Cameron Kerr has always enjoyed coaching. He had lots of chances to teach others to ski while living in Canada when he was younger.
“I taught skiing for a number of years,” he says, “and to get someone from not being able to ski to being able to ski, to help people as a coach, it’s always kind of followed me through everything that I’ve done.”
That includes on Kerr’s professional path. He has more than 25 years of professional experience in multi-site operations and the franchise industry, including more than a decade in management and leadership positions at Clockwork Home Services, a leading national franchisor of HVAC, plumbing, and electric services with the brands One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, and Mister Sparky.
Now in his third week as ServiceTitan’s Vice President of Franchise Strategy, he has another venue in which to share his knowledge—coaching others on using the cloud-based software solution for home and commercial services industries to maximize and expand their businesses.
And like teaching people to ski, coaching those in the trades is one of Kerr’s passions.
“I believe there is an obligation to help people when you have an opportunity to help people,” he says. “I think the trades are an excellent way for me to be able to convey and show that.”
Success through scalability with ServiceTitan
In his new role, Kerr will work with companies that have grown but are looking for something to take them to the next level through ServiceTitan.
“As we take a look at especially large businesses, that means starting to go outside what I call your spans of control,” Kerr says.
“If you’re a single business operator and you can put your arms around it, it’s easier to coach it and drive it in one direction. When you start to expand, when you start to get regional, when you start to get national, all of a sudden you stretch your resources, and then how do you enforce and maintain consistency in the operating procedures?”
ServiceTitan software, Kerr says, can be a big part of that answer. From call booking and dispatching to customer experience, sales presentation, reporting and marketing, business owners can build consistency into the systems that drive their company forward—no matter how large it gets.
Kerr acknowledges that change, whether in CRM software or in the trajectory of a business, can be daunting. It can also be necessary, he says.
"It’s incumbent on every business to take a look at itself, where it is in its growth cycle, and to ask the question ... what’s possible?”
“People take a look at their software solution as you have it and it’s fixed, you just keep moving forward,” Kerr says. “But if you’re not having the success you need to have in your business, you have to take a look. It’s incumbent on every business to take a look at itself, where it is in its growth cycle, and to ask the question, what’s possible?”
That future could include acquisitions based on a system a business owner can use to aggregate brands and locations across multiple industries. Or, as a franchisor, it could include a plan to sell more franchises and plug in a proven model.
Reaching those possibilities could require getting comfortable with something new. Those are the kinds of blue-sky conversations that inspire Kerr as he helps business owners get their skis under them.
“You see them trying to get the mental momentum.” Kerr says, “going—‘I know what I’ve got, but what is possible, and what is more?’”
The benefits of consistency
Kerr says trade businesses that want to get into franchising fall into a variety of situations. There are those in the $1 million range looking for growth and betterment, those in the $5 million range looking to catapult to the next level, and those looking for an exit strategy that provides a better multiple.
In every case, he says, the consistency provided by ServiceTitan is an asset.
“Folks in private equity, venture capital or even franchisors, they look at you having a consistent set of processes,” Kerr says, “so that if the owner exits, that will continue on down the line, assuming all those processes are followed.
“Again, another wonderful reason for ServiceTitan and all of those processes you wish to enforce. ServiceTitan is just leading-edge technology that continues to position those who embrace it well ahead of the industry.
“If I had a shop today, it would be my system of choice.”
Kerr says he looks forward, in his new role, to having discussions with all kinds of service businesses, from plumbing, electrical and HVAC to pool service, pest control, landscaping and more.
“There are many categories where ServiceTitan has just begun to scratch the surface, and ones that we haven’t even touched,” Kerr says. “That’s a pretty exciting opportunity when you have blue sky out there to have conversations with new franchise systems.”
And on that path, Kerr is ready to coach.
“To me, it’s about encouraging folks,” Kerr says. “If you’re selling a franchise system, you want folks to follow your franchise model. If you want consistency in your product, in your service, then you need to be able to find solutions, systems like ServiceTitan, to underpin what you’re trying to achieve.”
And from there, it’s all downhill.
ServiceTitan is a comprehensive home and commercial services business software solution built specifically to help companies streamline their operations, boost revenue, and achieve growth. Our award-winning, cloud-based platform is trusted by more than 100,000+ contractors across the country.
Ready to learn more about what ServiceTitan can do for your business? Contact our team to schedule a demo today.
