While working for Penguin Air & Home Services in Arizona, Jay Kline saw the company grow 118% within five years after switching to ServiceTitan’s field management software.
“I would say the biggest thing is not being afraid to change,” says Kline, operations manager at Penguin Air & Home Services. “Not being afraid to take the time to implement some of (ServiceTitan’s best practices), because they really help streamline, make things more efficient, more profitable, and just improve the experience for employees and customers.”
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Owners Wade Rusk and Will Hallett started the company 10 years ago with two technicians, one install crew, and one office employee. Now the company employs 80 people and offers HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services to residents in Phoenix, Tucson, and surrounding areas.
Beginning in the Trades
Growing up, Kline worked for his family’s heating and air conditioning company. He remembers riding around in the service truck with his dad and grandpa, and discovered he enjoyed working with his hands.
When he began college at Pima Community College in Tucson, he thought he’d left the trades behind.
“It turned out, what’s a better job to have than working HVAC while going to college?” Kline says. “I could work all summer long, make most of my money in the summer. I’d help out during Christmas break. But I just honestly fell in love with the business. People, customers, all the different interactions, having something different every day.”
After Kline graduated from Arizona State University, he started working with one of the owners of Penguin Air & Home Services, and liked it so much, he decided to stay in the business. Now he’s been with the company for eight years.
The company grew but wanted to prioritize customer service, while keeping a small-company feel.
“We don’t want our employees to feel like a number,” KIine says. “We don’t want our customers to feel like we’re too big to care. Keep the internal customer base happy (our employees), and the external customer base happy, and just provide them great customer service across the board.”
That’s where ServiceTitan came in.
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Switching to All-in-One ServiceTitan Software
Penguin Air & Home Services switched to ServiceTitan six years ago. Right before the switch, the company generated nearly $6 million year-end.
“We kept having a lot of software issues, a lot of failures, and were constantly having to reboot and reset the system,” Kline says of the company’s old software. “We were really reaching their maximum capacity.”
One of the biggest reasons for the switch was ServiceTitan’s mobile capability in the field, with the pricebook, correlating pictures, and ability to build a customer experience. Penguin Air was one of the first to make the full swap to ServiceTitan Mobile 2.0.
“It was a learning curve, and we had to do some new things,” Kline says, adding the company also transitioned its accounting to QuickBooks, which seamlessly integrates with ServiceTitan software.
“We’re really big on that customer experience and really being transparent with the customer as to what options they’re getting, what sales they’re getting. So for us, that was really the main push to go that route.”
Change Facilitates Growth
After the software switch, Kline says, ServiceTitan proved very responsive to his company’s suggestions for changes and additions to the software.
“We felt like at the beginning we were a little bit ahead, like, ‘Hey, ServiceTitan, we’d like you to do this,’” Kline says. “And great credit to ServiceTitan, because you guys were great in helping really facilitate those changes and creating custom additions in the software for us.
“It’s funny, because now it’s kind of flipped. You guys are growing too fast for us. The updates, the additions, the improvements, and the enhancements you guys are making to the software are awesome.”
Kline’s job entails making sure the company utilizes ServiceTitan software to its fullest extent. The company looks forward to ServiceTitan’s new releases of an inventory platform and payroll module in the future.
“There’s no other software like it,” Kline says, emphasizing the benefits of simplicity, streamlined operations, and superior customer experience.
Kline explains how using ServiceTitan software over other platforms improves operations at Penguin Air & Home Services:
On Progressing to Paperless
Going paperless caused absolutely no issues for Penguin Air.
“Customers were happy to get their emailed invoice, and now our technicians carry absolutely zero paper in the trucks,” Kline says. “And if for any reason a customer needs it, the office will mail a copy to them.”
Techs love it because they don’t need to pick up documents from the office or worry about bad handwriting, he says. Paperless also gives another level of comfort to customers during the Covid-19 era.
“One of the great things about being paperless now was our technicians being able to come in with their booties, gloves, and masks on and hand the customer an iPad, but before they hand the customer an iPad, taking a Lysol wipe and wiping it down and then handing it to the customer,” Kline says. “That’s something you can’t get with paper.”
On ServiceTitan Customer Notifications
Through ServiceTitan’s automated scheduling software, customers receive notifications when a tech is on the way, and they can track tech arrival time with GPS mapping. They can also receive a tech bio and picture, so they know who’s coming to their house.
“It really makes it much more personable, so when the tech gets to the door, we can help build that long-term customer, because the relationship already started before they even show up,” Kline says.
On Using ServiceTitan Templates
Using ServiceTitan's estimate or maintenance inspection templates saves time and creates efficiency.
“If techs are running those maintenance calls, we can preload a lot of the stuff, including their tune-up task code and all that stuff into those templates, so they can just grab an inspection template, make some adjustments, make notes to it,” Kline says. “And then of course, we have the estimate templates for unit replacement, indoor water-quality packages, indoor air-quality packages, efficiency packages.”
How ServiceTitan Increases Sales in the Field
Using ServiceTitan software on mobile devices gives techs a customer-friendly sales tool. Penguin Air & Home Services uses iPads to show the customers videos, simplifying the sales process, and allowing techs to perform their work.
“Just being able to show those videos and let the customer kind of experience it for themselves is a benefit,” Kline says. Rather than a customer’s eyes glazing over as a technician tries to explain the process, they simply watch a professional video on ServiceTitan. “Then the tech can come back in, and the homeowner will ask them questions.”
Customers can see a picture of the item they’re purchasing, such as a water heater or air conditioning unit, with the item code. Add-ons and upgrades in ServiceTitan Pricebook allow customers to see tiered options for other products they might need.
On Staying Up-to-Date with ServiceTitan Releases
Kline recommends companies go over release notes with their ServiceTitan success manager on a monthly basis.
“I would say the biggest thing is ripping the Band-Aid off, going with the change, staying really up to date on ServiceTitan updates,” Kline says. “See what you can use and benefit in the business by utilizing the software to the fullest.”
ServiceTitan Software
ServiceTitan is a comprehensive software solution built specifically to help service companies streamline their operations, boost revenue, and substantially elevate the trajectory of their business. Our comprehensive, cloud-based platform is used by thousands of electrical, HVAC, plumbing, garage door, and chimney sweep shops across the country—and has increased their revenue by an average of 25% in just their first year with us.
