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HVAC Business Improves Efficiency by 40% With Sera, Grows Profit Margins
Case Study: Always Ready Repair
By: Sera Systems
Byline (H4) Author Authorson
Photo courtesy of Sera Systems.
The Challenge
Jason Wiersma, owner of Chicago-area HVAC business Always Ready Repair, prides himself on introducing technology into the business. And since Always Ready was founded in 1935, he'd made big strides since the days of pen and paper.
But Jason and team knew they had outgrown their technology setup, which included a server-based customer relationship management (CRM) solution and a separate online scheduler. Several limitations were holding the business back:
- The separate solutions housed data in different places, so there was no way for Jason to really see a full picture of his business;
- The server-based solution meant Jason didn’t have remote access to the system; and
- There was no way for customers to book appointments online.
While Jason was making this solution work, he needed more from a FSM solution than what he was getting. He was literally grounded by his current system — and he wanted to fly.
The Solution
Sera delivered more in the form of an all-in-one solution for the entire business. What initially intrigued Jason was Sera’s customer portal, which lets customers schedule appointments online while also improving the business’ search engine ranking (a great way to compete with third-party review sites).
As he learned more about Sera, Jason found that the software could also help him unlock efficiencies. The features he ended up using most include:
- The dispatching module, which has kept techs from feeling rushed to get to the next call and alleviated the stress of manually managing a dispatch board
- The admin dashboard, which has helped Jason get an overall view of efficiency so he can make specific adjustments that deliver measurable results
“The dashboard allows me to check things like whether my price or my time is too low. Then I can adjust those things. I also use the reporting to figure out where my blended financing is — what I've run for credit cards, what I've done in cash, what I've done in checks. I export the data so I can put it all on a graph, and I know if I have install jobs that are financing 65% of the time, I’ve got to change my blended financing.”
Ultimately, while Sera checked the boxes in terms of what Jason was looking for in a FSM solution (cloud-based, all-in-one, scheduling feature), it was the more unexpected features — the ability to track and improve efficiency — that solidified his decision to use Sera.
The Results
Not only has the Always Ready team been able to find efficiencies and get paid for every minute of time with Sera, they’ve been able to measure efficiency. Profitability has increased, too.
- Increased efficiency from 60% to 84%
- Profitability increased by a factor of 7% in 8 months of using Sera
Even better, Jason and his staff are all enjoying more flexibility as they get more time back.
“It was about being able to track efficiency, being able to know where you’re making money and where you aren’t making money — and how easily you can figure that out. At one point, we had three or four people doing what Sera's doing now.”
Final Thoughts
Jason describes Sera as more than software, saying “it’s a solution for the entire business that helps the office and management team be more productive. Sera has helped make us more efficient, from the office all the way down to the technician.”
By the Numbers
Efficiency Improvement: 40%
Profitability Growth: 7%