May 7th, 2018 will hold a special meaning for Nexstar members as well as NexTech Academy. On that day NexTech Academy Plumbing went live and offered members an online training platform unlike any before. The focus of NexTech Academy from day one was to provide an online technical training program integrated with soft skills training for residential repair and replacement service businesses.
We now have another date to hold near and dear, September 24th, 2019. On this date, NexTech Academy had its first graduate.
Mike Gwinn, a plumber at Five Star Plumbing, Heating & Cooling from Greer, South Carolina was the first student to complete the NexTech Academy Plumbing program some fourteen months from his initial enrollment.
I recently spoke with Tony Blackwell, the training leader at Five Star about Mike and his journey through NexTech Academy.
Jeff: Congratulations on having the first graduate from NexTech Academy, how is Mike doing in the field?
Tony: Mike is doing really well. He is consistently generating $7K to $15K per week, which is above our truck budget. He is getting great reviews on Review Buzz and his call back percentage is really low.
Jeff: What were some of the keys to Mike’s success in the program?
Tony: I think giving him time to come in once a week to the office to work on the program really made a difference. Even if we were busy or had sold jobs, making him take the time made all the difference. NexTech is just like anything else, it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day and just move it to a back-burner where it eventually gets forgotten.
Jeff: As the Training Leader looking back, what are some things that helped you and your team be successful in implementing NexTech Academy?
Tony: The coaching calls. When you and then eventually, Ashley Costner-Montoya would schedule calls, it would keep me accountable, so I then could keep them accountable. That is what kept things moving along.
Jeff: What experience did Mike have when he was enrolled? Where was he in the trade?
Tony: Mike came to us with some excavation experience. He would install sewer lines on new construction projects.
Jeff: At what point was the decision made to put him in his own truck? When did he go out on his own and start running calls?
Tony: During Level 2 (Plumbing Basics) we could see that he was picking things up from riding along with senior techs and learning things in NexTech. The decision was made to get him in his truck and start feeding him easier and more straightforward calls.
Jeff: So how is he doing? What are his numbers compared to the rest of the department?
Tony: Like I said before, he is consistently bringing in $30k to $60k per month, which is toward the middle of the department. Now that’s only a little over a year into service plumbing. Remember, he was an excavator digging outside with little customer interaction. NexTech Academy along with Service System training at our weekly meetings has definitely built his people skills.
Jeff: If there was anything you could tell companies considering NexTech Academy for their training, what would it be?
Tony: Do it, don’t wait. If you have people that you feel have the mechanical ability, get them started. With the new lower price point, why would you wait?
Jeff: Completing the program is quite an accomplishment, are there plans to celebrate his success with the rest of the department or company?
Tony: I have gotten some ideas from Ashley, our implementation coach on ways we can recognize him. We are still finalizing some plans right now, but I think we are going to recognize him at one of our weekly service meetings. He has come a long way in a short amount of time, and it’s a big deal.
In the coming months, we will have many more graduates, success stories and data that proves that NexTech Academy can make a difference in your business.
We welcome your success stories at [email protected] as well as any questions that you may have about NexTech Academy or its implementation in your business. Don’t wait until your company’s growth comes to a halt because of a lack of technicians in the field. Make the first step today to secure your companies future success.
