Residential Service Manager

• Understand how to implement a structured business plan
• Learn how businesses operate through processes, not individuals
• Define the roles of employees versus managers
• Understand labor utilization and its impact on operating costs
• Learn how proper staffing prevents margin erosion

1.1 Value-Based & Flat-Rate Pricing Fundamentals

• Learn why service businesses must sell value, not price
• Understand true job value beyond labor time
• Learn how flat-rate pricing recovers non-billable labor and vehicle costs
• Review consumer-friendly flat-rate pricing structures

1.2 Establishing Labor, Truck, & Warranty Cost Rates

• Calculate available billable on-site hours
• Determine hourly technician and crew costs
• Establish vehicle ownership and operating cost rates
• Account for warranty support and reserve costs

1.3 Service Agreement Pricing

• Define service agreement scope and deliverables
• Understand why service agreements drive stability and growth
• Calculate monthly and annual service agreement rates
• Price single and multiple-unit agreements accurately

2.2 Onsite Opportunity Assessment

• Use structured assessment forms by call type
• Conduct logical customer interviews
• Identify additional comfort, safety, and efficiency opportunities
• Capture and follow up on post-call opportunities

4.1 Repair Trust-Selling

• Apply a consultative, trust-based selling process
• Standardize service call handling
• Understand how service agreements support sustainability
• Apply proactive repair-selling standards

4.2 Service Agreement Selling

• Understand the service agreement business model
• Communicate customer benefits clearly
• Set proper expectations
• Apply proactive trust-selling techniques

4.3 Replacement Trust-Selling

• Understand replacement and design-build sales
• Apply standardized replacement selling procedures
• Present professional proposals and investment options
• Address common customer objections confidently

5.1 Why Written Standards Matter

• Gain stakeholder buy-in for standardization
• Identify required business and operational functions
• Understand why written standards reduce chaos and errors

5.2 Service Repair Work Delivery

• Follow best-practice repair workflows from lead to close-out
• Standardize technician and manager responsibilities

5.3 Service Agreement Work Delivery

• Apply standardized service agreement workflows
• Ensure consistent inspections and customer experience

5.4 Replacement Work Delivery

• Apply quality assurance procedures
• Establish payment, credit, and receivables standards
• Manage projects from lead through completion

5.6 Labor Productivity Optimization

• Understand field labor efficiency metrics
• Apply procedures to improve productivity
• Generate buy-in from technicians and staff

5.7 Installation Scheduling & Management

• Verify job readiness
• Assign install dates effectively
• Manage confirmations and close-outs
• Build and manage a weekly install capacity board

• Understand invoices and proposals as legal contracts
• Apply payment and liability protections
• Protect the business across repair, service agreements, and replacements

7.1 Employee Retention & Performance

• Implement work delivery standards company-wide
• Use performance-based job descriptions
• Monitor productivity and efficiency
• Build a culture of accountability and success
• Apply performance incentive systems

7.2 Performance-Based Job Descriptions

• Understand job descriptions as behavioral contracts
• Use them to evaluate and coach performance objectively

7.3 Hiring & Managing Customer Care Staff

• Hire effectively for dispatch and customer care roles
• Train staff in professional communication
• Handle objections and difficult conversations

7.4 Incentives & Culture of Success

• Align incentives with productivity and profitability
• Reinforce standards and conduct expectations

• Calculate income, expenses, and break-even points
• Use KPIs to guide management decisions
• Track individual and financial performance metrics
• Apply rules-based management using KPI data

• Design an efficient organizational structure
• Define departmental functions and accountability
• Forecast labor needs by work category
• Align staffing with revenue goals

• Understand the impact of customer care on profitability
• Apply inbound and outbound call standards
• Train and onboard customer care staff
• Maintain organized office systems

• Build monthly labor and expense plans
• Forecast staffing needs accurately
• Use budgeting tools to model growth scenarios

12.1 Recruiting & Retention

• Avoid costly hiring mistakes
• Apply proven recruiting strategies
• Use structured hiring and screening tools

12.2 Coaching & Counseling

• Conduct background checks and proper job offers
• Assess training needs
• Apply coaching and counseling processes correctly
• Address performance and behavioral issues professionally

• Understand the link between field execution and customer satisfaction
• Identify operational benefits of FSM software
• Apply selection best practices

• Understand leadership styles and when to apply them
• Develop core leadership competencies
• Build a personal leadership development plan