Focus On Training

As a distributor, there is increased opportunity for Jackson Systems to get involved in helping their contractor customers get better at delivering high-quality service and installations. Tom Jackson has always been a huge believer in training.

He says, ‘Today we deliver it differently because we are a single-location distributor. We will bring other manufacturers to our facility in Indianapolis. We’ll then invite local contractors to attend. We provide food and hands-on interactivity with the presenters.

‘But then we live-stream the training so others can watch it in real time. We stream it all over the web using our own commercial studio that is right in our building. Finally, we record the training so it can be watched on demand.

Company CEO Tom Jackson (left) is pictured here with his mother Bette, and father (and founder) Ron.

‘Our complete training schedule is on our website,’ he continues. ‘We try to make sure our training is NATE certified so that if a contractor needs CEU credits, they can go online, watch the videos, and take a test that NATE requires to verify that it happened.’

Training is a serious part of the services Jackson Systems provides, though according to Tom Jackson, they do approach it a little differently by delivering most of the content via the web.

‘This approach works for us and our customers,’ he adds. ‘And I think it ties in nicely with our support of the technical training provided by National Comfort Institute (NCI). What NCI is doing with their training is just outstanding.’

The NCI Connection

In a world that always undergoes change ‘ sometimes economically or politically, training is key, according to Jackson, to staying on top of the best ways to solve customer comfort issues and make it easier to stand out from the competition.

Tom Jackson will tell you that since its beginnings, his company has had a strong focus on the HVAC contracting community. He says they like being partners with groups that work hard to promote the HVAC industry and who focus on the technical side.

‘In that light, what NCI does is truly incredible,’ Jackson continues. ‘NCI’s technical expertise has always been of interest to us. I really admire how that organization is leading the way by looking at HVAC systems as more than just equipment. I also think the entire concept behind measuring and diagnosing is the key to this industry’s future.’

He explains that his company has been interested in NCI almost from the beginning. In fact, Jackson says understanding static pressure and temperature, and having the right tools to measure and manage airflow through duct systems, is just so powerful when it comes to creating a comfortable customer.

‘And I feel that we are all working toward that same goal,’ he adds.
Which is why Jackson Systems became a vendor partner with NCI. And with NCI’s move away from a traditional rebate program and to the Training Incentive Partnership Program (TIPP), he feels even more strongly about the connection.

‘With our renewed focus on training, I cannot think of a better use of the partner program than to see a percent of our sales go to helping our customers pay towards their training,’ he says.

‘This helps to make them stronger contractors. Which in turn, contributes to building a great reputation in their community. This leads them to earn more business, which in turn means more business for us. It is a cycle of life thing. The investment in what NCI is doing is absolutely the right thing to do. We couldn’t be happier.’

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