Strategies for Pool Service Business Growth in 2025

Phones are still ringing, routes are full, yet many pool service owners feel like they are working harder for the same or thinner margins. Customers expect faster responses, spotless water, and digital convenience, all while labor and chemical costs climb and competitors race to undercut on price. Growth in this environment is less about saying “yes” to more stops and more about building a smarter, more resilient operation.

The good news: the broader pool market is expanding, and service companies that embrace technology, disciplined operations, and sharper positioning are set to capture a larger share of that demand. Strategic owners are already shifting from “route businesses” to modern service organizations that run on data, software, and repeatable processes.

Reading the Market: Demand Is Growing, But So Is Competition

Before adjusting strategy, it helps to understand where the market is actually heading. Several data points point to consistent growth in both residential and commercial pool service, even as operating conditions become more complex. The key opportunity is not just that there is more work available, but that the type of work and how it is delivered are both evolving.

Owners who track these trends can make more confident decisions about where to invest: which customers to target, what services to offer, and which technologies deserve a line item in the budget. Those choices separate companies that grow steadily from those that feel stuck despite a busy schedule.

Residential service remains a steady engine of growth

The U.S. pool maintenance and cleaning services market is projected to grow from an estimated value of $8.69 million in 2024 to about $11.36 million by 2031, reflecting a roughly 3.90% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), according to a recent analysis of the U.S. market. Residential service is a core driver of that expansion, as homeowners continue to prioritize outdoor living, water features, and backyard upgrades that require consistent upkeep.

On a broader scale, the global market for pool cleaning and maintenance services is expected to reach about $26.76 billion in 2025, growing at an estimated 7.2% CAGR, as robotic cleaners and smart systems become more common in everyday operations, according to a global pool maintenance report. For local service companies, that translates into more equipment to maintain, more owner expectations around automation, and more opportunity to package visits with technology support, sensor monitoring, and system upgrades instead of just chemistry checks.

Commercial, hospitality, and tourism pools are expanding the service pie

The commercial swimming pool service segment is also on an upward path, with the global commercial pool service market forecast to grow from around $4.80 billion in 2024 to approximately $5.21 billion in 2025, at an estimated annual growth rate of 8.7%, driven largely by new commercial construction and continued strength in tourism and hospitality, according to a recent commercial pool market analysis. Hotels, resorts, fitness centers, and multifamily properties want reliable, compliance-ready water care backed by documentation.

For service providers, this creates room to diversify beyond purely residential routes. Companies that develop the processes and documentation needed for commercial accounts-such as detailed digital logs, strict visit windows, and clear incident tracking-can smooth revenue seasonality and build longer, more stable contracts. That stability becomes especially important in cycles where residential spending pauses but commercial obligations remain.

Aligning With the Bigger Pool & Spa Market Trajectory

Pool service does not exist in a vacuum; it rides alongside construction, renovation, and equipment upgrades. The broader pool and spa ecosystem is expanding, creating a larger installed base that will need ongoing care. Service businesses that anticipate where that base is growing can decide which regions and partnerships to prioritize.

The pool and spa market overall is estimated to be valued at about $26.2 billion in 2025 and projected to reach roughly $49.4 billion by 2035, representing a compound annual growth rate near 6.6%, according to a global pool and spa market forecast. That trajectory signals more pools, more spas, and more complex systems entering the field-each one an ongoing revenue opportunity for well-positioned service companies.

Industry resilience despite inflation and labor pressures

Pool service businesses are navigating higher input costs, tough labor markets, and customers who are more value-conscious. Despite that, many companies continue to grow by refining pricing strategies, tightening routes, and improving customer engagement, as highlighted in a recent analysis of the state of pool service, which emphasized how owners are adapting to inflation and labor shortages in creative ways.

Jack Nelson, CEO of Skimmer, summed up this dynamic by noting that the pool service industry is undergoing significant change but that the resilience and adaptability of pool professionals stand out, according to a detailed industry feature on the latest Skimmer State of Pool Service findings. That combination of structural demand and operator resilience suggests that companies willing to evolve their model have real room to outperform peers over the coming years.

Run a Tech-First Pool Service Operation

Growth now depends less on adding more accounts manually and more on orchestrating the entire operation with software. Leading companies treat their business like a logistics and customer-experience platform: every visit, image, reading, part, and invoice flows through one connected system. That shift turns daily chaos into predictable workflows.

The market for pool service software reflects how quickly the industry is digitizing. The global pool service software market is expected to increase from around $485.2 million in 2024 to roughly $1,247.8 million by 2033, representing an estimated compound annual growth rate of 11.1%, according to a recent software market study. Owners who adopt these tools early gain a meaningful advantage in efficiency, visibility, and professionalism.

Use software to make every route more profitable

Modern pool service platforms centralize customer data, equipment histories, water chemistry logs, and job notes so technicians always know what they are walking into. Route optimization tools cut drive time, reduce fuel use, and allow dispatchers to rebalance workloads in real time. Automated work orders and checklists ensure every visit is consistent, whether a senior tech or a new hire is on-site.

Billing and collections are another major lever. Integrated software can trigger invoices automatically from completed jobs, apply stored payment methods, and send reminders without manual follow-up. When payments flow reliably, cash flow stabilizes and the business can invest in better equipment, training, and marketing without overextending.

Leverage robotic cleaners and smart systems, not compete with them

Far from replacing technicians, robotic cleaners and smart monitors create new layers of service. The growing role of robotic pool cleaners and intelligent maintenance systems is a key factor behind the expected rise of the global pool cleaning and maintenance services market to about $26.76 billion by 2025, with an anticipated 7.2% CAGR, as noted in a recent market report on pool maintenance services. As more homeowners and commercial operators adopt this equipment, they look for professionals who can install, configure, troubleshoot, and maintain it.

Service companies can build premium offerings around this shift: remote monitoring plans that include alerts and priority dispatch, seasonal inspections of robotic units, firmware updates, and recommendations on upgrades. Instead of billing only for manual vacuuming or skimming, the business becomes a full-service water systems partner, with recurring revenue tied to both physical labor and digital oversight.

Protect Margins With Smarter Pricing and Service Design

Growth without healthy margins quickly becomes unsustainable. Rising costs for chemicals, fuel, trucks, and labor are squeezing many operators, especially those still pricing based on outdated assumptions. The most successful companies are rethinking how they structure and communicate pricing so that every account contributes appropriately to profitability.

Industry research on the state of pool service notes that owners are experimenting with strategic price adjustments, travel surcharges, and structured service tiers to stay ahead of inflation and labor pressures. Customers are generally willing to accept these changes when they are clearly tied to rising input costs and improvements in reliability, communication, and service quality.

Shift from reactive visits to packaged service plans

One of the most reliable ways to stabilize revenue is to move away from ad hoc, emergency-heavy work toward clearly defined service plans. Packages that bundle regular cleaning, basic parts, on-call troubleshooting, and seasonal open-and-close support encourage customers to think in terms of outcomes-clear, safe water year-round-instead of single visits.

With software tracking time on-site, chemical usage, and return visits, owners can refine these packages based on real data. Underpriced plans can be adjusted, while profitable patterns can be replicated across similar customer profiles. That data-driven approach not only improves margins but also makes pricing decisions easier to explain and justify to customers.

Deliver a Customer Experience That Feels Premium

From the homeowner’s perspective, pool service used to be a black box: a tech arrived, did some work, left a paper door hanger, and disappeared. Expectations are different now. Customers judge their service providers against every other digital experience they have, from food delivery to ride-sharing and online banking.

Service businesses that treat communication and transparency as core products-not afterthoughts-see higher retention, more referrals, and less price sensitivity. That starts with giving customers consistent visibility into what was done, what is recommended, and what to expect next.

Turn every visit into a documented, shareable story

Instead of quick handwritten notes, leading teams send visit summaries with photos, chemical readings, and comments right after each stop. A modern field service platform can capture this data on the technician’s mobile device and send it instantly via email or customer portal. That simple change transforms an invisible task into a tangible value the customer can see and share.

Self-service tools add another layer: portals where customers can check upcoming appointments, approve quotes, pay invoices, and request extra work without calling the office. Not only does this reduce administrative time, it gives customers the sense that their pool is being managed proactively and professionally, which supports premium positioning.

Build a Team and Culture That Can Actually Scale

Labor shortages are consistently cited as one of the toughest challenges in recent industry research on pool service businesses, particularly in regions with strong construction booms and tourism-driven demand. Many companies struggle to find and retain technicians with both technical skills and customer-facing professionalism.

Scaling a pool service operation requires more than just hiring more techs. It calls for building a system that makes new hires productive quickly, protects safety, and preserves service quality as routes expand. Technology helps, but culture and process do the heavy lifting.

Standardize the work, then train to the standard

Clear, repeatable workflows are the foundation for consistent service. Digital checklists embedded in mobile apps ensure that critical steps-testing, dosing, equipment checks, photo documentation-are completed on every visit. That structure reduces reliance on memory and individual habits, which is essential when the team includes a mix of seasoned techs and newer recruits.

Regular training sessions that draw on real field data and photos help technicians see patterns and learn from each other. When paired with performance dashboards-showing things like on-time arrival rates, callbacks, and upsell performance-leaders can coach based on facts rather than anecdotes and reward behaviors that support both customer satisfaction and profitability.

Decide How to Play in a Consolidating Industry

Private equity has discovered the pool and spa service space in a big way, backing roll-ups that acquire local and regional players to build larger, more efficient entities. Recent reporting on the state of pool service highlights how investment firms are buying service companies to gain scale, streamline operations, and expand into new geographies.

This consolidation wave affects every operator, whether or not they plan to sell. Larger, well-funded competitors can put pressure on prices and recruiting, but they also validate the long-term value of recurring service revenue. Independent owners have a strategic choice: become attractive acquisition targets, stay intentionally independent and specialized, or pursue acquisitions themselves on a smaller scale.

Position your business for optionality

Even if a sale is not on the immediate horizon, running the company as if investors were evaluating it brings discipline. Clean financials, documented processes, low dependence on any single person, and strong retention metrics increase both valuation potential and operational resilience. These same traits also make it easier to negotiate favorable terms with lenders, landlords, and partners.

For owners interested in acquisitions, the path often starts with creating a repeatable integration playbook: how to standardize pricing, migrate customers into a unified software platform, align branding, and retain key technicians from acquired companies. That way, each additional purchase adds value instead of operational chaos.

Translating Strategy Into Concrete Next Steps

Growth strategies only matter if they show up in the calendar and budget. With market demand rising across residential, commercial, and spa segments-as reflected in forecasts for both the U.S. service market and the broader global pool and spa market -the window is open for well-run companies to capture share.

For most businesses, the most impactful near-term moves fall into a few categories: upgrading core software to get a real-time view of routes and profitability, tightening pricing and packages based on data, elevating the customer experience with better communication, and investing in team development and standardization. Layered on top of that, owners can define their stance on consolidation-whether that means preparing to sell, staying proudly independent, or selectively acquiring neighbors.

Pool service will always involve physical work in real backyards and mechanical rooms. What separates the growth leaders is how they combine that hands-on expertise with technology, data, and deliberate strategy. Companies that make those shifts now will not just ride the next wave of demand; they will define what excellent pool service looks like in the years ahead.