New features, driven by feedback from thousands of Housecall Pro customers, help streamline operations and enhance revenue potential even in the slowest seasons Housecall Pro, the premier software platform serving over 45,000 home service companies, announces today a rollout of new product features and enhancements that spotlight the company’s dedication to providing home service pros Read more
software platform
New features, driven by feedback from thousands of Housecall Pro customers, help streamline operations and enhance revenue potential even in the slowest seasons
Housecall Pro, the premier software platform serving over 45,000 home service companies, announces today a rollout of new product features and enhancements that spotlight the company’s dedication to providing home service pros with the tools they need to streamline operations, improve efficiency and grow revenue.
“Our primary driver has always been to find and create solutions to the challenges home service business owners are facing, whether that’s daily challenges or even seasonal ones,” said Ian Heidt, President and Co-founder of Housecall Pro. “Thanks to feedback from more than 8,000 pros, we were able to prioritize the products and features that will help them the most. From attracting more loyal customers to getting through the slow season, our updates are designed with their needs in mind.”
Ongoing updates are intended to help users grow revenue, manage jobs, get paid and run their businesses more efficiently.
Several features have been added or updated, including but not limited to:
- New and improved online booking tool: Customers can now book from any device, day or night, with the all-new free online booking tool, to help increase the number of bookings for contractors. This feature also simplifies recurring appointments with new integrations featuring Reserve with Google and Customer Portal.
- Dashcam + Vehicle GPS tracking: The latest update features 24/7 video monitoring for vehicles, allowing contractors to see what’s happening inside and out of their trucks. This feature also promotes driver safety by automatically recording clips of unsafe behavior and disturbances.
- Improved price book: Housecall Pro has introduced a new collection of common industry services to their price book featuring homeowner-friendly descriptions, giving service technicians a clear way to communicate the value they offer homeowners.
- Offline viewing for scheduling: Poor cell reception no longer hinders technicians from accessing scheduling data with the new offline feature. This feature allows technicians to access stored job data with minimal interruptions, even in areas with no Wi-Fi or cell reception.
- Pipeline improvements: Contractors can set up both text and email automations to ensure no customer or opportunity falls through the cracks. This improves efficiency and consistency by automating routine tasks, such as follow-ups and notifications, and ensures that communication with leads and jobs happen on a regular schedule. The bulk archive feature is another addition designed to reduce clutter by allowing contractors to quickly clear out completed or outdated items from their list.
The latest round of updates comes on the heels of Housecall Pros’ AI Team launch in May, which gave home service pros the opportunity to expand their capacity, thanks to on-demand artificial intelligence team members.
As Housecall Pro continues to evolve, more updates are scheduled including:
- Housecall Pro Accounting.
- Optimized and segmentable invoice reporting.
- Improved interactive voice response (IVR) that assists in blocking spam.
“Home service pros are some of the hardest working people on the planet,” Heidt said. “That’s why we continue to offer solutions that will help them streamline their operations, work smarter, provide for their employees and grow their businesses. Everything we do is to help home service businesses not only succeed but thrive. At the end of the day, that’s how we measure our success.”
For more information about Housecall Pro, visit https://www.housecallpro.com/.
Over 50% of Contractors Cite Labor Shortage, Overhead Costs, and Supply Chain Constraints as Biggest Ongoing Challenges ServiceTitan, a leading software platform built to power the trades, today released its second annual Commercial Service Report, highlighting current trends and market sentiment for the commercial industry in 2024. The report surveyed over 1,000 commercial contractors across Read more
Over 50% of Contractors Cite Labor Shortage, Overhead Costs, and Supply Chain Constraints as Biggest Ongoing Challenges
ServiceTitan, a leading software platform built to power the trades, today released its second annual Commercial Service Report, highlighting current trends and market sentiment for the commercial industry in 2024. The report surveyed over 1,000 commercial contractors across various trades and found that in the face of economic challenges, contractors remain resilient and are doubling down on sales and marketing while adopting new technology to help drive customer and business growth.
“Commercial contractors are essential to building and maintaining our critical infrastructure across North America – they keep our businesses, schools, hospitals and more up and running at all times,” said Alex Kablanian, General Manager of Commercial & Construction at ServiceTitan. “These contractors have displayed incredible resiliency, navigating formidable economic challenges in recent years. Adopting new technology has played a significant role in empowering them to accelerate and achieve profitable growth in their industry. The commercial contractors who are harnessing the power of software and innovation now have the tools they need to reach new heights and greater potential than ever before.”
ServiceTitan’s findings provide a unique perspective on the industry’s performance while highlighting key developments shaping the path forward.
Contractors focus on new growth in 2024
Despite market uncertainties and macroeconomic challenges, 39% of commercial contractors expressed optimism for 2024 – a 17% increase compared to last year’s study, when only 22% of contractors had a positive outlook for 2023.
While commercial contractors remained resilient despite economic challenges in recent years, a significant majority of contractors’ revenue (71%) either decreased or stayed the same in 2023. In light of this, two-thirds (67%) of commercial contractors are focused on growing revenue in 2024, followed by improving cash flow (30%), optimizing processes (33%), and retaining customers (26%).
Supply chain disruptions expected to persist
For most contractors, ongoing supply chain challenges make sourcing parts (53%) and equipment (34%) difficult. The report also highlights how the effects of supply chain disruptions extend to project timelines—only 14% of commercial contractors delivered more than 90% of their projects on time. Material lead time also increased for 52% of commercial contractors; in comparison, equipment lead time increased for 62% of commercial contractors.
In assessing how contractors navigate these challenges, the results indicate that nearly two-thirds of contractors (63%) keep inventory on hand, and roughly a third of businesses (37%) order supplies as needed. Further assessment of supply chain management reveals that 50% of commercial contractors order directly from the supply house, with the rest split evenly between vendor and manufacturer purchases.
Amid labor shortages, contractors increase technician salaries
Labor shortages (53%) and overhead costs (50%) are cited as the primary risks to achieving contractors’ 2024 goals, with economic recession (49%), increase in material prices (35%), and access to working capital (26%) rounding out the top five risks.
Just as ongoing labor shortages make it challenging for contracting businesses to find skilled workers, the shortage of talent and the increased cost of living make salaries a determining factor in attracting and retaining technicians. In response to these trends, 73% of respondents still plan to increase technician salaries this year.
Software adoption accelerates
Current trends and market sentiment point toward software as a leading solution to streamline commercial contractor operations and improve efficiencies without increasing overhead. In fact, the average commercial trade business uses 4-6 software providers, with a high adoption rate (70%) of Field Service Management software. Correspondingly, a significant 43% of businesses plan to increase their investment in sales and marketing activities in 2024.
With technology becoming increasingly essential for contracting businesses, it is key to take full advantage of the capabilities and innovate accordingly. Based on the survey, there is room for improvement—while 30% of survey respondents identified improved cash flow as their top goal, 20% of contractors still take more than a week to send invoices, and 33% of customer payments are more than one week late.
To review the full findings and key takeaways, download ServiceTitan’s Commercial Markets Report here.
About the research
This research was conducted by Thrive Analytics on behalf of ServiceTitan, polling more than 1,000 commercial service contractors representing a variety of geographical regions, business growth stages, and revenue levels. This research is for informational purposes only and ServiceTitan provides no assurances (express or implied) with respect to the accuracy of the survey data.
ServiceTitan Will Offer Synchrony Financing Within its Software Platform to Reduce Friction and Aid in Closing Sales for Contractors Synchrony (NYSE: SYF), a leading consumer finance company, and ServiceTitan, a leading software platform built to power the trades, today announced the integration of Synchrony financing into the ServiceTitan platform, making it easier than ever for contractors to Read more
ServiceTitan Will Offer Synchrony Financing Within its Software Platform to Reduce Friction and Aid in Closing Sales for Contractors
Synchrony (NYSE: SYF), a leading consumer finance company, and ServiceTitan, a leading software platform built to power the trades, today announced the integration of Synchrony financing into the ServiceTitan platform, making it easier than ever for contractors to offer financing to their customers.
“Contractors love ServiceTitan because it intuitively handles their workflow and that makes it easier to close business and increase sales,” said Curtis Howse, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Home & Auto, Synchrony. “Teaming up with ServiceTitan will make the sales process seamless, helping businesses across industries as well as the customers they serve.”
Through this new partnership, Synchrony will enable contractors in the field to offer customers the option to apply for financing through ServiceTitan’s software platform, leveraging Synchrony’s direct-to-device application process and pre-fill technology. After a customer applies, the contractor will receive the application response and, upon approval, will be able to proceed with the sales process—all within ServiceTitan.
“Our top priority at ServiceTitan is providing contractors with the solutions they need to grow their business while delivering the best customer experience possible,” Anmol Bhasin, Chief Technology Officer, ServiceTitan. “Through our new partnership with Synchrony, we are able to offer our customers even more options when it comes choosing a financing process.”
Synchrony currently serves tens of thousands of businesses in the home improvement sector, many of which already use ServiceTitan, and the new partnership creates the opportunity to serve those partners better with ServiceTitan’s industry-leading platform.