Why ServiceTitan’s No. 1 fan left the platform — and why he came back

Six years ago, Mark Goldstein was introduced to ServiceTitan, the all-in-one software for the trades. 

He immediately became a fan, and would eventually implement the platform at three companies over the years. When he bought The Air Squad, a residential air conditioning company in West Palm Beach, Florida, ServiceTitan was the obvious choice to power the business.

“I adjusted my entire business model to the way (ServiceTitan) works: We dispatch, we arrive, we diagnose, we estimate, we sell,” he said. “I think anybody who’s using ServiceTitan should be doing that. You’re missing the point of buying the software if you’re not.”

Goldstein was so passionate about the software that, every quarter, ServiceTitan’s sales team would meet with him to get pointers on how to connect with small businesses like his.

That’s why it was so surprising when Goldstein decided to leave ServiceTitan for a competitor.

It wasn’t that business was bad. In fact, in 2021, The Air Squad hit $675,000 in revenue. Last year, it raked in $1 million—growth that Goldstein said was spurred on by ServiceTitan. 

The truth, Goldstein said, was that ServiceTitan was too expensive. As the owner of a small company, he couldn’t justify the price anymore, especially if he wanted to grow his team.

With that, Goldstein transitioned his business over to a competitor’s platform. 

Three weeks later, he was back with ServiceTitan. 

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Software that’s in its own league

ServiceTitan isn’t the cheapest software option on the market. But after trying what else is out there, Goldstein believes it’s the best. 

“(The other software is) in the same industry,” he explained, “But I don’t think they’re in the same league.” By that, he means that ServiceTitan does what it’s supposed to do. The features work, they’re tested and reliable. Shouldn’t that be a given? You’d think, said Goldstein, adding that the competitor he joined was “almost good” at doing what it claimed.

For example, if a dispatcher created a new job in the other system and accidentally mistyped the customer’s address, there was no way to go back and fix the mistake once the job was created. 

That’s not particularly efficient. And Goldstein said flaws like this made it difficult to incorporate the software into the rhythm of his business.

“You have to work the way a software works,” he said. “(When it comes to) the actual flow of a service call, (The Air Squad) is not really different from anybody else. (The competitor) just doesn't understand how important the software lining up with that flow is.”

Aside from 25 years of experience in the trades, Goldstein also has a background in IT. That’s allowed him to better understand how software and data should move, and how he can best utilize new tech.

“I could (use) any software to make me money,” Goldstein said. “I would have to do work-arounds and it wouldn’t be as easy—it was definitely not as easy (with the competitor’s software), but it was doable.”

“The difference for me with ServiceTitan (is that) it works,” he added. “The features that (they) introduce work. There's nothing I've ever seen that’s half-baked.” 

That reliability has real business implications for The Air Squad. When ServiceTitan drops a new product that Goldstein thinks is a good fit for his team, he doesn’t hesitate to incorporate it into workflows across his business.

“I know it’s going to work,” he said. “And when I know (a product) works, I can start to adjust our business model around the feature that makes sense for us. Here’s where (the competitors) fail.”

Back in good form

Today, The Air Squad team is settling back into their familiar workflows with ServiceTitan. For techs, that means using their tablets to fill out forms after every appointment.  

• Forms: Forms are standardized, to ensure techs are following The Air Squad’s process at every appointment. Completed forms are attached to individual jobs, documenting everything from work completed to future service recommendations. Techs can even add photos and videos to their forms to reference later. 

“The number one feature (ServiceTitan has is) forms,” Goldstein said. “Before I write one line item in the invoice, I have shown the customer the problem and the estimate to fix it. The customer accepts it, signs it and we go to work.”

This detailed record-keeping comes in handy. Goldstein remembers a customer who called him, upset that his techs didn’t put the screws back in her filter cover. 

Goldstein quickly pulled up the customer’s information and job history in ServiceTitan, and glanced through the uploaded photos. Sure enough, the screws were in properly when the tech completed the job. 

“If I have a picture, I’m seeing if the customer wins, (or if I have) an opportunity to save myself a bunch of go-back money,” Goldstein said. 

• Estimates: ServiceTitan has also helped techs upsell and increase their ticket amounts—while still building trust with customers. On a routine maintenance call, for example, a tech might notice parts of the air conditioning system starting to wear out. Through ServiceTitan, techs can make a note of it, alert the customer and even pull together an estimate of what it costs to fix, all in the field.

“I can estimate things that (customers) might not want to fix right away, but they're aware of it,” Goldstein said. “I've done jobs, (then returned) two weeks later because I said something was going to (break), and it actually (does).”

Worth the cost

As a small-business owner, Goldstein constantly monitors his company’s profit margins. And while ServiceTitan undoubtedly is a substantial business expense, he’s seen no better software on the market in terms of performance. 

“(It’s) everything because I don't have a team,” he said. “It’d be one thing if I had a department, but I don’t. I mean, I’m six departments.”

And so for now, as long as he continues seeing higher ticket prices, faster workflows and smoother operations, Goldstein is at peace with the cost. 

After all, he said, “I’m a huge fan of ServiceTitan. I always have been.”