Thumbs Up Simplified HVAC Operations by Moving from ServiceTitan to Podium

Thumbs Up started in 2017 as a one-man HVAC operation in the Dallas area. As the business grew, Richard Fisher joined his son-in-law, an HVAC technician with more than two decades of experience, to help keep up with the calls, customers, and day-to-day operations. That growth also meant finding the right software to support the business. After using Housecall Pro, Thumbs Up moved to ServiceTitan, but Richard found the platform added more complexity than the small team needed.

Already happy with Podium for phones and payments, Thumbs Up saw an opportunity to simplify when Podium introduced field service management. The team made the switch from ServiceTitan, bringing more of its operations into one platform.

The Challenge

As Thumbs Up grew, Richard began to see a mismatch between what the small team needed and the field service software it was using.

The platform felt oversized for the business

Richard could see how ServiceTitan made sense for larger organizations with more people answering phones, managing advertising, and dispatching multiple crews. But for a smaller operation like Thumbs Up, the way its additional products were structured created extra cost and complexity. In one case, Thumbs Up paid for ServiceTitan’s Pricebook Pro for more than a year without using it once.

“I paid for [ServiceTitan’s Pricebook Pro] for over a year, never used it one time.”

Adding functionality often meant adding another product

Thumbs Up wanted to manage more of the business in one place. Instead, Richard found that solving a problem with ServiceTitan could mean purchasing another product. As a smaller company, each additional product meant another expense and another tool to manage.

“For me, as a small company, it would have been very nice to consolidate everything into one platform.”

Switching platforms before busy season felt risky

Thumbs Up knew it wanted to leave ServiceTitan, but timing mattered. With busy season approaching, the team needed to clean up and migrate its data and get comfortable with a new platform before the schedule filled up. 

“I was racing the clock, because once the busy season starts, we’re busy, we’re busy.”

The Solution

Thumbs Up moved its field service operations to Podium in May, adding them to the phones and payments the team was already managing through Podium. Since making the switch, Thumbs Up has simplified scheduling, reduced manual work around maintenance agreements, and found new ways to use AI across the business.

An easier transition from ServiceTitan than expected

Before making the switch, Thumbs Up spent about a week cleaning up its data, including duplicate contacts and incomplete addresses. From there, the move to Podium was quick and straightforward. What could have been one of the biggest hurdles of the transition turned out to be one of the easiest parts.

“From there, we were just up and running... It was an easy process.”

Easier scheduling from the field

With Podium’s mobile app, Richard can see where each technician is headed and what’s on their schedule directly from his phone. Technicians have that same visibility in the field, making it easier to coordinate jobs and see when one tech can step in to help another.

“I can look at my schedules for all of my guys in the field from my phone... It just makes it much easier for me to schedule the guys to get them to assist each other.”

Customer inquiries answered in 60 seconds

AI is also helping Thumbs Up respond faster when customers reach out. With Podium, customers can receive an AI response in 60 seconds, helping the small team stay responsive even when Richard and his technicians are focused on work in the field.

15+ hours of admin work saved every month

Maintenance agreements are a major part of how Thumbs Up grows its business. With 99.5% of business coming from word-of-mouth referrals, Richard even gives memberships to customers he believes will recommend the company to others.

Managing those agreements used to mean manually finding customers who were due for maintenance and reaching out one by one. With AI Operator, Richard can simply ask for the next 20 customers due for a visit and get the list immediately. Thumbs Up is also setting up automated outreach to contact those customers and help schedule their visits.

Together, those kinds of AI-assisted workflows are saving Richard more than 15 hours of administrative work every month.

“That’s a bunch of phone calls for me, or text messages for me... I do believe it’s going to simplify the processes that we use to not be so labor intensive.”

Better invoicing and collections

Simplifying operations has also translated into measurable improvements on the financial side of the business. Since moving to Podium, Thumbs Up's invoice rate has nearly doubled, increasing from 43% to 83%. Its collection rate has also climbed from 39% to 64%.

Simpler customer data cleanup

After years of working across multiple systems, Thumbs Up had duplicate and inconsistent customer records to sort through. AI Operator helps identify those issues and can make the fixes, turning what could be a manual cleanup process into a simple request.

“He identifies them for us. And then we say, ‘Can you fix that?’ Sure. And then it’s fixed.”

More of the business in one platform

Thumbs Up was already using Podium for phones and payments before adding field service management. Bringing field service management into the same platform gave Thumbs Up a simpler way to manage more of the customer journey—from calls and scheduling to invoicing and payments—without adding more standalone products.

“The phones have been fantastic. The credit card processing was always fantastic. No issues with that. Never had a problem.”

A product that responds to how contractors actually work

When Thumbs Up identified ways workflows could work better, the team saw Podium respond. Feedback around estimates, invoices, and customer notifications led to product changes that better fit the way Thumbs Up operates. That responsiveness has become one of the biggest reasons the team wants to stay with Podium.

“It’s robust, it’s dynamic, and y’all are improving the software. And that just is the biggest thing for me.”

The Day-to-Day Impact of Moving From ServiceTitan to Podium: