Jake Reed never thought he’d be a plumber, especially when he spent six years working as an operator on oil rigs throughout the Southwest.
But when Aspen Mountain Plumbing in Rock Springs, Wyoming, offered him the chance to return to his hometown, he did not hesitate.
Two and a half years later, he’s the Field Manager, and proud of the professional approach that Aspen brings to consumers. It’s an approach that flows from Lance Ball, Aspen founder and CEO, and it stresses quality work and the highest level of professionalism with customers.
“We show up dressed in uniforms that are clean,” Reed said. “We always have booties on our feet. We have the knowledge to actually be able to converse with the customer, explain to them the issues. We show them different options, give them the opportunity to choose what they want done in their house.”
Training is stressed, machinery is state of the art. There is an emphasis on advancement and licensing.
“Everything like that is what drew me to the job,” Reed said.
His two-plus years with Aspen means he sees another benefit: Aspen’s use of ServiceTitan, the cloud-based software for the trades.
“If I had one word to describe ServiceTitan, I’d say amazing,” Reed said.
His words matter because Reed has spent time in the field. As a technician and now field manager, he knows what it’s like to do the work and deal with customers. ServiceTitan, Reed said, eliminates the stress and pain points in the process.
“It makes me feel pretty good knowing that we can actually provide the world-class service through ServiceTitan,” Reed said. “It makes us stand out from the crowd that we have the technology and the know-how and the drive to actually move forward. Customers have all of the information in front of them. They have all the information right there off of ServiceTitan.”
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‘Incredible’ efficiency benefits everyone
Ball called ServiceTitan “the heartbeat” of his business, adding it makes Aspen Mountain, with four plumbing technicians, look like a much larger business. Reed simply said: “The efficiency of ServiceTitan is incredible.”
A software benefits a business by benefiting the team. The easier processes become for the team, the more work can be completed. It’s especially true for technicians, who are on the front lines. Reed’s story matters because it illustrates how software makes his life better for techs.
ServiceTitan’s capability of providing information that is clear and honest, which then can be shared with customers, was a theme Reed stressed over and over. And he described the software’s benefits in that regard in a number of ways.
For example, Reed said ServiceTitan provides a list of every job task. Customers can watch a short video to get a better idea of how things should work. They can see pictures of what’s wrong—and what’s right after work is completed. Prices are all up-front.
“They know from the beginning, before we start, what we’re going to be doing,” Reed said. “How much it’s going to cost, and how long it should potentially take.”
Customers also can see who will do the work. Bios in ServiceTitan humanize the technician. Alerts tell the customer where the tech is and when he’ll arrive. For an owner like Ball in a place like Wyoming where weather can be an issue in the winter, tracking techs becomes vital for safety reasons.
Keeping track of everything, in one place
But that’s just the beginning. Reed said ServiceTitan offers “a whole bunch of different aspects” that other software options lack.
Among them is the ability to track work completed and parts used.
“I don't have to write all of my parts lists down like I did previously,” Reed said. “I had a notebook, and I’d write every single part that I would use, and then I'd fill out a ticket at the end of the night for every job. Well, if I did six jobs, I'm not going to remember every single thing that I did.
“In ServiceTitan, everything's already in there. All of the materials that we use throughout the day are tracked, so that way we know what we need to put back on our trucks and what we've used for each job for that day.”
Reed remembers how the days of pencil and paper led to errors, which meant charges on an invoice occasionally surprised the customer.
“I’d apologize, explain I can't remember every single part off the top of my head until I get into the job,” Reed said. “ServiceTitan makes that a no-brainer. I know the price includes every part that's going to be used on the job. The customer can see right there, step-by-step, what we're doing.”
As a manager, Reed said he makes a point to try to get to all jobs during the day while also helping train new techs.
“Having ServiceTitan is a huge benefit for that,” Reed said. “I can see when the technician's going to a job, if they're on a job, I can pull up a picture. I see the issue that's going on. They've got a crack in a drain line or something like that, and they need a part, but they don't have the greatest service and they can’t call me. Or even if a cell phone's dead, I can track what they're doing, and know that they need help. “
And even for a non-techy technician like Reed, learning ServiceTitan has been smooth and easy.
“This is the first company I've ever used a software with,” he said. “I figured it out within the first week of playing around on it. If I can do it, anybody really can.
“It just adds up to where the customer is the one that's benefiting. Amazing, because it makes me look smarter. I don't have to work nearly as hard to be able to get things done.”
