A plumbing rehash specialist works the estimates that didn't sell, such as a new water heater or a sewer repair, plus callers who asked about a price and never booked. They learn what held the homeowner back, answer questions, and get a plumber or sales rep back out to finish the sale.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $32,000, middle half $34,670 to $46,450, 90th percentile $49,820. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Sales Manager
Department
Sales
Schedule
Weekdays, occasional evening calls · Homeowners are easiest to reach after work, so some days run late. Busier during a promotion or after a hard freeze.
Serve as the primary point of contact for re-engaging lost leads and prospects in the plumbing sector. Leverage industry expertise to boost additional revenue by converting revisits into profitable opportunities. Enhance customer relationships and support the overall growth and success of the company.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Revisit and follow up with past and lost leads to re-establish relationships.
Identify potential opportunities within existing pipelines and convert to scheduled service appointments.
Collaborate with the sales and operations teams to ensure seamless customer engagement.
Analyze customer feedback and concerns to refine re-engagement strategies.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Make outbound calls and send follow-up emails to prospects who have not responded to previous communications.
Document and update customer interactions and feedback within the CRM system.
Coordinate with the field service team to schedule service appointments efficiently.
Monitor and report daily progress toward lead conversion and revenue targets.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Lead Conversion Rate: Achieve a minimum conversion rate of 20%.
Average Revenue per Re-engaged Lead: Target an incremental revenue of at least $150 per successfully re-engaged lead.
Follow-up Efficiency: Maintain a callback rate of less than 5%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Secure an average rating of greater than 4.8 stars on service follow-ups.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in sales, marketing, or a related field.
A minimum of 2 years’ experience in re-engagement, telesales, or customer success roles.
Strong communication, negotiation, and customer service skills.
Familiarity with CRM software and data-driven sales metrics.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous work experience in the plumbing, HVAC, or home services industries.
Demonstrated success in converting cold or lost leads into active accounts.
Experience working in a fast-paced, target-driven sales environment.
A background in consultative selling and customer retention strategies.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit or stand for extended periods while making calls and handling administrative tasks.
Occasionally lift or transport light materials (up to 15 lbs) for promotional activities.
Work in an office setting with standard ergonomic requirements.
Capability to work in a busy, dynamic environment with occasional client-facing interactions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional extended hours during peak service periods or promotional campaigns.
Minimal travel requirements, primarily local office and field site visits.
Occasional on-call duties to support urgent follow-up needs.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Base Salary Range: $40,000 - $50,000 per year, commensurate with experience.
Performance-based bonuses and commission structure available based on conversion metrics.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance coverage.
401(k) plan and other fringe benefits such as paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a collaborative and innovative environment where every team member’s contribution is valued.
Our culture is built on integrity, dedication, and continuous learning, empowering employees to achieve personal and professional growth.
We prioritize customer satisfaction and excellence, striving to exceed service expectations every day.
Join a forward-thinking team committed to driving success in the home services industry while supporting your career advancement.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
The specialist calls people who already met one of your plumbers or reps. Many had the urgent problem fixed that day and put the bigger job off.
Three lists to work
Rehash in plumbing pulls from three places. There are unsold estimates for big jobs like a new water heater, a whole-house repipe or a sewer repair. There are repair options a service plumber wrote up that the homeowner passed on. And there are callers who asked about a price and never booked. Decide which lists the specialist owns, and in what order, before the first day.
Fixed for now, not for good
A plumber often clears the drain, patches the pinhole leak or swaps a valve, then quotes the bigger fix for later. The homeowner has water again and stops worrying. The specialist reads the plumber's notes and photos, then times the call to the problem: soon for a tank that's already leaking, before the next freeze for a patched pipe. Stick to what the plumber found, with no scare talk.
Show them the problem again
People put off jobs they can't see. A sewer camera clip, or photos of a corroded fitting or a rusted tank, helps a spouse who wasn't home understand the estimate. The specialist resends them with the plumber's notes. For technical questions, they get the plumber on the phone instead of guessing.
Price-only callers have a shorter calling window
Do-not-call rules handle your lists differently. A homeowner who paid you, even just a service fee, can be called for 18 months after that purchase, registry or not. A caller who only asked about a price can be called for three months. Anyone who says stop goes on your company's own list, and sales calls run only from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. where the homeowner lives. Source: FTC: Q&A for telemarketers and sellers about the do-not-call provisions.
Someone else may have to say yes
Many plumbing estimates stall because the person on the phone can't decide alone. A condo association may control work on shared pipes, a rental's owner may live out of town, and a homeowner with water damage may wait to hear from the insurance adjuster first. The specialist asks who decides and sends that person the written estimate and photos.
How much plumbing rehash specialists make
The closest BLS group for plumbing rehash specialists is telemarketers. Telemarketers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $18.65 an hour ($38,790 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $35,450 median for telemarketers in all industries. About 580 of the 58,430 telemarketers in that survey work for plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Hourly or salaried, with a commission or bonus when a job sells after the specialist's follow-up. Decide in writing how credit splits with the plumber or rep who wrote the estimate.
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$38,790$38,790 median Middle half $34,670–$46,450 10th–90th $32,000–$49,820
All industries
$35,450$35,450 median Middle half $29,640–$40,230 10th–90th $27,040–$50,350
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$32,000
$34,670
$38,790
$46,450
$49,820
All industries
$27,040
$29,640
$35,450
$40,230
$50,350
BLS reports plumbing and HVAC contractors together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Sounds like the plumber's office checking in, not a call center
Accepts a firm no and closes the lead
Gets the real reason behind a "maybe later" and logs it
Keeps up with the follow-up list on busy and slow days alike
Explains a quote in plain words without overselling
Teach these on the job
Plumbing basics: tank and tankless heaters, repipe materials, sewer repair options
Reading a financing quote and explaining the monthly payment
Federal calling hours, do-not-call lists and how to log a stop request
The estimate and follow-up screens in your CRM
Which questions go back to the plumber who wrote the estimate
Daily work comes from the open estimate and unbooked call lists in the CRM or job software. Calls and texts logged in the phone system keep the history in one place, and access to job photos and sewer camera clips lets the specialist resend them.
Plumbing rehash specialist interview questions
They have their own page: 6 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
Pull these weekly from your CRM's open estimates. Judge each month against a year ago, since a January full of freeze repairs leaves a very different list than a quiet May.
Lead Conversion Rate
Jobs booked or sold from the specialist's lists, divided by the leads worked that month. Report unsold estimates and unbooked callers apart, since a drain call books more easily than a repipe.
Average Revenue per Re-engaged Lead
Revenue from jobs the specialist won back, divided by the leads they re-engaged. Use invoiced revenue after cancellations, and split it by job type so one big sewer job doesn't hide a slow month.
Follow-up Efficiency
The template frames this as a callback rate. Count follow-ups that slipped: customers who called you because a promised call never came, plus tasks still open after their due date. Go through the overdue tasks every Friday.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Ask customers the specialist won back to rate the experience once the job is done. Read low scores for pressure on the phone or promises the crew didn't keep.
Career path
CSRHears why callers balk at a price and learns how to answer.
Rehash specialistWorks open estimates and unbooked calls until they book or close.
What does a rehash specialist do in a plumbing company?
They reach homeowners who got a quote but didn't book, learn why, and set the next step: a second visit, a financing option, or a check-in date. They log every reason so the sales manager can spot patterns, such as price, timing or a spouse who wasn't home. Some also call past customers who are due for service, such as a water heater flush.
How much does a plumbing rehash specialist make?
Telemarketers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $18.65 an hour ($38,790 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $34,670 and $46,450 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Which plumbing estimates are worth a follow-up call?
Start with jobs where waiting can cost the homeowner more: a water heater the plumber flagged as leaking or near failure, a sewer line with roots or a sag on camera, and leaks that were only patched. Then work planned jobs like repipes, softeners and fixture upgrades. Small drain tickets rarely need a rehash call unless the customer never booked.
Can a rehash specialist lower the price?
Only inside rules the sales manager sets. Give the specialist approved options, such as a tank with a shorter warranty, a financing plan, or a set seasonal offer. Avoid one-off phone discounts. Customers talk to neighbors, and plumbers stop trusting the price book when quotes drop after they leave.
How soon should the follow-up start?
While the visit is still fresh, usually within a couple of days. The plumber or rep can text a thank-you with the estimate the same day; then the specialist takes over. Plan a call, a text and an email across the following month, then a check-in before the problem's season comes back, like the first freeze for a patched pipe.
Can a CSR handle rehash part time?
Yes, and it's a sensible way to start. The risk is that incoming calls always win, so follow-ups slip on busy days. Block set hours for rehash, give the CSR their own list in the CRM, and track their results apart from booking. When the list stays long, it's time for a dedicated specialist.
