How Smart SOPs and Better Dispatch Systems Transform Service Businesses – With Kathy Nielsen
If your dispatch system is a mess, your team is confused, and your software setup makes things worse instead of better—you’re not alone.
Most service business owners are drowning in inefficiency because they lack documented systems and clear roles.
We sat down with Kathy Nielsen, known across the industry as The Chicken Lady, to talk about the simple fixes that make the biggest difference in day-to-day operations—especially for growing home service companies.
Who Is Kathy Nielsen—And Why Should You Listen?
Kathy is a powerhouse in the home service space. She’s run HVAC and plumbing companies, executed five software conversions in six years, and now leads a team of full- and part-time consultants helping businesses across North America streamline their operations.
Ryan first worked with her at Aaron Overhead Doors, where she trained their CSRs and completely restructured how they handled ServiceTitan. When ServiceTitan couldn’t deliver, Kathy stepped in to fix it herself.
If you’ve ever struggled with ServiceTitan, QuickBooks, or dispatch headaches—Kathy has probably seen it, fixed it, and documented it.
Kathy’s journey wasn’t built in a classroom. She once lived in a camper behind a plumbing shop in Texas for a full year, working directly with the team to turn around operations. That hands-on grit is why she’s trusted by dozens of shops across the U.S. and Canada today.
SOPs Aren’t Optional—They’re Your Lifeline
Kathy calls it the “Hit by a Truck Theory.”
If your payroll person got hit by a truck tomorrow, would someone else know how to run payroll?
Every business owner says SOPs matter—but very few document what’s actually critical. Kathy says forget starting with the easy stuff. You need:
- Critical processes first: Payroll, booking, dispatch, data management.
- Clear roles: Who owns what and when.
- Real documentation: Not fluff. Click here, type this, enter that. No fluff.
“People are scared that if they document what they do, they’ll be replaced. But SOPs actually free people to grow into what they’re best at.”
If you’re not sure where to begin, Markinuity’s consulting services include SOP design and documentation tailored to your operations.
The Best Dispatch System Starts With People
There’s a myth in small companies that CSRs and dispatchers can be the same person. Maybe at first—but as you grow, this breaks down fast.
Kathy breaks it down like this:
| Role | Strengths | Weaknesses |
| CSR | Empathy, people-pleasing, booking skills | Gets walked on by techs |
| Dispatcher | Rule-following, assertive, organized | Lower emotional EQ |
“Techs will walk all over a CSR—but they respect a dispatcher who holds the line.”
Ryan admits he wasn’t sold on splitting those roles—until this podcast.
Five Techs Per CSR: A Simple Rule
Kathy gives a simple benchmark:
“Once you hit 5–6 techs, it’s time to split CSR and dispatch.”
She also reminds us: a job isn’t a task. Don’t overload people with job descriptions that are 10 jobs in one.
You’re Probably Using ServiceTitan Wrong
One of the most common issues Kathy sees?
Businesses set up their ServiceTitan instance like a filing cabinet instead of a decision-making dashboard.
Here’s what she recommends:
Business Units = How You Want to See Data
If you run garage doors, break it down like this:
- Residential Service
- Residential Install
- Residential Maintenance
- Commercial Service
- Commercial Install
Set up business units to reflect how you want to see data—then map them to classes in your accounting system to reflect how you report it.
“You don’t need 50 classes. One for residential, one for commercial is often enough.”
This avoids data confusion while still giving you clean dashboards.
If your dashboards aren’t showing accurate data, our solutions can help align your software setup with your KPIs.
Don’t Rely on AI to Write SOPs
Kathy’s take on using AI like ChatGPT to build SOPs? It’s okay—to a point.
Use AI to clean up wording or format. But don’t use AI to create SOPs from scratch. They’ll be bloated, fluffy, and miss the real clicks, steps, and logic needed.
Instead, have your team:
- Write what they do
- Write when they do it
- Write why they do it
- Record themselves doing it (use Loom)
- Organize it in one place (Notion, Trainual, Monday, Word doc—anything centralized)
Improve Communication With the Air/Water Method
One of the smartest things in this episode? Kathy’s internal comms framework:
- Level 1 (Water): Just thirsty. Decide on your own and tell us how it went.
- Level 2: Ask a teammate.
- Level 3: Ask a manager.
- Level 4 (Air): Emergency—can’t breathe. Escalate immediately.
Ryan said this alone changed how he thinks about internal bottlenecks and fast decisions.
If communication breakdowns are hurting your team, read The Ultimate Guide to Internal Communication for Garage Door Companies.
If Your Dashboards Suck, Your Data Is Lying
Here are a few warning signs Kathy looks for when auditing accounts:
- 100% conversion rates = tracking issue
- No callbacks recorded = booking process is broken
- Maintenance pulling down average ticket = co-mingled reporting
Good data in = good data out. Bad setup means decisions based on fiction.
Final Takeaways
This podcast delivered real, tested insights—not vague platitudes.
- SOPs save your business in a crisis.
- Dispatchers aren’t just schedulers—they’re performance drivers.
- Your CRM is only as good as its setup.
- Communication clarity beats speed every time.
Need Help Structuring Your Ops?
Markinuity helps service business owners go from reactive chaos to smooth, scalable operations. Whether you need help setting up ServiceTitan, documenting SOPs, or organizing your dispatch and CSR roles, we’re here to help.
