In April 2025, we visited CS Heating & Plumbing, based out in Ramsgate. They’ve been around for about 16 years and since 2011, have been using Commusoft to help run their business.
While Calvin Smith, Director at CS Heating, began his career using traditional methods like paper diaries to run his business, he quickly saw the need to embrace technology.
By going down that route, Calvin and his wife were able to rapidly evolve and grow their business.
They embraced digital transformation and adopted Commusoft, and it’s clear to see the incredible growth has that’s impacted themselves, their employees, and their customers.
Below, you can learn all about their journey with software, so let’s dive right in:
Before Commusoft: The Challenges of a Paper-Based System
Before integrating Commusoft, CS Heating & Plumbing, like many plumbing and heating businesses, relied heavily on manual processes.
Calvin Smith, Director at CS Heating, recalls the early days of working with a paper diary to help him keep track of jobs, and wearing a headset to make sure he could answer calls, even whilst out on a job.
A chance encounter with a friend, though, gave Calvin the inspiration and motivation to go digital and seek out tools that would save him from a lot of extra admin.
It meant that he was able to see jobs on his phone and respond to customers remotely; this made it so much easier to avoid missing jobs and keep himself on track.
Since adopting Commusoft, Calvin has been able to grow beyond where they began, as a husband and wife team working in their conservatory.
They have a large fleet of vans and employ 25 people, carrying out a mixture of domestic and commercial-scale work.
Reflecting on the growth of CS Heating, Calvin says that:
“Without Commusoft, I wouldn’t have been able to grow as big as we are. I thought it would be me and three guys, and it probably would be if I was still using my written diary.”
This dependence on paper records presented significant hurdles, including inefficiencies in job scheduling, lack of real-time field updates, and a more sluggish customer service process.
This meant it was all to easy to lose track of who owed money and delivering on the promise of a high-quality service, something that motivates Calvin to this day:
“I founded CS Heating on some very basic principles of: never lying to customers, turning up on time every time, and answering the phone. It sounds very basic, but as a plumbing and heating company, that’s a USP. “
Since adopting Commusoft, delivering on those principles has been easier than ever, not just for Calvin, but for any employee on his team.
They have access to an all-in-one platform that provides them with essential data that can help them deliver excellent customer service.
Without a centralised system, Calvin says they simply wouldn’t be able to manage their workload.
Instead, with software, it’s like having double the amount of office staff, but half of it’s a software system.
This means one team member can complete more work, with less difficulty. Engineers in the field face don’t face difficulties like accessing job information in the field, either and everyone can easily keep track of appointments which leading to more efficient job management.
All in all, there’s a cumulative, positive impact on customer satisfaction and this helps boost the company’s growth potential, too.
The Turning Point: Implementing Commusoft
The decision to implement Commusoft marked a pivotal turn in CS Heating’s operational strategy and since 2011, Calvin has seen his company transform.
Commusoft’s wide array of features enabled CS Heating & Plumbing to address their pain points effectively and efficiently, meaning the principles that Calvin mentioned above can be acted upon and delivered, every day.
Automation features within Commusoft transformed how CS Heating handled routine tasks. Processes that once required significant time investment became streamlined, freeing up the team to focus on more critical tasks and strategic initiatives.
Innovation hasn’t stopped there.
More recently, Commusoft launched the Job Dashboard which gives the entire team the ability to easily manage and monitor all active, planned, and completed jobs from a single interface.
Paul Deadmon, Operations Manager at CS Heating, spoke highly of this new addition, saying the dashboard has been a gamechanger.
“It’s a new release, but probably one of the best you’ve ever done. It’s one of the two features we could not do without.”
This dashboard became a cornerstone for both office staff and field engineers, ensuring everyone is on the same page, see what they need to see, and ultimately, it reduces the likelihood of errors.
New Era of Customer Service and Team Efficiency
One of the most profound impacts of adopting Commusoft was the enhancement of customer service. Both Calvin Paul spoke of how much good customer service means to them, and Commusoft helps support that drive.
“Commusoft is all about the customer journey, and that’s what we pride ourselves on,” says Paul.
With instant access to customer histories, timely updates from field engineers, and automated reminders and follow-ups, CS Heating improved their customer interactions significantly.
Customers now enjoy a seamless experience, which in turn bolsters customer loyalty and referrals.
A Future Powered by Commusoft
Today, CS Heating & Plumbing’s success stands as a testament to the power of digital transformation.
When we visited, they were in the middle of upgrading to a new office and expanding their fleet of vans (including those powered on renewable energy), and with awards decorating their walls, it was easy to see the genuinely positive impact they’ve had on their industry and their customers.
All in all, Calvin says that it’s:
“because of Commusoft, because of using a CRM, that I’ve been able to expand the business.”
with Paul elaborating by saying that:
“Without the system, I don’t think we would be where we are. It’s all the little implementations that we make on the system: It just makes us better.”
There’s no doubt that it’s the graft and determination of their leadership and staff that has got them to where they are, but helped along by using the right tools to overcome inefficiencies that would have otherwise got in their way.
The future of CS Heatign & Plumbing is right indeed and as they look to the future, Commusoft is excited to work with them in a partnership that will help their success and growth continue.
By sharing their experience, CS Heating hopes to inspire other businesses facing similar challenge.
If you’re considering how how a digital tool like Commusoft can unlock new opportunities and drive sustainable growth for you business, don’t hesitate: reach out below!
Watch Calvin and Paul’s full Testimonial on Youtube, too.
