ServiceTitan Hosts 2-Day User Conference

GLENDALE, CA. – ServiceTitan, designers of field service management software for the home services industry, hosted more than 500 service contracting leaders at its “Pantheon” two-day user conference,  in August in Los Angeles.

“Technology moves fast, and its impact on commerce has been profound,” said Ara Mahdessian, CEO and co-founder of ServiceTitan. “Our customers want to be the premier home
services providers in their marketplace, and Pantheon gives us the opportunity to share a vision of using new technologies to soar over the competition—from cloud and mobile technology, on-demand services, customer engagement and big data, to all of the other elements transforming the trades.”

Day one of the two-day conference consisted of hands-on training for ServiceTitan customers. The second day focused on preparing for the future, and included results from two industry/consumer studies conducted by Thrive Analytics.

“Seventy percent of ServiceTitan businesses are growing, versus 45 percent for the industry,” Mahdessian said. “That’s a testament to their commitment to embracing technology to streamline operations and improve the customer experience. Customer convenience, specifically, is becoming the basis for customer loyalty, and is one of the largest factors in growing your home service company. The biggest takeaway from 'Pantheon 2018' is that your service levels must mirror your customer’s expectations of convenience.”

‘Pantheon’ attendees enjoyed a variety of high-profile Los Angeles venues, including The Reef, The Theatre at Ace Hotel, and a final networking event at Clifton’s Republic, complete with aerialists, a fire breather and an after party in the hotel’s hidden tiki bar, The Pacific Seas.

Sources reported that the full results of the Thrive Analytics studies will be available to the public in the coming weeks.

‘Pantheon’ Day 2 Report by Terry McIver

Day 2 included presentations by ServiceTitan founders Ara Mahdessian and Vahe Kuzoyan, with messages by select management team experts and HVAC and plumbing contractors who shared their ServiceTitan success stories. Attendees who packed The Theatre at Ace Hotel were given sneak peeks at coming ServiceTitan innovations, and additional research-based information on service industry trends and consumer preferences. 

“It wasn’t too long ago that I was sitting across the desk from Ara, and we were wondering if this company was going to go anywhere. Now, as I look out at audience of over 600 people from all over the country I’m humbled and honored to stand before you to share our vision of where we’re going and how we think about what we’re going to do next,” said Mahdessian. 

Jason Peaslee, managing partner at Thrive Analytics, provided insight into data that showed there is a significant advantage for contracting firms who employ cloud-based accounting and service tools.  

Peaslee said 60% of ServiceTitan users report time savings, 28% have experienced reduced costs, and 25% say ServiceTitan is easier to use than their current software product.

“You’re ahead of the industry compared to your peers. And you are realizing the true power of Cloud-based software,” he said. 

Peaslee shared data that showed 80 percent of the U.S. population, and 93 percent of millennials use a smartphone for daily activities,including searching for information, sending messages, social media interaction and games.

“We have become conditioned to getting information instantaneously. This has directly changed our experience and our expectations as consumers,” Peaslee said.

“Your customer experience needs to evolve as well,” he continued. “They expect more and deserve more out of home service providers.” 

Attendees learned that convenience is becoming the basis for customer loyalty. “Even if you have used someone in the past, and they were satisfied with the work, they will choose another business if they’re more convenient to use,” Peaslee said.

Hapreet Ahluwalia, vice president of product, provided updates on new ServiceTitan capabilities in inventory, reporting and memberships. Acknowledging that inventory logically begins with purchasing, he said ServiceTitan has made improvements to the function of purchasing. 

“Purchasing enables you to service your customers with the right set of materials and equipment at the right time. Effective management of purchasing impacts the bottom line,” Ahluwalia said.

“We focus on three core areas of improvement for our purchasing module: usability, improvements to the receiving workflow, and the ability to sync back costs from your accounting system. Our product and design team spent countless hours observing your employees manage their daily purchasing activities and identifying bottlenecks. We learned from you that since purchasing is such a  repetitive task, any inefficiencies are multiplied many times over, making the user experience a vital part of the product. We believe what we have now in our new purchasing module is a delightful user experience that removes the pain associated with creating, editing, sending, receiving and reconciling purchase orders. We’ve added the ability to build a PO by copying an existing one and to navigate through all key actions that you need in your purchasing flow using keyboard shortcuts, without a mouse.”

Bela Arutyunyan of the ServiceTitan marketing team said a survey of 75,000 customers found that reduction in customer effort was the number one driver in building brand loyalty, including home services. She then provided examples of ServiceTitan’s product functionality that results in online booking for easy scheduling, definitive and on-time arrival times, simplified good/better/best financing options, and instant payment processing, for a faster, more pleasant customer service experience. 

“The continuity and convenience a contractor can provide when using the ServiceTitan tools, allow customers to feel relief and reassurance. That transparency inspires trust. And trust will bring customers back to your company, again and again,” Arutyunyan said. “ServiceTitan takes advantage of the latest technology to offer features that create the ultimate experience for homeowners, and help you to create customers for life.”

Guest speakers included Abby Zaffuto, president, Roto-Rooter Plumbers of Asheville, N.C., who spoke of her path to success after taking charge of the family plumbing business, that is now a very successful, multiple-location enterprise. 

“Know what you do not know, and trust yourself to delegate effectively,” she said. servicetitan.com