When Naiad Irrigation set out to find a new software in 2019, it did so knowing it wanted to automate so the business could grow.
The 17-year-old entity in Calgary, Alberta, also wanted to reduce reliance on time-consuming phone calls and use technology to book jobs and capture payments.
It found what it wanted and needed in ServiceTitan, the cloud-based software for the trades. And when ServiceTitan implemented Scheduling Pro Payment Capture, Naiad happily adopted the feature.
“It’s been an absolute game-changer,” General Manager Jeff Soch said.
By using Scheduling Pro and Payment Capture, Naiad found a seamless way to streamline payments, which helped Naiad’s customers and the business.
“It’s probably the quickest setting to turn on with the biggest impact to an already powerful tool in ServiceTitan,” Soch said.
Naiad specializes in the installation, winterization, repair, and maintenance of irrigation systems in the greater Calgary area. The software it used before ServiceTitan was not providing enough to allow Naiad to grow.
Soch said as Naiad pondered switching, it asked itself a simple question: The business is working, yes, but do we want to coast for the next five years or do we want to grow?
At the time, ServiceTitan was not involved in irrigation, but Naiad persuaded the software to get, shall we say, their feet wet.
“I wanted to do anything in my power to get in,” Soch said. “Because I saw the potential, so that our technicians could succeed without being hindered by the software.”
Delivering on the promise
Naiad said ServiceTitan promised innovations – and delivered with the payment offering in Scheduling Pro, which allows customers to input their preferred payment method while completing the online booking.
That makes paying for service easier for the customer, collecting payment automatic for the technician, and cash flow faster for the business.
“Seeing how ServiceTitan is willing to take and invest in automation and make field life and office life easier -- it's a bright future,” Soch said. “ServiceTitan is built for business owners who want to grow, and the reason I say that is it allows you to scale to levels you would not even imagine.
“If you put in the time to learn how the tools work and let the product work for you, you will grow, you will scale, you will see benefits.
“There will be a return on that investment.”
Growth plans, realized
Naiad now proudly runs 17 service vans with three install crews. It has a lawn maintenance crew in the summer, snow removal in the winter and is up to about 35 employees, with plans to add more.
“The Pro Products all feed into each other seamlessly,” Soch said. “It gives our technicians the power to do their job in the field better. It allows our office to be laser focused on following up on leads that are generated through Marketing Pro and those campaigns—to make sure we are feeding the machine. And with Scheduling Pro, we can book 24/7, 365 days a year.
“All these tools just gave us this template that allowed so many opportunities for us to the point we're considering opening up new locations because we have this template that works so well. We know we can bring it to pretty much any market and it's going to succeed.”
Soch said Scheduling Pro is a large positive because it allows customers to very simply book work online. Customers can choose the service they want, get information about the service and the cost, and book the work at a time that is best for them.
“The more tech-savvy folks that may not want to talk to somebody, they have an avenue to book themselves, and it's such a seamless process,” Soch said.
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‘On a rocket ship’
Payment Capture completes the process by allowing the customer to include their preferred method of payment in the job profile, which then will be used when work is completed.
“That client knows exactly when we're going to show up, they've committed to any dispatch fees, and we and they already have that payment information,” Soch said. “They can even let us know if they want to use it for future payments.
“They don't have to worry about the process of waiting for an invoice, trying to pay that invoice. Once the service is completed, it's all taken care of. All they need to do is let the service happen, and the rest is taken care of.”
Where does Soch see Naiad going?
“To the moon,” Soch said. “We are on a rocket ship right now, so hold tight.”
