Aquifer is a fast-growing distributor with a strong service mindset and a reputation for putting customers first. Founded in Saskatchewan back in 1968, it's a premier supplier of plumbing and heating equipment, pumps, waterworks, water treatment, and water purification equipment.
At a glance
- Industry
- HVAC
- Employees
- 200+
- Founded
- 1968
- Proton products
- CRMeCommerce AI
As Aquifer grew quickly over the last several years, the team started to feel growing pains with its sales process. It soon became obvious it was time for a new approach.
The challenge: growing pains for a much larger team
Aquifer has scaled from 13 to over 200 employees in the last 25 years, with much of that growth happening since 2020. More reps, more accounts, and more data broke the old way of tracking sales activity.
“Everybody had a different way of tracking their calls. We didn't have a CRM. And with the size we were—and the size we wanted to be—we knew we had to figure it out.”
Crystal Howat · Director of Technology and E-Commerce, AquiferEvery rep ran their own system: some scribbled on paper or sticky notes, others kept spreadsheets or dug through old emails. That worked well enough for a smaller team.
As the team grew, so did the gaps — sales managers couldn't see what was happening in the field, follow-ups slipped, reporting took hours, and handing off an account meant information fell through the cracks.
“Follow-ups weren't happening as much as everyone hoped,” noted Schaun Corbett, VP of Sales. Aquifer needed a system that could scale with the company and help it grow faster, instead of adding friction and headaches for the team.
How Aquifer works today: more structure, less guesswork
Every part of Aquifer's sales organization now runs through Proton.
Outside reps plan their day, log call notes, and prep for meetings on the go. The mobile app puts tasks, order history, and recent interactions on their phone while they travel, so they walk into every customer conversation prepared.
Reps are expected to contact every customer in their territory every six weeks, and Proton makes it easier to stay on track. “We want our reps focused on selling—not crunching numbers or interpreting data,” said Aaron Soloski, Sales Manager.
Inside reps and CSRs use Proton as a central hub. They assign tasks to outside reps, drop in quick updates, and use reorder prompts to suggest products before a customer even hits the counter.
Call notes changed the most. Instead of reps writing up Word documents that managers then had to summarize and format, reps log their own notes directly into Proton — where they're searchable, shareable, and actually get used.
“Just the ability to summarize and share call notes easily with the branch has been huge. We used to edit and summarize them manually, now it's just three clicks. It's probably gained us a day each week.”
Aaron Soloski · Sales Manager, AquiferStructured workflows and shared visibility made onboarding and coverage easier too. If a rep is sick or on vacation, anyone else can step in without missing a beat.
“If someone's off sick or on holiday, anybody on the team is able to jump into their accounts and know exactly what's happening,” said Crystal Howat. “That makes onboarding new reps and coverage easier, and helps us maintain the same level of customer service, whether the rep is in-house or not.”
Before
With Proton
Call tracking
BeforePaper, sticky notes, spreadsheets, old emails — a different system for every rep.
With ProtonOne record every rep, CSR, and manager works from, in the office or the field.
Call notes
BeforeReps wrote up Word documents that managers edited and summarized by hand.
With ProtonReps log their own notes — searchable, shareable, three clicks to send to the branch.
Coverage
BeforeHanding off an account was a challenge, and information fell through the cracks.
With ProtonAnyone can jump into a teammate's accounts and know exactly what's happening.
Commercial quotations: from no coordination to complete transparency
Aquifer's quotations team now works out of a dedicated commercial pipeline built specifically for how they manage bids. Before Proton, there was no coordination between branches.
“We used to see large projects quoted by our quotations team, but communication didn't always reach outside sales for proper follow-up,” said Schaun Corbett, Vice President of Sales. “Proton's had a big impact helping with that.”
Today, reps across offices can see which jobs are being quoted, which vendors are involved, and which customers are bidding.
“We've come a long way from having no visibility into commercial quotations to now having complete transparency. Reps don't need to go to the commercial quotations team anymore to find out if someone is bidding on a job. They can see it right there.”
Crystal Howat · Director of Technology and E-Commerce, AquiferQuoting used to happen in silos, which meant missed follow-ups and duplicate effort. Now the sales and quoting teams work in lockstep.
The results: how order value and monthly revenue climbed
Since going live with Proton in 2023, Aquifer has grown average order value by 47% and average monthly revenue by 34%. Four things got them there.
Reps walk in with the right context
Full account history, past call notes, reorder prompts, and AI-generated buying insights mean reps no longer waste time guessing what to pitch.
They arrive prepared to sell what each customer actually needs — and to upsell more effectively. “We're not just trying to make more calls, we're making more capable sales calls,” said Aaron Soloski, Sales Manager.
Time moved from admin work to selling
Instead of chasing down information, reps spend more time engaging with customers. Follow-ups happen faster, deals move forward, and managers have real-time pipeline visibility, so coaching and intervention happen quickly.
“The reps are spending a lot more time selling and a lot less time on admin tasks,” Aaron noted. “They're engaged with clients and more prepared. Increased revenue is a result of the reps being more on their game.”
One shared view across every team
Inside reps, CSRs, outside reps, and managers all see the same account, so everyone knows who's doing what, when. Handoffs are smoother, follow-ups don't get dropped, and managers can spot issues before they become problems.
AI points reps at the next opportunity
Product recommendations built on the behavior of similar accounts tell reps what to pitch next, so new revenue surfaces without relying on gut instinct.
It adds up to more impactful conversations, tighter handoffs between teams, and more consistent execution — which translates to better service, happier customers, higher order values, and increased monthly revenue.
The bottom line: a smarter, more scalable sales system
Proton has helped Aquifer scale its sales motion without sacrificing what made the company successful to begin with: strong service, trusted relationships, and a team-first mindset.
Now every team — outside sales, inside sales, commercial quotations — works from the same source of truth. Information flows easily across departments. Managers don't rely on gut feel. Reps prep faster, follow up more consistently, and walk into meetings ready to sell.
