“It lets me work on the business instead of just in it. I’m not buried in calls anymore — I’m building DSM.”
About the Business
Dave Diaz has been a plumber since 2002. After two decades with big shops, he launched DSM Rooter three years ago with one van and a short list of loyal clients. Today he runs a four-person crew serving residential and commercial jobs across Los Angeles. His strategy is simple: win trust on the first visit, keep the relationship for life.
The Challenge
A plumber’s day is physical and unpredictable. Dave is under sinks, in crawl spaces, on rooftops, or shoulder-deep in a cleanout. Hands are wet, gloved, and covered in grime. The phone rings anyway.
“When I’m actually in the job and my hands are dirty, I can’t just reach for my phone. People panic. They call numbers until someone answers.”
Answering means stopping everything. Set the tool down. Back out of the cabinet. Wipe off. Peel gloves. Wash hands. Find the phone. If it’s spam, he’s just burned minutes and broken focus. If it’s a real emergency and he misses it, the caller dials the next number. Growth made the gap worse. As the inbound volume rose, so did the chance of losing work. Voicemail didn’t help. Shoppers rarely leave one. And as a small business owner he gets hammered by robo calls. All of this pressure lands on the same person who still has to run the business after the last wrench turn.
The Switch
A friend in plumbing who was already using Beside told Dave to try it. He had started a RingCentral setup and stalled out when it demanded scheduled trainings and manual onboarding.
With Beside, setup took minutes. He connected his number, let Beside learn from his website content, turned on text replies, and named his receptionist Luna. First change: the greeting. The difference was immediate. Calls were answered live while he kept working.
“I’m not trying to work to get this to work. I need it to work for me.”
The Transformation and Impact
Now the first ring is covered. Luna greets callers, collects the basics, and keeps shoppers from bouncing. Dave gets a clean summary that tells him what matters: who, where, what, and how urgent.
“Within the hour or less I’m reaching back out. If it’s urgent, I can see it and move.”
How a day feels now
Morning starts with a maintenance job. While Dave is rodding out a line, Luna answers an inbound about a leak. No glove removal. No sprint to the truck. The summary appears. It’s a true emergency nearby. Dave finishes the pass, calls back on speaker, and gives an ETA. In the afternoon, a scheduled commercial drain in Beverly Hills needs heavier gear.
“The summary cuts out the BS. I see what they asked, what Luna said, what I said. Done.”
During setup, a new referral texts in. Luna replies instantly, captures the address, and offers a callback time. Dave reviews the recap between pulls, slots them for tomorrow, and keeps the current job on schedule.
What this changed
- No more silent gaps – every caller hears a live, present greeting.
- Spam shield – Beside absorbs silent and robo calls so Dave doesn’t waste minutes peeling gloves for nothing.
- Real triage – summaries flag urgency so emergencies get a call back in minutes and estimates get scheduled later.
- Less mental load – when the day ends, there’s no mystery pile of missed numbers and vague memories. Everything is logged.
- Fewer losses – the first conversation happens with DSM even when Dave is in a crawl space. Shoppers stop dialing.
Working on the Business, Not Only in It
This is the quiet benefit. Beside gave Dave time and headspace to run DSM like a growing company. He keeps scheduling under his control today for efficiency. He groups jobs by geography, sequences parts runs, and uses Beside summaries as the intake that feeds that plan.
“I’m slowly graduating to the other side. I have to keep my guys busy and that means scheduling right, doing payroll, and planning routes.”
Personalizing Beside for a Plumbing Workflow
Dave tuned Beside for speed and trust.
- Greeting and tone – never broadcast unavailable. Lead with “This is DSM. How can I help you?”
- Website knowledge – point Beside at the DSM site so it speaks the right services and territory.
- Text replies – instant SMS answers when people text instead of call.
- Summaries for triage – treat the recap as the dispatcher note for urgency and next action.
“It was almost too easy. Boom, boom, it was already happening.”
The Human Story
This work is hands-on and face-to-face. Dave likes being the person who fixes the problem and calms the room. Beside protects that promise. It doesn’t replace Dave. It makes sure the conversation starts with him — even when he’s elbow-deep in a cleanout.
“People tell me, ‘You saved the day.’ That’s the best part. I build relationships. The money comes because plumbing is everywhere in the home.”
At a Glance
- Business: DSM Rooter – residential and commercial plumbing
- Team: 4 people including Dave
- Inbound: 3 to 5 real prospects daily plus high spam filtered out
- Setup: Custom greeting, website knowledge, text replies, summaries
- Impact: Fewer lost jobs, faster emergency response, lower stress, more time for payroll and planning
- Next: Dispatcher-style scheduling assist and job note or invoice integrations