RoofCON highlights technology, need to be more than ‘just a roofer’

Paul Perez walked the trade show floor at RoofCON in Orlando, Florida, in November, weaving among the many roofing- and solar-specific booths targeting an industry that’s on the precipice of change.

Perez is the owner of Texas Family Roofing and Construction in San Antonio, Texas. He’s been in construction since 1999 and has operated his roofing business for seven years.

But don’t mistakenly call him a roofer.

“We're a marketing company that does roofing,” Perez said with a smirk. “Or a networking company that does roofing.”

The change in title comes as he prepares for big industry changes. And it all revolves around one thing: technology.

Perez comes from an era where all of his customers’ information was stored in file folders in his truck. But now, with iPhones, iPads and computers taking over, that file folder has been relegated to his attic in favor of a paperless method that has allowed Perez to focus more on his business and less on chasing a paper trail. 

It’s the same sweeping technological changes that have helped other trades, such as HVAC, plumbing and electrical.

Now, those changes are coming for roofing, Perez explained.

“If you don't use technology, you don't really own a roofing company,” Perez said. “You're just a roofer. There's a big difference.”

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Finding the right tools

Mathew Appell agrees—and he’s trying to keep up.

The owner of Xtreme Roofing and Construction (XRC) in Sanford, Florida, has seen how fast technology has changed the industry.

“From social media to marketing, it's crazy different than it was just a year ago,” said Appell, who has run XRC for 11 years. “I used to do a lot of Facebook marketing and Google marketing. I can't do it anymore. It's so complex, and it's so fast.

“There's so much information being driven to the customer that it's very hard to keep up with it as an owner. Plus, trying to figure out how to grow your business, employee support, etc. It's a lot.”

Part of the reason he and his family (who also work at XRC) attended RoofCON was to find an all-in-one customer relationship management (CRM) software solution to help their growing company stay at the forefront of these rapid changes.

That’s what brought them to the ServiceTitan booth. This year, the all-in-one CRM software for the trades started serving the roofing industry. Appell was well aware. He’s followed ServiceTitan for years and saw it as a potential CRM fit for his business, from easily tracking KPIs to the software’s numerous marketing functions.

“For me as an owner, I want to be able to surround myself and my team with the best tools to support our customers,” Appell said. “The ease of a tech being able to go out and have the data right there to sell a customer, instantly qualify them and give them the information. 

“Customer care is our big thing.”

‘Roofers are technology companies’

One person at RoofCON already had a headstart using ServiceTitan for their roofing businesses—and he happened to be a keynote speaker.

Lance Bachmann is the owner of LB Capital Group, a private equity firm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, that partners with and expands home services businesses. He has taken roofing companies and multiplied their revenues by putting them on ServiceTitan. One such company is Cherry Roofing and Siding, which has grown from $2.5 million in revenue to pacing at more than $20 million this year.

Bachmann went through his “10 Golden Business Principles” during his keynote speech. Point No. 3 on the list focused on technology.

“I truly believe this: You need to use technology. My technology of choice is ServiceTitan,” Bachmann said. “Roofers are technology companies. And once they understand that, you're going to blow things up really, really quick.”

Be at the top of your game

Nobody needed to explain to Perez what ServiceTitan was. After all, he’s not just a roofing company. He’s also a consumer and a homeowner.

“When I’m looking for a plumber, they use ServiceTitan. When I'm looking for an HVAC company, they use ServiceTitan,” Perez said. “Those companies are way more advanced than the roofing industry.”

Perez sees the automation capabilities of those other industries and how every step, from lead to paid customer, is easily facilitated with technology. He knows the roofing industry—and especially his growing company—would benefit from that, too. Things like automated text messaging to remind customers of appointments, or easily communicating with his techs and arming them with customer information.

Perez is excited about what the future holds—and he wants to be on the cutting-edge of these changes.

“If I want to be at the top of my game, I have to be using (technology) that nobody's using.”