Ty Faust grew up working in his father’s HVAC business, H.J. Faust Inc. Heating & Air Conditioning, a residential new construction and add-on replacement shop in Burlington, Wisconsin.
But when he left to pursue a career in the tech industry, Faust knew he’d be back.
It may have taken 13 years, but when he returned to H.J. Faust as the second-generation owner, he brought with him everything he’d learned from the tech industry.
“It was a wave of technology that came (back) with me. I got labeled (as a) ‘paper hater,’” Faust said with a laugh.
In 2022, Faust moved his team over to ServiceTitan, a field service software that allowed his team to quickly track information like callbacks, billable efficiency and average ticket price in seconds.
“(We use) actual data instead of (thinking), ‘Yeah, I feel like that went pretty well,’” Faust said. “(We can) take a look and see how well it really did go, from a numbers and a customer review standpoint.”
That’s given Faust’s team an edge in a challenging market.
“Where we get our data, the word on the street is (that) the industry is going to be down another 4% this year,” Faust said. “Our goal (is) to grow 10% this year.”
Move fast. Surprisingly fast
Tracking job costs used to be a tedious task at H.J. Faust.
Before joining ServiceTitan, techs would jot down a list of all the materials and equipment they used on a job. Someone in the front office would then painstakingly add each individual price to the project file.
ServiceTitan has automated much of that job costing work. Now, techs use their tablets to clock in, take notes and add materials to a job, which means labor and materials costs are always up to date.
“It gives us a really good, detailed view on every job, of really what the mix is in terms of our revenue and our expenses,” Faust said.
In fact, ServiceTitan automated so many reporting processes, the accountant for H.J. Faust had to ask for more work to do.
“(ServiceTitan) shaved a significant amount of time off of that position, to the point where (...) we can have her working on other projects that could either be revenue generating, or further the efficiencies in (accounting),” Faust said. “It's been a massive efficiency gain in that sense.”
When Excel sheets don’t cut it anymore
ServiceTitan can do more than the average spreadsheet. Here’s how the software supports H.J. Faust’s team:
Projects: Faust said ServiceTitan’s project tracking tools give him “real-time visibility” into project budgets and timelines—without him needing to hunt down a project manager.
Lead tracking: Faust’s team uses ServiceTitan to track tech-generated leads and follow-ups so they never miss a sales opportunity. Those leads add up: When the company expanded into doing add-on replacement work, ServiceTitan helped the team add nearly 1,000 new customers in one year.
Inventory: Faust can’t wait to use ServiceTitan’s inventory management tools. Unlike the Excel sheets the team uses currently, ServiceTitan offers tools like barcode readers, purchase order management and warranty tracking to simplify life in the warehouse.
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Another generation of success
Today, Faust isn’t the only “paper hater” in the office—his team quickly embraced ServiceTitan and the smoother workflows it provides.
And employees aren’t the only ones benefiting from the software.
With ServiceTitan’s powerful customer relationship management tools, H.J. Faust exceeds customers’ expectations through features like automated appointment reminders, technician bios and updated arrival times sent via text message.
“We got a lot of responses (where customers say), ‘I want to tell you, seeing the tech's picture (...), so I know who's coming to my house and when, has been crucial to that higher level of customer experience," Faust said.
And while Faust admits he could “geek out” over the tech behind ServiceTitan all day, he ultimately sees the software as a means to further the family legacy by better serving his customers and his team.
“That’s success,” he said. “That’s when I get that kind of warm and fuzzy feeling.”
And it doesn’t look like that feeling is going away any time soon.
“When you look at the numbers of second-generation companies and the success rate of them, I am very happy that we are where we are right now,” Faust said.
