< Previous20 APRIL 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY MANAGEMENT the way we think about how everyone needs to be paid the same. You must create an environment where it’s OK to be a Type A or a Type B personality. That environment must include a path for financial success for both. The key for us is balance. We always work to keep things balanced. You can’t ignore maintenance agreements because you’re a good technician. You still have to offer them. But we won’t judge you based on the percentage of conversions you make. We will hold you accountable for the number of callbacks you have. We achieve balance using a matrix we create that includes different tasks, skills, and proficiencies. When a tech masters them, they fall into a category where their pay increases. Management knows where all our techs stand on this skillset matrix. We don’t send them out on difficult jobs if they are not as advanced. KPIs, then, are both a management and a career path tool. In the end, our business is a people business. I’m not just talking about customers but also team members. It’s about a high-performance culture focused on clear career paths. From the beginning, when we onboard and acclimate new people from a tech- nical school, another HVAC compa- ny, or even an unrelated field, we sit down and show them our career ma- trix. They can see the trajectory of how they can get to where they want to go. It comes down to KPIs. We even created a booklet show- ing people what their Lakeside career can look like. It includes the require- ments for advancement, the training they will need, the certifications they should earn, and more. If you don’t all day, even after hours. Talk about building camaraderie! He has a 30-minute weekly meeting with them to review challenges and successes. He celebrates their success stories. The same thing happens with our technical mentor and his group of four. By doing this, our service manag- er can focus more on some bigger de- partmental stuff. Everyone is compensated based on their strengths. Our highly techni- cal technicians are in a different pay bracket than our average technical technicians, who may be good at sell- ing agreements, add-on accessories, and other sales. Selling techs make a lot of money from spiffs. Ultimately, they all fall into the same total pay, but they’re compensat- ed based on strengths and what they provide to Lakeside. BALANCING ACT In hindsight, it’s not that hard to set career KPIs up. But it is hard to change also are great tools for creating career paths. For example, we have a manag- er who is so good technically that he can often help techs in the field diag- nose problems over the phone. As a manager, he needs his team to sell more agreement add-ons and get more sales leads. But sales are NOT in his wheelhouse. To help, we created a new position, taking the top-selling technician in our service department and making him a coach to mentor people. We did the same thing with our top technical technician. We knew who these guys were because of the KPIs we track. We gave them each a small bump in pay, and they coached and mentored a team of four people. The four techs in each group need the most help presenting things, com- municating with customers, and sell- ing. We pair them with the top-sell- ing tech who helps them improve. The mentor shares his knowledge with these young guys and can help them MANAGEMENT We also collect data on how our customer service reps (CSRs) per- form. Every CSR has 25 monthly calls listened to by a third party. The third party listens for key touchpoints made on each call. We use that information to train and help our CSRs improve. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS MAKE US WINNERS We work hard to become a High-Per- formance HVAC firm. How can you have a high-performance culture if you don’t measure it, and how can you measure it without having KPIs? Furthermore, KPIs are how we com- municate the score and measure our strategy’s effectiveness. They help us implement our mission plan. They also allow the Lakeside management team to determine if we are making good decisions and investments. Accurate KPIs are required to make course ad- justments throughout the year. Lakeside has grown yearly since we implemented KPIs and posted them in 2013. We publish everything we mea- sure, making it tangible. We can im- prove on everything we measure. If you’re competitive and want to win, you must know the score and what scores matter. KPIs are a great way to do that. have a way for employees to know where they are and pick a path for their future, they may not last all that long with your company. PAPERWORK IS A THING Key Performance Indicator data col- lection, unfortunately, does require paperwork, especially when measur- ing technical proficiencies. We ask techs to complete progress reports de- scribing what they’ve accomplished with and without help each day. Techs are responsible for keeping track of this, and then their team leader signs off on it. This paperwork is how we hold them accountable. There are times when a tech doesn’t want to do paperwork. We must ex- plain to them that this is the only way to know what they are doing. If they want more money by advancing, this is the cornerstone. From this and other paperwork, we now measure things such as: z Total calls (billable and unbillable) z Average ticket z Conversions to service or installa- tion leads z Conversions to service agreement sales z Number of follow-ups. That last one includes examining feedback responses like how we did on the job and what our online reviews look like. Today, we also measure our mar- keting and how it impacts service leads and client referrals. From a sales standpoint, we have KPIs for: z Number of opportunities z Number of sales z Total revenue z Average Sale z Closing efficiencies. John Boylan is the general manager of Lakeside Service Com- pany in Brighton, MI. The company special- izes in designing, engi- neering, and installing complete comfort systems in new and existing homes. He strongly believes in the high-performance approach to HVAC contracting and is a champion for using KPIs as a management tool. To contact John, go to ncilink.com/ ContactMe . APRIL 2024 21HVACTODAY.COM22 APRIL 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYAPRIL 2024 23HVACTODAY.COM z Anatomy of the High-Performance Sales Process — Presented by Dawn Mroczek, Sales Man- ager, GV’s Heating & Air, Glenview, IL z High-Performance HVAC Renovations from Start to Finish — Presented by Dustin Cole, Owner, Cole Air, Inc., Lake Charles, LA z How to Take Com- bustion Testing to the Next Level — Presented by NCI Instructor Mark Hunt z The Sweet Spot: Where Building Science and HVAC Intersect — Pre- sented by Rob Minnick, NCI Instructor z Customer Communication: Drop the Technospeak — Presented by NCI Coach David Holt z Climate Resilient Heat Pump Strategies — Presented by Ben Lip- scomb, NCI Director of Engineering and Utility Programs z How To Solve the Top 10 Invert- er Installation Issues — Presented by Bryan Orr, President and Co-founder of Kalos Services Inc., and Host of HVAC School Podcast z How to Properly Design with To- day’s Heat Pumps — Presented by Adam Mufich, President, A-Team Heat- ing & Air z The Air Upgrade Cure: A Simple Solution to HVAC Equipment Failures — Presented by David Richardson, NCI VP of Training z PerformanceTown – Take Your Testing Accuracy to the Next Level — Taught by the NCI Instructor Team If you are an NCI member, take advan- tage of not only your membership dis- counts, but consider using some of your NCI Bucks to help offset costs. Call 800- 633-7058 and ask your representative to help you take advantage of this benefit. Meet Mark Hunt: One of NCI’s New Instructors As we pursue our mission to teach the industry about the benefits of High-Per- formance HVAC™ contracting, Nation- al Comfort Institute (NCI) has been onboarding additional trainers and in- structors. We are pleased to introduce you to one of them, Mark Hunt, who joined NCI in 2021. Mark has an extensive background in the plumbing and HVAC industries. He eventually began working in the add- on/replacement marketplace and took a combustion course with NCI’s Cap- tain CO , Jim Davis. Hunt says that class changed the way he viewed combustion appliances forever. NCI recently promot- ed Mark to a full-time technical instructor. You may have already encountered him teaching Combustion Performance and CO Safety, most recently in Monroeville, PA last month. David Richardson, NCI’s vice president of training, says “Mark has quickly be- come an important part of the NCI tech- nical team. His expertise in combustion and hydronics has already helped our students who have worked with him. Plus, we’ve grown to love his expertise and his humor.” Please welcome Mark to Nation- al Comfort Institute. You can reach him through our contact portal at ncilink. com/Contactme . Changes in the HVAC industry are hap- pening faster than ever before. Electrifi- cation, heat pumps, inverter technolo- gy, new refrigerants, and new efficiency standards are just a few of the challenges and opportunities in front of us. The key is to be prepared, proactive, and educate your team to meet the new opportuni- ties head-on. Join your fellow high-performance contractors at NCI’s High-Performance Summit in Asheville, NC this Septem- ber to explore ways to outperform your competition, delight your customers, and lead your marketplace as you set your priorities for 2025 and beyond. The NCI Summit 2024 will be held from September 10-13th at the Crowne Plaza Asheville Hotel . Here is a quick rundown of the ses- sions we have planned this year and the session leaders. Be sure to mark your cal- endars and register for Summit today. You should also reserve your room at the Crowne Plaza and take advantage of NCI’s great room rate. z How to Build a High-Performance Culture in Your HVAC Business — Pre- sented by John Boylan, General Manag- er, Lakeside Service, Brighton MI NCI UPDATE OUTPERFORM! Make High-Performance HVAC™ Your Secret Weapon Mark HuntHVAC SMART MART 24 APRIL 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYAD INDEX Publisher Dominick Guarino Editor-in-Chief Mike Weil Art Director Judy Marquardt Online Development Director Brian Roseman Circulation Manager Andrea Begany-Garsed To Subscribe to High-Performance HVAC Today: ONLINE: Visit HVACToday.com/subscribe for a FREE digital subscription. PRINT: 1 year/$72; single copy $7. Canada: 1 year/$92; single copy $9. Payable in advance with U.S. funds. Prepaid subscriptions may be sent to: High-Performance HVAC Today, PO Box 147, Avon Lake, OH 44012. Phone: 440-949-1850; toll free 800-633-7058; or visit HVACToday.com/subscribe to order online. Go to ncilink.com/ContactMe with your comments and questions. APRIL 2024 25HVACTODAY.COM Advertiser Index Arzel Zoning Technology, Inc. | www.ArzelZoning.com ...................................................... 5 Baker Distributing Company | www.BakerDist.com ........................................................... 24 Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc. | www.northamerica-daikin.com 25 Duct Saddles | www.DuctSaddles.com ..................................................................................... 16 Evergreen Telemetry | www.EvergreenTelemetry.com ........................................................ 2 Lazco Corporation | www.Lazcocorp.com ............................................................................. 27 R.E. Michel Company | www.REMichel.com ............................................................................ 8 Sauermann | www.sauermanngroup.com ............................................................................ 13 TEC (The Energy Conservatory) | www.energyconservatory.com ............................... 17 To Your Success | www.ToYourSuccess.com .......................................................................... 24 Tru Tech Tools | www.TruTechTools.com ............................................................................22, 2426 APRIL 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY A QUALITY LOW-LEVEL MONITOR There are three important things to look for in a high-quality low-level CO monitor: 1. It should alert the occupants when there is a level high enough to affect their health – espe- cially infants, children, and the elderly. 2. It uses a high-quality, reliable electrochemical sensor similar to what is used in professional CO/Combustion analyzers. 3. It’s only sold by professionals who educate homeowners and know how to respond when the monitor signals dangerous CO levels. A high-quality monitor should have different alert levels and sounds. The first alarm sounds typically at 15 PPM (Parts Per Million), and then a stronger alert at 35 PPM. The monitor should go into full alarm mode at 70 PPM with no delay. Unfortunately, typical store-bought detectors have none of these features, and most are never tested at the factory. Because of UL Standards, these detectors do not go into full alarm unless levels exceed 70 PPM for up to 4 hours! A healthy adult could easily not wake up after an hour or less at 70 PPM. A child or elderly per- son would succumb in even less time. Everyone deserves to know the difference be- tween store-bought detectors and professional grade monitors. It could save their lives! For more than two decades NCI has been providing National Safety Institute (NSI) Low-level Monitors. Our second generation NSI 6000 meets all of the criteria outlined above. The monitor also has Bluetooth features that allow data from the monitor to be stored in the cloud for easy access and analysis. Visit nation- alsafetyinstruments.com to learn more. The bottom line is CO never takes a day off. It can strike at any time. However, with the right training and tools, you can minimize the chances of your customer becoming its next victim. A common misconception in our industry is Carbon Monoxide (CO), is only a heat- ing season issue. When we look at the ev- idence, nothing could be further from the truth. Many CO incidents in homes originate from water heaters not venting properly. While the ap- pliance may not be the actual cause, it’s typically the first that will stop venting, dropping Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ), into the burners. This causes in- complete combustion which generates CO. So what causes water heaters to improperly vent flue gases? Typically it’s the pressure in the space where the appliance is located becoming more negative than the draft in the flue. Instead of drawing gases out, the flue works backwards, pulling in outside air. This air can block the flue gas causing CO 2 to fill the burner area resulting in incomplete combustion. WHY IT CAN BE WORSE IN WARM WEATHER Most pressure imbalances in homes are caused by leaky ductwork and/or poorly balanced HVAC systems. In some cases building envelope issues can increase these imbalances. When a forced air system switches from heat- ing to cooling, the blower usually kicks up to a higher speed to move more Cubic Feet per Min- ute (CFM) of air through the ductwork and into the home. When this happens any pressure imbalances will increase significantly, making the likelihood of poor venting greater than in winter. This is just one of many reasons technicians should check for CO during service and mainte- nance visits. Other CO sources include improp- erly venting pool heaters, fireplaces, BBQ grills, stoves, generators, and so forth. But you can’t always be there to safeguard your customers’ homes, so the next best thing is a high-quality low-level CO monitor. ONE MORE THING... By Dom Guarino Carbon Monoxide Never Takes A Vacation Dominick Guarino is publisher of High-Performance HVAC Today magazine and President & CEO of National Comfort Institute, Inc. He can be reached at ncilink. com/ContactMe . APRIL 2024 27HVACTODAY.COMNext >