without a visit.
Mail first. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, marketing texts generally require the customer's prior express written consent, and commercial email must follow CAN-SPAM rules with a working opt-out. Postcards don't carry those consent requirements, which makes mail the safest first touch for an old customer list.
Ask for referrals on the same card. A customer who was happy with a fast drain repair may not need you this year, but their neighbor or relative might. A modest thank-you for referrals that turn into jobs, mentioned on every reactivation card, turns your past customer list into a referral network.
12×return on one reactivation campaign plus a year of Spur Team
Your past customers are your cheapest plumbing jobs.
- Spur Team: $588/yr, plus 700 lapsed customers × 2 cards = 1,400 postcards at $0.94 = $1,316
- If 8% rebook: 56 checks at $59 = $3,304, leading to 6 water heaters at $2,300 and 1 sewer repair at $6,500 = $23,604
- $23,604 from $1,904 of software and postage = about 12×
Example math. Reactivation rates depend on how long ago customers were served and how you served them. Run your own numbers →
One tool, not four
Spur vs. the usual way to reach lapsed customers
What you needThe usual waySpur
Lapsed customer segmentManual export and filtering✓ Built in
Card about their last job and tech notesGeneric "we miss you" email✓ Built in
Triggered at 18 monthsAnnual blast, if at all✓ Built in
Owner still in the homeMail to people who moved✓ Built in
Who came back, by segmentNo tracking✓ Built in
Customer Reactivation by the numbers
Why mail is the right first touch for a lapsed list
Written consent
is generally required before sending marketing texts, so many lapsed lists can't be texted
Opt-out
commercial email must include a working unsubscribe and honor it within 10 business days
12×
return on one reactivation campaign plus a year of Spur Team
FAQ
Plumbing customer reactivation questions
How do plumbers win back old customers?
Mail a personal card that mentions their last job and anything your tech noted, like the water heater's age, with a returning-customer offer and a maintenance plan option. Trigger it at 18 months without a visit.
Can I use my techs' job notes on reactivation mail?
Yes, and you should. Include notes like water heater age or pipe type as columns in your upload, then use them in the card copy you review and approve.
How long before a plumbing customer is lapsed?
Eighteen months is a good default. Adjust by job type: water heater install customers might get a flush reminder at one year instead.
Can I text past plumbing customers?
Only with the consent the law requires. Marketing texts generally need prior express written consent under the TCPA. Mail has no such requirement.
What if a past customer moved?
Check the current owner on record before you mail. If the home sold, send the new owner a welcome card instead.
Keep exploring
Related plays and guides
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