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What KPIs do you track for your field operations? What does 'good' look like?

Brandon Okafor

My team is at the point where we need to get serious about performance measurement. Right now we're tracking basic stuff — jobs completed, revenue per tech, first-time fix rate — but I don't have a clear picture of what "good" actually looks like in this industry.

What KPIs are you actually using? Not the ones you think you should track, but the ones that drive decisions in your weekly ops meetings. And what are your targets? I need something concrete to benchmark against.

For context: 14 technicians, HVAC and light commercial electrical, mostly service calls with some installation work.

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  • I'll give you the numbers that actually get people fired or bonused where I work...

    First-time fix rate: 75% is the minimum, 85% is solid, anything over 90% you're either cherry-picking jobs or lying. HVAC specifically — parts availability kills this number.

    Utilization (billable hours / available hours): Target 70%, panic below 60%. Don't let anyone tell you 80%+ is sustainable for field work. Drive time exists.

    Callback rate within 30 days: Under 5% or we have a conversation. Under 3% and you're one of the good ones.

    The one I watch personally: average response time to dispatch (how fast they acknowledge the job in the app). Under 5 minutes means they're paying attention. Over 15 and they're probably driving, on another job, or ignoring their phone... and only one of those is acceptable.

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  • I'll give you the numbers that actually get people fired or bonused where I work...

    First-time fix rate: 75% is the minimum, 85% is solid, anything over 90% you're either cherry-picking jobs or lying. HVAC specifically — parts availability kills this number.

    Utilization (billable hours / available hours): Target 70%, panic below 60%. Don't let anyone tell you 80%+ is sustainable for field work. Drive time exists.

    Callback rate within 30 days: Under 5% or we have a conversation. Under 3% and you're one of the good ones.

    The one I watch personally: average response time to dispatch (how fast they acknowledge the job in the app). Under 5 minutes means they're paying attention. Over 15 and they're probably driving, on another job, or ignoring their phone... and only one of those is acceptable.

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  • in reply to Ray DeLuca

    In my experience that 70% utilization target is aggressive for electrical work with permit inspections and utility coordination. We run closer to 60-65% and it's still profitable. Depends on your market.

    What actually matters for us is revenue per hour on-site — are you making money when you're there, regardless of how much driving you do? We track that tighter than utilization.

  • in reply to Ray DeLuca

    Adding a few we use that haven't been mentioned:

    • Parts fill rate from van stock: Target 80% of common items available without warehouse trip or emergency order
    • Quote-to-job conversion: 60% is decent, 75%+ means your pricing and scoping are calibrated
    • Days to invoice: Under 2 days from job close. This one hits cash flow directly.

    We also track technician-initiated reschedules — how often are your own people causing disruption versus external factors? Target under 10% of jobs.