CHAPTER 10
Best Practices in the Field
Just as the CSR is the first voice the customer hears from the company, the technician is the first face the customer sees — often on one of their worst days. That customer-technician interaction should build trust, and create the opportunity for a mutually beneficial solution.
SECTION 7 OF 11
Forms in the Field
Collecting information simplified by forms built into ServiceTitan
Forms have been used by contractors for years to gather data about all kinds of things. But ServiceTitan has built multiple features that make them more effective.
“We have a team of about 12 technicians, 3 installers and 3 apprentice helpers, and we were having an issue getting all of our techs to collect the same information on every job, Michael Solomon of Anthem Mechanical says. “By using ServiceTitan forms and requiring forms to be completed on jobs, we've gotten all our techs to collect the same information on each job, which has reduced go backs with incomplete information and ordering wrong parts.”
Those return trips were reduced by 50 percent, Solomon says, and revenue increased by 20 percent year-over-year with ServiceTitan.
Some of the feature and benefits of forms are:
Triggers in certain jobs. ServiceTitan can make a form show up based on the job type. We highly recommend making Maintenance checklists that show up on all maintenance jobs, and Warranty forms show up on all warranty jobs. There is more information on recommended forms below.
Required actions. ServiceTitan can force a technician to fill out a form before allowing them to close out the job and move onto the next one. Managers can also determine which questions on those forms are required.
Require a picture or signature. Requiring pictures of the finished installation of, for instance, a water heater installation job, ensures that the plumbing and venting was installed properly. And requiring a signature, for example, from a customer on a disclaimer that acknowledges that the repair to their system was not the recommended repair could cover the contractor when the repair fails in under a year.
Those are just some of the possible uses of forms.
ServiceTitan has produced recommended forms for different trades and links to them can be found below. And forms can be copied and imported into your ServiceTitan account.
The Complete Inspection Process Form
A complete inspection earns a better return on marketing dollars
To serve clients at the highest level, a complete inspection process of their residence is necessary. Companies spend significant dollars on marketing just to get an opportunity to get in a home. But without a great process, they can end up undeserving customers, creating callbacks and short changing opportunities to generate revenue.
The complete inspection process ensures companies can systematically produce consistent results, no matter which technician they send.
A complete inspection isn’t about selling, though. It’s about using your technical abilities to find ways to keep people comfortable, save them money, and protect their property and family.
And there are a number of standard forms available in ServiceTitan.
How to determine what questions to ask
Assemble various team members from the service and maintenance departments. Ask what are the things that must be checked on every call to prevent a callback. Then ask what are the things that can help people save the most money. Finally, ask what can be checked to ensure families and property are protected.
How long should the form be?
As with any form, the goal is to get the required information and messaging in the shortest amount of time possible. Less is more, but this is the one form where contractors don’t want to shortchange the process. This is the most valuable thing a technician can do while in a customers home.
How do we get the customer to let us do a complete inspection?
Setting the expectation on the incoming call is key. CSR’s should educate the customer that the tech will do a complete inspection at no additional cost and will present the findings with upfront pricing.
Once in the home, the tech should make a transitional statement: “I’m going to do a complete inspection now, if I find anything wrong, do you want me to just fix it or make a list?” Most will ask for a list. That gives the technician permission to check everything out and present the customer with options.
Standard, recommended forms available in ServiceTitan
The links below include a lot of code and won’t look like a standard form until they are uploaded into ServiceTitan. That will reveal their functionality and allow contractors to modify them in ServiceTitan without having to modify any code.
Recommended standard forms:
Follow the instructions in this article to learn how to import the standard forms below into ServiceTitan.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
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2. Building a Company for Success
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3. Setting Your Company Up for Success
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4. Driving a Company Culture
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5. Setting a Path to Maximum Profitability
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6. Billing Structure: Determine Your Pricing
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7. Marketing Practices
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8. Call Center Practices
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9. Call Center + Field Practices
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10. Best Practices in the Field
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11. Field + Office Best Practices
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12. Keys to Success in the Office
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13. Management and Office Best Practices
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14. Human Resources
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15. Preparing Your Company For Sale
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