Customer problems are never a problem for Gordon Barnes, managing partner of B&R Portable Restrooms in Brownsburg, Indiana. It’s a chance to learn, develop solutions and build stronger relations with customers.
“When I started managing B&R in 2024, we were having all of these problems with self-contained freshwater systems for flush toilets in our trailers,” he says. “We were getting calls every day that they were freezing up. I'm a hands-on person, so I wanted to see the problem for myself. That way I could understand what a solution might look like.”
Barnes took along a seasoned employee, visited the trailer locations, introduced himself to the client, and together they found that the tanks simply didn’t have enough insulation to keep them from freezing. Crews first built insulated sheds around the units and later outfitted them with tank boxes featuring heated systems from Ready2Go Trailer Sales.
“It was the problem, and the fact that we cared enough to fix it, that established a stronger client relationship,” Barnes says.
In another case, where the construction manager reported that portable restroom service was irregular, Barnes drove to the site with his operations manager to resolve the issue. He discovered that the site had experienced significant rain, and the construction contractor had moved the portables to a lower elevation at the job site.
“We pointed out that the dump trucks driving through the area were creating so much mud that our guys couldn't get down there,” Barnes says. “We moved the portables to the outside edge of this low area where we could service them. He was delighted, because we demonstrated that we cared about their problem — and fixed it.”
In another case, a 40-story hotel in downtown Indianapolis was surrounded by one-way streets and the portable restrooms were located in the basement. Following a site evaluation, B&R worked out a precision logistical plan to service the units.
“It's through that pain that we grew our expertise,” Barnes says. “I look at customer problems such as these as a great opportunity. Don't run from problems — run toward them because there's something good there. Go out, show your face, figure out the problem, give them a timeline to fix it, and create the solution. It’s a great opportunity to create more business.”
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