Madison Robertson was waiting tables when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Shutdowns cost her that job, then she caught on with the Kansas City Steak Co. answering phones.
When that seasonal job ended, she noticed an opening at Fluesbrothers, a chimney sweep and cleaning company.
“I knew nothing about chimneys,” Robertson said.
She knew nothing about ServiceTitan either, but after she was hired by Fluesbrothers she dove into the software. She now is the in-house expert on ServiceTitan—and one of the software’s Certified Administrators, a program designed by the cloud-based software for the trades to allow in-house experts to increase proficiency in understanding its best uses.
In short, Robertson’s expertise earned her the ServiceTitan seal of approval.
“If we have people within their organizations who have a strong understanding of the product, ultimately that person can become the go-to resource within their business,” said Tim McGuire, ServiceTitan’s Senior Program Manager for Training and Enablement.
Certified Administrators act as in-house experts
The Certified Administrator program strengthens the knowledge base for those who enjoy the software and want to maximize its use. With the certification, a company’s acknowledged experts earn the ability to address challenges before they become problems.
The program provides a structured approach to increasing knowledge on ServiceTitan, as well as constant and continuing education on the software.
“I saw it as an incredible opportunity to do two things,” McGuire said. “First, to create an industry-recognized certification for people who work in the office in service contract businesses.
“There are a lot of certifications out there for technicians. Technical certifications, NATE certifications, things like that, have become part of a technician's resume. There wasn't anything like that for employees who run the business on the back end.”
The short-term benefit means someone in-house can shorten the time between software problems and answers. If further support is needed from ServiceTitan, the person calling support has already done some troubleshooting, which should make it easier to solve any issue.
“Even when people do have to call in, the path to resolution is a lot shorter,” McGuire said, “because they've already been able to work through and understand what's going on a little bit better.”
Larger companies could have six or seven Certified Administrators who are software specialists, McGuire said. A smaller company might have only one, which is still a huge advantage.
“This program is a really great validation of the knowledge,” he said. “But it's also a great source of the material, to learn this stuff.”
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What does it take to become certified?
Becoming a Certified Administrator requires passing a series of tests designed by ServiceTitan. It’s not simple. Eighteen exams make up the certification, though the program is self-paced. Robertson did much of her work at home, but others can set aside part of the day to complete one test.
“It’s very involved,” Robertson said. “There are definitely some things that we might not utilize that I had to learn in order to pass the test. There are also things that we already utilized that I think I was able to dive deeper into.”
For her, the test specifically gave her greater understanding of memberships and purchase orders. An example of something Robertson wasn’t aware of before she took the test: Using emojis on tags.
“I was like, ‘No way,’” she said. “I went and told everybody. And guess what? We add emojis.”
Fluesbrothers onboarded ServiceTitan about the same time it hired Robertson, who quickly decided she would become “the” ServiceTitan person for the business. She spent a lot of hours mastering its elements and implementing as much as she could of the features. The time she spent included many hours after hours.
“That helped me know the system pretty well,” she said.
The certification was Robertson’s first, and she now uses it on her email signature as “a status thing,” she said.
“I just feel like it’s a really big accomplishment,” she said.
“And she got a raise for it,” said Fluesbrothers vice president Brandi Biswell.
Credibility, and advancement
McGuire pointed out the certification can be listed on a resume or LinkedIn profile to build credibility and career advancement.
Certification expires in a year. Details on recertification are being worked out, but McGuire said a Certified Administrator will have to pass only one exam in the course of a 12-month period. The goal is to keep Certified Administrators up to speed on the latest software additions.
“You won’t have to go through the 18 exams again,” he said.
ServiceTitan will have a booth on the program at the upcoming Pantheon conference April 20-22 at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. The conference, which took a two-year break from being in-person for Covid, brings together thousands of contractors from around the nation to share ideas and ingenuity.
Candidates can also sign up online.
Robertson urges anyone interested in the Administrator program to sign up for the program. Those who have a decent level of proficiency in the software have a head start.
“If you feel confident, I feel like you should just go for it,” Robertson said. “I definitely think it's a nice tool to have in your back pocket. And it's only going to benefit you and the company in the future.”
