Althoff Industries credits their switch to ServiceTitan software with an improvement in customer service that contributed to an increase from $8.5 million in revenue in 2021 to $11.4 million in 2022. Althoff went live with the software in July 2021 after spending decades on a server-based customer relationship management system. It was such a momentous occasion for Blake Wiltshire, director of residential services at Althoff, that an empty bottle of champagne sits on his shelf to commemorate the moment.
Exceptional Customer Service
Exceptional service starts with the first phone call, and Wiltshire loves that he and his customer service representatives (CSRs) can play the role of psychic the second a customer calls in. “Their information pops up, and it’s easy for our CSRs to quickly identify who they’re talking to, what plan they have, and look at open invoices,” Wiltshire said.
He also has heard many compliments about the customer experience component of ServiceTitan. Customers appreciate things like text messages that include appointment reminders and technician bios, as well as tech-tracking features similar to that of Uber rideshare service.
“When we dispatch, it sends the profile of the guy, but also the little button where (customers) can track and see where (our tech) is coming from,” Wiltshire said. “These are just things that you expect today.”
When Wiltshire first pitched ServiceTitan to Althoff’s owners, he emphasized customer expectations around service. He told leadership, “We’re a premium brand in our market, we present ourselves that way. Our processes and our software and the things that we’re doing need to be a premium brand, too.”
Staying Competitive
Althoff recognizes that even premium brands need to offer competitive prices. As a union shop, Althoff has to compete with prices from nonunion shops, which was a challenge until the Mechanical Contractors Association of Chicago (MCA) stepped in and created a solution.
“The best thing that the union and the MCA have worked together on has been the residential and light commercial, or ‘R card,’ agreement,” Wiltshire said. “They recognized that the union contractors were starting to lose a lot of residential business.”
The R card has given Althoff the ability to be more competitive against the low-cost, nonunion contractors it competes with in the Chicagoland area.
“This has been a game changer for me and my company, and we were early adopters,” Wiltshire said. “We heavily utilize the program, and the majority of my field technicians are R cards.”
Wiltshire added, “The MCA (Chicago) also promotes its contractors to potential customers. This helps provide legitimacy to our claims as the best around.”
Adding to that legitimacy is the newest feature Althoff recently rolled out: rewards points. It’s just one more way that Wiltshire is making good on the promise of being a premium brand.
Althoff aims to reach $14.6 million in revenue in 2023, and ServiceTitan and the support of the MCA will make a huge difference in hitting that number.
For more information, visit www.servicetitan.com.
