A couple of years ago, Robert Maier decided he needed ServiceTitan to allow his commercial roofing shop to stand out among his competition. So he went online and requested a demo.
He selected “Roofing” under the industry option, but when he pressed submit, an automated video of ServiceTitan’s Co-Founder and CEO Ara Mahdessian popped up, thanking him for his interest but politely declining his request. Why?
ServiceTitan wasn’t serving the roofing industry—yet.
Maier was undeterred. The VP of Laing Roofing was convinced that the all-in-one software for the trades would allow his shop in Kelowna, British Columbia to own the lifecycle of a roof. So he requested another demo, but this time, he fibbed and said he was a “garage door” company.
“That still didn't quite work,” Maier said with a laugh. “It's in my email, laingroofing.com. I think that gave me away.”
Frustrated, Maier spent the year trying out a handful of other CRM systems. But nothing was a good fit for what he was trying to accomplish. So he went on LinkedIn, connecting with and messaging as many ServiceTitan employees as he could. All he wanted was a demo and a chance to state his case as to why ServiceTitan would be a great fit for his roofing company.
This led to a phone call with Ross Biestman, ServiceTitan’s Chief Revenue Officer, who was curious about Maier’s passionate interest. “Why do you want to get on so bad?” Maier recalls him asking. Maier’s response worked.
Laing Roofing went live with the software in June 2022. And now, one year later, ServiceTitan is opening up to serve the roofing industry.
Maier simply got a head start. Here’s what ServiceTitan has allowed him to do.
Owning the life cycle of a roof
Maier sought out ServiceTitan because he was looking to add a rare section to Laing Roofing: a service and replacement division.
Traditionally, the roofing industry is focused on big-money new construction and replacement jobs. But what about the many years in between, where the roof needs inspections, maintenance and upgrades? That’s where Maier and Laing Roofing come in.
“The goal for us is to own the life cycle of that roof, because roofs don't last forever,” Maier said. “And if it's 10 years down the road that the client needs to replace their roof, then it only makes sense that the company that’s taken care of them for the last 10 years is going to be first in line to do that big-ticket item.”
Maier had seen what ServiceTitan had done for HVAC and plumbing shops when it came to service and replacement. He was certain the business model was similar to what he wanted to build.
“Essentially, (I figured) we could take that and apply it to roofing,” Maier said. “That’s a (division) that not a lot of roofing businesses are focused on right now. It’s a big opportunity for us.”
Empower your techs
Maier has a bunch of favorite ServiceTitan features that separate his roofing company from the pack. Here are a few:
A tech-friendly app: Maier loves that ServiceTitan puts the power in his technician’s hands. “That was the main thing for us; the way ServiceTitan has it set up to where there's a pricebook and our techs can estimate and take care of stuff while out in the field,” he said.
Efficient dispatch: Roofing is weather dependent, which means there are lots of daily changes to dispatch. ServiceTitan allows Laing’s CSRs to easily communicate with their techs and keep them updated.
Customer history: Let’s say Laing’s CSRs had to reschedule a call due to weather. “Techs can access that customer history and see that we've tried to go out there two or three times, but the weather didn't cooperate. They know the backstory with the customer and what they've been going through. They're not going in blind.”
Memberships: Laing Roofing has gotten many property managers to join its membership program, which features at least one yearly maintenance call and 24-hour priority visits in case of a leak. “Now they're not calling multiple roofers to try to get someone out. They're just calling us.”
‘Hitch our wagon’ to ServiceTitan
ServiceTitan has allowed Laing Roofing to be more proactive. Instead of waiting for a customer to call with a problem, Laing is managing relationships with its customers through the lifecycle of a roof.
“ServiceTitan is (allowing us) to manage all that stuff in between— the annual inspections, providing recommendations, repairs and maintenance throughout the year,” Maier said. “These are big assets for property managers. To have a half-a-million-dollar roof, and then manage it for 30 years, we want to go back to that same location every year.”
Maier already has seen positive results.
“When we started with ServiceTitan, we had maybe two trucks on the road,” he said. “We quickly grew to six in 12 months.”
Maier loves being part of ServiceTitan’s deep community within the trades. Looking ahead, he’ll start using more features, such as Marketing Pro. But most of all, he’s excited about where ServiceTitan is going—especially in the roofing industry.
“Where I want to be in five years, I think that’s where ServiceTitan is and where it's going,” Maier said. “I'd like to hitch our wagon to that tractor.”
