Cary Reed initially joined Service Experts in 2012, and has served in a number of leadership roles, including Area Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager, Regional Director, Vice President of Sales and, most recently, as Senior Vice President and General Manager, in which he oversees all areas of the company’s core business strategy and execution. Originally recruited to Service Experts by a former colleague and friend, Robert Landry, Reed harbors a love for the team and their commitment to taking care of the customer as well as each other on a day-by-day basis. As a powerful influence in the business, Reed has pushed the company into becoming what he believes to be the leading provider of HVAC and plumbing repair in the US. His major focus is to nurture customer relationships to make every home a haven of comfort, well-being, and energy efficiency (see Figure 1).
Service experts has been in business since 1996 and has always been involved with total home comfort systems and services, which include heating, air conditioning, as well as plumbing. The company boasts a 100% satisfaction guarantee, which they back up with a well-trained team of technicians who are recertified every year to ensure that they have the latest knowledge available. The company’s dedication to lasting and affordable comfort stems from core values that include integrity, fairness, and continual support.
Comfort Blanket Covers 31 States
Service Experts supports total home comfort to its customers through HVAC and plumbing repair, maintenance, new equipment sales, solar energy solutions, and a number of related services to residential and commercial customers in 31 U.S. states via more than 100 centers. The company reaches customers through a variety of marketing sources, including Google LSA, Google Ads, SEM, direct mail, online/print directories, outbound calling, Facebook/Instagram Ads, and more. With nearly 5,000 employees, customers get an immediate response to their calls or online scheduling. Service techs are quick to make face-to-face appointments whenever needed. Plus, the company is fully licensed, insured, and bonded in the markets it serves.
Better Service Means Better Business
According to Reed, “Our people and our mission are what make Service Experts both different and better as a company.” Service Experts looks for and hires the best talent then empowers them to complete the company’s mission — to do the right thing, to exceed customer expectations in making their life more comfortable, and to leave the customer better off than when the technician arrived on the scene — every day. A critical point to make is that the company strives to provide employment and promotional opportunities to every one of its employees regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, or any other personal characteristic.
The company is honored to be an employer of choice within the HVAC industry. Reed adds, “For our employees, Service Experts prides itself on having some of the best benefits, training, and work-life balance in the industry, and we keep our teams busy year-round, not just seasonally.”
Unlike the majority of other companies in the industry, a new employee can start work at Service Experts with little to no experience and, with some natural ability and determination, work their way through the ranks to leadership positions. Reed explains, “Two things are important to us, one being our excellent reviews on Google, Yelp, Facebook, and other online sites. But what’s even more important to our business is that people can, and have, spent their entire working careers with the company. And we are proud of that!”
Hiring the Right Person
The company finds its employees through a number of methods, including participating in job fairs, partnering with technical schools, through the company website, through job search engines, and referrals from existing employees. Service Experts has also partnered with Hiring Our Heroes through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to engage with individuals who are cycling out of the military. “We look for the men and women who have the right attitude then offer our industry-best training,” Reed said.
Technicians who are hired do not have to have prior certification to get a job, although some certification indicates their knowledge base as well as what additional training the company might provide. In the HVAC industry there are a number of certifications available, with some that are required, such as EPA608, and others that are voluntary, such as ACE (Advanced Certified Expert) and NATE (North American Technician Excellence).
Technical Training
With a robust training program, the company offers technicians a good reason to choose them over another employer. Service Experts helps to provide its workforce with a clearly defined developmental path with established benchmarks. This includes a company-run accelerated training program that assures that after about two weeks, an individual will be able to perform some important skills on their own, even though they will come back for additional in-person training before they will be ready to be fully on their own.
The company offers a number of different training modes depending on the individual, including web-based, self-paced programs, and training performed virtually with an instructor, as well as some in-person training at one of the company’s five field training facilities around the country. By following an established plan, employees are able to take control of their own future by continually learning new skills.
According to Reed, “We offer a variety of weekly training classes, assessments, ACE, and meritorious promotions to our employees based on skills and tenure.” The company’s Expert University platform also delivers continuing education courses that are accessible to all employees on a 24/7 timeframe. To recognize the company’s technical expertise, Service Experts runs an annual Super Tech Installer and Plumber competition. Top winners go head-to-head in a live, hands-on competition at one of their training facilities. The ultimate champions are crowned and then recognized at the company’s annual meeting.
Technicians and installers go through a recertification process every year to assure that they can deliver outstanding service to the customer. Certification itself helps to create trust between the technician or installer and the customer. It shows that the company as well as the individual takes pride in their work. Although customers may not understand the full extent of certification, research shows that the vast majority of them prefer a certified technician to work with them.
Reed explains, “We are focused on maintaining an expert-level internal culture. Besides training and competitions, we do this by offering competitive benefits and pay, celebrating employee wins internally and externally, and more. As leaders, we are regularly communicating to our employees digitally and in-person at centers across the country.”
Challenges and Future Plans
As a multi-company entity, Service Experts is faced with a unique challenge. Many of the company’s centers across the country operate under their legacy names and logos in addition to the Service Experts appellation. Because of long-standing brand name recognition in their communities, such as Peachtree Service Experts in Atlanta, GA, or Roland J. Down in Albany, NY, Service Experts has chosen to advertise locally instead of nationally — while maintaining the exact same expert level of offerings and services to its customers.
Service Experts is a U.S. based company that provides plumbing and HVAC services, repairs, and equipment replacement to its customers. The company takes the Total Home Comfort concept seriously, providing a 100% satisfaction guarantee regardless of the services provided. Through a wide range of charitable organizations including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the company gives back to the communities it serves. Focusing on worker as well as customer satisfaction, Service Experts has a high retention of workers and a large repeat customer base.
With all the right business components in place, Service Experts is devoted to continuing its mission and commitment to homeowners across the country. According to Reed, “Our promise is to continue in our quest to make the home of the future a reality where we will equip our customers’ homes with a full suite of home comfort products and services and deliver a level of customer satisfaction unrivaled in the industry.”