Executive Summary
A regional HVAC company serving residential and commercial clients across three states was struggling with operational inefficiency. Their fragmented software stack was costing them $2,400+/month and causing technician frustration.
After consolidating to Custanova, they achieved:
- •$18,828 annual savings on software costs
- •23% increase in jobs completed per technician
- •Same-day invoicing (previously 3-5 day delay)
- •Zero paper forms (previously 40% paper-based)
The Challenge
Before Custanova
The company was using:
- •Salesforce Essentials for customer management ($875/mo)
- •ServiceTitan for dispatch and scheduling ($1,400/mo)
- •Typeform for customer satisfaction surveys ($70/mo)
- •Zapier to connect everything ($99/mo)
Total Monthly Spend: $2,444
Pain Points
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Data Silos: Customer information lived in Salesforce. Job history lived in ServiceTitan. Survey responses lived in Typeform. Nobody had the full picture.
- •
Offline Failures: Technicians frequently lost connectivity in basements, attics, and rural areas. ServiceTitan's mobile app would freeze, forcing paper fallbacks.
- •
Integration Breakdowns: Zapier connections broke monthly. Lead data didn't sync to job records. Survey responses were orphaned.
- •
Slow Invoicing: Jobs completed Friday weren't invoiced until the following week due to manual data reconciliation.
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Technician Frustration: "I spend more time fighting the software than fixing AC units." — Field Technician
The Solution
Migration to Custanova
The company migrated to Custanova Pro ($25/user/month) over a 2-week period:
Week 1:
- •Exported Salesforce contacts and accounts
- •Imported historical job data via CSV
- •Configured custom form for service reports
Week 2:
- •Deployed mobile app to all 35 technicians
- •Conducted 2-hour training session
- •Ran parallel operation with old system
Week 3:
- •Cut over to Custanova as primary system
- •Decommissioned ServiceTitan and Typeform
- •Cancelled Zapier subscription
The Results
Cost Savings
| Category | Before | After | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRM/Customer Management | $875 | Included | $875 |
| Field Service Platform | $1,400 | Included | $1,400 |
| Forms/Surveys | $70 | Included | $70 |
| Integration Platform | $99 | $0 | $99 |
| Monthly Total | $2,444 | $875 | $1,569 |
| Annual Total | $29,328 | $10,500 | $18,828 |
Operational Improvements
Technician Productivity:
- •Jobs per technician increased from 5.2/day to 6.4/day (23% improvement)
- •Reduced "windshield time" with intelligent route optimization
- •Eliminated 30 minutes/day of data re-entry
Invoicing Speed:
- •Before: 3-5 business days from job completion
- •After: Same-day invoicing (often within 30 minutes)
- •Cash flow improvement: ~$15,000/month faster collections
Data Quality:
- •Customer records: 100% linked to job history
- •Survey responses: 100% attached to job records
- •Duplicate contacts: Reduced from 12% to <1%
Technician Satisfaction:
- •Net Promoter Score (internal): Improved from -15 to +42
- •"The app actually works in basements now." — Field Technician
Key Features Used
1. Offline-First Mobile App
Technicians complete full service reports in basements, attics, and rural areas without connectivity. Photos, signatures, and form data sync automatically when back online.
2. Intelligent Route Optimization
Powered by Google Maps AI, daily routes are optimized for shortest drive time. Result: 18% reduction in fuel costs.
3. Unified Customer View
Every customer record shows:
- •Contact information
- •Complete service history
- •Open quotes and invoices
- •Survey scores
- •Communication log
4. Automated Follow-Ups
Workflow automation sends:
- •Service confirmation emails (immediate)
- •Satisfaction surveys (24 hours post-job)
- •Maintenance reminders (6 months post-service)
5. Real-Time Dashboard
Dispatch managers see:
- •Technician locations on live map
- •Job status in real-time
- •Daily completion metrics
- •SLA compliance tracking
Implementation Timeline
| Week | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Data migration and form configuration |
| Week 2 | Mobile deployment and training |
| Week 3 | Full cutover |
| Week 4 | Process optimization and automation setup |
Total Implementation Time: 4 weeks
Total Implementation Cost: $2,500 (internal labor + training)
Quote from the Operations Director
"We were paying almost $30,000 a year for software that didn't talk to each other. Our technicians hated it. Our office staff spent hours reconciling data.
Custanova gave us one system that actually works. The ROI was obvious within the first month. The technician feedback alone was worth the switch."
— Sarah M., Operations Director
Lessons Learned
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Parallel operation is essential: Running both systems for 1 week caught edge cases before full cutover.
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Technician buy-in matters: Involving field staff in form design led to better adoption.
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Data cleanup first: Deduplicating contacts before migration prevented inherited problems.
- •
Automate early: Setting up workflow automations during Week 4 locked in efficiency gains.
Conclusion
For field service companies, the fragmented software model is unsustainable. Integration costs, data silos, and offline failures create hidden operational drag that compounds over time.
Consolidating to a unified platform like Custanova delivers:
- •Immediate cost savings (50-70% typical)
- •Operational efficiency gains (15-25% productivity improvement)
- •Improved technician experience
- •Better customer visibility
Is your field service operation ready to consolidate?
This case study is based on a real Custanova customer. Some details have been anonymized for confidentiality.
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