Exert: When Imagiforce produced its 'Tips from the Pros - Pool Care" instructional videotape, they intended to provide a much needed service for pool owners. 

But the production company was unprepared for the overwhelming response from pool professionals:  Pool service companies ordered the tape to train employees; Pool builders offered free copies to new pool owners as part of their total pool package; County Health Departments ordered copies for their maintenance personnel; The Prince William Health District in Manassas, Virginia, intends to run portions of the tape on the cable television channel there in September; Hospitals with physical therapy pools even requested the tape as well as colleges that offer pool maintenance courses.

According to Greg F. Rutherford, Director of Hospitality Education at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, "W are using the "Tips from the Pros - Pool Care" video in our continuing education Pool Maintenance course.

"All involved have found the video to be well organized, informative and very beneficial for their needs," he said.

Imagiforce Inc. has produced educational videotapes for the science, aerospace, medical, defense and chemical industries.  Their crew is comprised of talent and technicians from the CBS, NBC, ABC and ESPN networks as well as major motion pictures.

EXERT: A new instructional videotape-"Tips from the Pros - Pool Care: will answer everything you always wanted to know about your pool maintenance but didn't know enough to ask.

The 51 minute tape covers ever possible aspect of  pool care in depth: how to properly perform tests; choosing pool products; understanding your filtration system; cleaning your pool; caring for a new plaster pool; how to get rid of algae and, most important, safety.

The tape was recognized by the Tampa Bay Chapter of the National Spa and Pool Institute because it's purely instructional - only generic products are used. According to Anne Force, two years of research with a biochemist at Olin Chemical Corp. yielded some common denominators that apply to every pool regardless of its shape or size.

" 'Tips from the Pros - Pool Care' was designed to provide a basic understanding of what happens in your pool," Force explains.  "Best of all, consumers can keep it as a reference library.  If they develop a problem with algae, they can advance the tape to the algae section to find out what to do about it.

Professional Broadcast Quality Pool Care Video   

Exert: " 'Tips from the Pros' is one of the nicest things anybody has ever come up with for the customers convenience," said pool builder Gene Adams, president of Adams Designer Pools.

"Tips from the Pros" also facilitates a better understanding of the professional's function and fee structure.

"We present it as part of our sales package when we first sell a pool," Adams said. "We tell our customers that they are going to get the video.  Then, at the time of start-up when we put the water in the pool and give the customer our instructions - we actually hand them the videotape."

The tape acts as a handy reference library for ongoing maintenance problems:  If a pool owner wakes up one morning with a green pool, he or she simply advances the tape to the segment on algae and finds out what to do about it.

EXERT: Pool builders and retailers can save themselves a lot of grief by marketing a tool that will save them unnecessary callbacks. One such tool that has reported continuing and enthusiastic success is "Tips from the Pros - Pool Care",  by Imagiforce.

As a tool, this video has much to recommend it: advice that can save the customer time and money, technical background that can save the builder.

Karen A. Force and Allen Hall narrate the pool owner through the often bewildering maze of jargon and information that otherwise may serve as a barrier to the first time pool owner. Perhaps sales presentations should include a showing of this film so the prospect will feel less daunted by the idea of owning a pool.  The video is well directed and photographed. Force and Hall establish a rapport with their private audience that could otherwise be lost in such a complex subject.

The video also benefits from labeling, in the upper left hand corner of the screen, of the various segments of pool care contained in the video. Thus, the viewer can refer to that area of swimming pool care that might require more attention, or a finer touch, to decide if the problem requires the summoning of an experienced professional.

More Coming Soon!

Articles from: Journal of Environmental Health, Service Industry News, Swimming Pool Age, Pool and Spa News and more!