Industry News

Upcoming courses will give contractors insights and best practices to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.

Seattle—Business Development Resources (BDR), a trusted provider of business coaching and training services for the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical industries, announces its upcoming lineup of virtual contractor training courses to help enhance home service business growth in the coming winter season.

These sessions cover a wide array of essential topics, offering actionable insights and strategies to drive profitability, improve customer relations, and streamline operations. “The home services market is becoming more competitive every year,” said Matt MacArthur, Sr. Vice President of Training at BDR. “For that reason, we’re offering a full slate of educational courses to help contractors close out 2024 strong and start 2025 on the right foot.”

With 10+ virtual training events over the next four months, BDR provides contractors access to a wide range of information vital to the growth and success of their business. Topics in these upcoming trainings cover all areas of a contractor’s business, including:

• Mastering Productivity: Strategies for Prioritization, Time Management, & Delegation (December 18, 2024)
  This power-packed class offers practical tools and resources for improving productivity to help attendees gain control over their day and allow them to be more effective in their lives and job roles.
• The Home Service Blueprint: 5 Core Pillars for Building Your Dream Business (January 9, 2025)
  In this one-day intensive workshop, business owners and managers will learn five foundational strategies to increase profitability and success and immediately enhance their HVAC and plumbing business.
• Top Gun Technician Excellence: Beyond Diagnostics (January 30-31, 2025)
  In this session, service technicians learn the soft skills to perform their jobs better, driving customer satisfaction, sales leads, and referrals through a defined service delivery procedure.
• Customer Experience University (February 6-7, 2025)
  This course teaches sales and install coordinators a structured retail process to help build long-lasting customer relationships, close more appointments, and position the company for referrals.

“The way the home service industry operates has changed dramatically over the last decade,” MacArthur said. “In order to remain competitive, contractors must adapt to increased consumer expectations. From office management to improving point-of-sale opportunities, these training courses can help position business owners for growth and expansion as the market changes.”

For more information about BDR’s upcoming contractor training schedule, visit https://www.bdrco.com/upcoming-bdr-events/.

The long-standing collaboration strengthens integration services, simplifying tasks and improving service

 XOi, a leading provider of technician-focused technology solutions for commercial and residential field service companies, announces new Davisware integration updates to further enhance field-to-office coordination, boost technician efficiency and empower contractors to deliver superior customer service to their clients.

Since 2019, the XOi and Davisware partnership has provided streamlined customer relationship management services to enhance job-site efficiency and service delivery for industry professionals. The companies proudly announce solution updates that offer a comprehensive user experience to make coordination between field and office manageable and transparent for each stakeholder. Combining XOi and Davisware gives service teams a competitive advantage in data collection and utilization. This provides new revenue streams and exceptional customer communication on every service call.

“These integration upgrades will allow technicians to focus on problem solving and providing exceptional service” said Aaron Salow, founder and CEO of XOi. “Rather than forcing technicians to spend time on tasks like communication and notation, they can utilize their time more effectively, leading to increased customer satisfaction, repeat business and more revenue. And by providing streamlined information unique to each environment, technicians will receive a custom experience that simplifies their jobs.”

The latest updates provide field technicians with access to synced information between XOi and Davisware order records, job referencing and enhanced field mapping to create a one-stop application for technicians.

“By seamlessly integrating XOi with Davisware, we’re not just enhancing internal workflows with advanced technology; we’re forging a transparent, data-driven link that empowers our customers to cultivate stronger, more trustworthy relationships with their own clients,” said Tasos Angelopoulos, CEO of Davisware. “This integration equips service teams to offer a more intelligent and personalized experience, thanks to the wealth of valuable insights readily accessible to them.”

XOi provides business owners and their teams with the premier tool for managing and leveraging data from current jobs and historical projects. It includes powerful data collection, virtual support and mentoring, and real, actionable insights. For more information about XOi, visit https://xoi.io.

Shedeur Sanders has won the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award®, presented annually by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. and A. O. Smith Corporation to the nation’s top quarterback who best exemplifies character, scholastic and athletic achievement. Sanders is the first University of Colorado Buffalo to win this celebrated award.

Throughout his college career, the Texas native has completed 1,217-of-1,744 passes (69.8%) for 13,707 yards with 127 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. At Colorado in 22 games, he has completed 601-of-843 passes for 6,718 yards with 57 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In two years at CU, he ranks fifth in Buffalo history for completions, seventh for attempts, sixth for passing yards, and fourth for passing touchdowns.  He has thrown a touchdown pass in 47 straight games, the longest streak in NCAA D1 (FBS and FCS) history, second longest streak in NCAA history and it would be tied for the fourth longest streak in NFL history with Johnny Unitas. In his 2024 season alone, through 11 games, he has completed 303-of-413 passes (73.4%) for 3,488 yards with 30 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Sanders journey not only highlights his athletic talents, but also underscores his dedication to carrying forward his family’s football legacy.

Sanders’ achievements will be honored on Friday, December 6, in Baltimore, MD. This year the Golden Arm Educational Foundation alongside presenting partner A. O. Smith are honored to welcome former Golden Arm Award winner, Gino Torretta, as their keynote speaker. Torretta also won the Heisman Award, the Maxwell Trophy and the Davey O’Brien national quarterback award. The 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award presentation celebrating Sanders will be livestreamed on the Golden Arm Award YouTube channel.

The candidates are selected by the distinguished Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, and former players. The award annually recognizes the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class. Candidates are chosen based on player performance on-and-off the field.

Giving life to the commitment to give back, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. and presenting sponsor A. O. Smith continue to promote football on all levels by providing financial aid to deserving young scholar athletes.

Sharing a tradition of innovation with Johnny Unitas, who invented football’s two-minute drill, A. O. Smith has been an innovator in its industry for 150 years. What began as a small machine shop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1874, has evolved into a leading global water technology company committed to improving the lives of its customers by ensuring access to clean, safe, hot water.

For more information on the Golden Arm Award, please visit: Golden Arm Award. Additionally, follow the conversation throughout the college football season on X, @GoldenArmAward, and use the hashtags #GoldenArmAward and #InnovationLeaders.

Sponsors of the Golden Arm Award Presented by A. O. Smith Corporation include: MedStar Sports Medicine, The Babe Ruth Museum, Comcast, Dunbar Security Solutions, Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, Haddock Investments, Silver Star Properties, HMS Insurance Associates, Inc., Milwaukee Tool, Encore, TRAY, AE2 Creative, Wolf Professional Security, Jostens, and Extraordinar Luxury Transportation.

Leading field service software empowers businesses with AI dispatcher Jessica

Workiz, the leading field service management platform with over 120,000 customers, has announced the launch of its latest innovative AI service, Genius Answering.

Genius Answering is the latest innovation in the Workiz Genius suite aimed at redefining after-hours field service operations. Jessica is the smart AI dispatcher behind the revolutionary solution. It is the only AI answering service built directly into your FSM (Field Service Management platform).

Jessica handles calls effortlessly. With the unique ability to know everything about your business and your customers, it keeps your business thriving by booking jobs 24/7.

“Imagine never missing a call again, capturing every job opportunity and effortlessly boosting your revenue – even after hours – simply by flipping on the switch to Genius Answering,” said Didi Azaria, CEO of Workiz. “Genius Answering is a game-changer for field service businesses. As a cornerstone of the Workiz Genius suite, it ensures no call goes unanswered, every opportunity is seized, and all tasks integrate effortlessly with your existing processes.”

“Most field service business owners are unaware of the hidden cost of missed calls. An analysis of 150,000 service business calls shows that, on average, 40% of inbound calls go unanswered, and half of those clients have already booked with a competitor by the time they are called back. Now, Genius Answering steps in to help businesses recover this loss, increasing top line revenues by up to 30% simply by implementing Genius Answering inside their Workiz system.”

Offered within the communication suite, Genius Answering goes beyond basic automation by offering continuous availability, industry-specific expertise, personalized customer engagement and comprehensive office support. Jessica seamlessly streamlines operations enhancing overall efficiency by automating up to 80% of call management tasks, from customer support to appointment booking to help capture revenue 24/7.

Say goodbye to the challenges of traditional offshore call centers—like language barriers and cultural disconnects. Jessica, the smart AI dispatcher, delivers flawless, tailored communication designed specifically for the field service industry. With Jessica, you can uphold top-notch service standards, delight your customers and boost revenue—all without the drawbacks of outsourcing.

Genius Answering also helps prevent costly rescheduling by ensuring techs are dispatched efficiently and that customers are available. Its ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and drive additional revenue through upselling makes it an asset for field service teams.

“Powered by Jessica, Genius Answering embodies the future of intelligent support, empowering field service teams to capture greater market share and elevate customer experiences with personalized, smart assistance around the clock, ” Azaria said. “At Workiz, our mission is to automate everything but the wrench. Jessica is a major milestone in this journey to revolutionize the way service businesses operate.”

Nick Tellie, owner of We Love Junk in Philadelphia, shares his excitement about how Genius Answering has helped his business turn missed calls into positive revenue.

“Genius Answering with Jessica has been a game-changer for our team,” Tellie said. “In just over a month, Jessica has already booked tens of thousands of dollars in sales. Gone are the days of missed calls slipping into voicemail. Jessica answers instantly, securing jobs that would have otherwise been lost. Her impact on our business has been nothing short of phenomenal.”

For more information on Genius Answering and the Workiz Genius suite, please visit www.workiz.com.