What does it take to keep a plumbing business thriving for nearly four decades? For Arnold & Sons Plumbing in Peoria, Illinois, the answer has been consistent: deliver quality work, build a capable team, and keep improving.
Founded in 1988 by Randy Arnold, the company has grown from a family operation into a trusted local brand with 37 employees and 1500+ Google reviews. Reputation took them far. Growth demanded more.
When good wasn’t good enough
Before Plecto, performance data lived on whiteboards and in scattered spreadsheets. Updates lagged, reports took time, and insights often arrived after the moment to act had passed.
“You had to go in, pull different reports, update things manually… and sometimes it just didn’t happen consistently,” says Jen Johnson, Administrative Manager with 20 years at Arnold & Sons. The team was strong, but the tools were slow.
The turning point: Put live data where work happens
Switching to Plecto’s real-time dashboards changed the flow of information. Instead of hunting for numbers, staff saw them on screens across their call center, office, and warehouse. Now, Techs, CSRs, managers, and leadership were all on the same page regarding their performance and targets.
Arnold & Sons divided their dashboards by role
- Technicians: individual KPIs and job progress
- CSRs (3-Day Call Board): incoming workload and scheduling
- Sales: estimates and conversions at a glance
- Leadership: company-level overview and pace
Did visibility change behavior? “One hundred percent. They’re more on their game now,” Jen says. “They see how others are doing, and it motivates them to do better. Every time we implement a new dashboard, our minds are blown.”
Dashboards That Drive: Arnold & Sons’ Plecto Pivot
The move from manual reporting to live dashboards has done more than tidy up processes. It has shortened feedback loops and unlocked momentum:
- Early results show a 15–20% boost in performance, with continued improvement expected as usage deepens.
- Higher motivation and accountability. Real-time visibility helps people track progress and align with team goals.
- Same-day coaching. Managers now address issues immediately instead of waiting for weekly reviews.
- Time savings. Manual report pulling and whiteboard updates are replaced by a single source of truth, freeing hours for training and coaching.
- Genuine engagement. New dashboards spark interest and focus - “our minds are blown” has become a common reaction amongst the team members.
This isn’t only an efficiency story. It’s a culture story: KPIs moved from hidden spreadsheets to a shared, daily scoreboard.
Why dashboards work for frontline teams
Most service businesses measure the right things; what’s missing is speed to insight and frequency of action.
Arnold & Sons shows a practical way to close that gap. Make data visible. Surface live metrics where the work happens. That way, staying informed takes zero extra effort. Match views to roles. Every dashboard becomes relevant, and it’s immediately actionable. Shorten coaching cycles. Use live data to course-correct the same day. Recognize wins. Visible progress fuels timely praise, which drives steady improvement. Finally, iterate. Launch something simple. Watch how people use it. Refine it. Expand gradually.
The compounding effect
Arnold & Sons is open about Plecto adoption not being at 100% yet. That matters: the 15–20% uplift is a baseline, not a peak. Each new dashboard, clarified KPI, and coaching routine adds compounding value:
- fewer blind spots → fewer urgent fixes;
- more consistent coaching → fewer performance dips;
- better visibility → smoother scheduling and planning;
- shared context → faster decisions across levels.
Small steps, repeated, make improvements snowball.
The bottom line
Arnold & Sons didn’t change who they are. They changed how quickly they could see and act on what matters. The outcome—higher performance, stronger motivation, faster coaching, less busywork, and it all came from putting live data in their workflow.
Ready to change your game?
The right tools amplify good teams. If you operate in HVAC, plumbing, or any service field and want similar gains, give your data a stage.
Start a 14-day free trial of Plecto and see what happens when your numbers are as real-time as your work.
