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Cyber Attacks in Fire and Life Safety

In 2019, there’s a fresh wave of ransomware hackers targeting US-based fire and life safety contractors that have legacy server systems. Several have been either forced to pay a bounty or face devastating disruptions when the cyber attack…
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Update Your Customer Service Certification

Commercial service contractors know a thing or two about continuing education (CE). Depending on your line of work, ignoring CE is not an option if you want to stay in business. Regardless of your line of work, encouraging CE throughout your…
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5 Questions to Help Service Contractors Build More Valuable Businesses

Much of the popular culture in management consulting today is focused on the customer experience. Matt Dixon, the author of one of my favorite management books, The Challenger Sale, is spending many of his cycles promoting another of his…
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5 Reasons Why Hiring Millennials No Different Than Hiring Previous Generations

For the last decade, my career has been centered around recruiting and managing millennials. Plus, I am one. When we talk about recruiting and retaining millennials, I know what a lot of people are thinking: I don’t want to. Millennials…
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Two Ways for Contractors to Attract More Service Technician Job Applications

Your reputation has always been important when recruiting talent because the best techs want to work at the best companies. But the mediums job seekers use to search for potential employers has changed. Word of mouth is still around but pales…
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Smartglasses Face a Blurry Future

At the 2012 Google I/O conference, the big “reveal” was Google Glass.  A team of Glass-wearing skydivers live streamed their descent toward the roof of the San Francisco Moscone center where the event was underway.  It was an awe-inspiring…
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Keeping Score is Not the Same as Winning

Every major sports venue has a prominent scoreboard so that fans and participants alike can easily review the score with a glance to the outfield or upward at the jumbotron.  Knowing the score is a critical element in decision-making.  No…
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Case Study: Ressac Implements Sage Intacct with ServiceTrade Integration

For more than 85 years, Ressac has established itself as a high quality, low-cost commercial contractor for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems. Specialties include low-rise office parks, mall retail, and big…

Is your service company’s training program missing something?

“I read the book and followed the instructions.” These words from Samwell Tarly in the third episode of the seventh season of Game of Thrones stood out to me. Sam is a student in a university where he’ll gain an education in medicine,…