From Side Hustle to Scalable Business: Bayou South Mechanical’s FieldPulse Story

Customer Spotlight: Bayou South Mechanical

Key Stats:

• Industry: HVAC

• Location: Baton Rouge, LA

• Team Size: 4

• FieldPulse Features Used: Booking Portal, Customer Comms, Recurring Billing, Maintenance Agreements, Custom Sales Pipeline, Pricebook, Project Management, Cost Tracking, Employee Timesheets, Review Management, QuickBooks Integration, Customer Portal, Purchase Orders, Assets, Variant Proposal, File Uploads

Results: Bayou South Mechanical streamlined operations, improved financial visibility, and launched a recurring maintenance program, all with a lean team of four. With FieldPulse, they replaced manual processes, automated key workflows, and built a scalable foundation for long-term growth.

Meet Erin Pedrami, Founder and Admin at Bayou South Mechanical

Bayou South Mechanical wasn’t your average HVAC business from the start. What began as a side hustle for Erin Pedrami, a long-time attorney, evolved into a budding HVAC company in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. With over a decade of experience managing a virtual operation from her phone, Erin brought unique insights into systematizing HVAC business operations and automating workflows from the legal world into the field and HVAC service space.

After testing various platforms and experiencing disappointing results with ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro, Erin landed on FieldPulse in January 2023. Since then, her team of four has used the platform not just to manage jobs but to build a foundation for sustainable growth. FieldPulse now serves as their go-to HVAC management software, empowering their lean team to deliver exceptional service efficiently.

The Challenge: Scaling with Structure and Marketing ROI

Before FieldPulse, Bayou South Mechanical was operating like many HVAC service businesses that grow out of a side hustle—scrappy, reactive, and held together by spreadsheets, text threads, and a lot of manual effort. Erin didn’t just need software, she needed a structured foundation to transform a part-time operation into a professional, scalable HVAC company.

Operational Growing Pains

For nearly a decade, Erin managed Bayou South Mechanical from her phone while simultaneously running a law firm. It was efficient in the moment, but the system had clear limits. Without a centralized place to store job and customer details, pricing, or service history, day-to-day tasks depended heavily on memory and scattered records.

There were no formal processes in place for:

• Scheduling repeat visits or tracking work orders across multiple trips

• Storing equipment data or warranty documentation

• Monitoring cost breakdowns or job profitability

• Standardizing pricing or managing assets at scale

As the business began to mature, Erin realized that continuing to operate this way would create bottlenecks, not just in operations but in long-term business value.

Marketing Without Visibility

Marketing presented another challenge. Erin was skeptical of traditional agencies after seeing lackluster results and unclear reporting in the past. She wanted to grow Bayou South Mechanical on her terms, with full control over spending, ROI tracking, and lead follow-up.

Rather than outsourcing growth to a vendor she couldn’t see behind, Erin brought on an operations manager and invested in education, enrolling him in a 10-week digital marketing course. But she knew that even great marketing would fall flat without the operational infrastructure to support it.

She needed a system that could:

• Track where leads were coming from and how they converted

• Support streamlined scheduling and communication once a job was booked

• Provide visibility into revenue, costs, and technician performance

That’s where FieldPulse came in, not just as software, but as the operating backbone for the HVAC business Erin was building. By improving operations and visibility, Erin is now equipped to handle more clients without sacrificing quality.

The Solution: Full-Service HVAC Business Software for a Lean, Ambitious Team

Bayou South Mechanical operates with a team of just four, but FieldPulse, a leading HVAC management software, gives them the infrastructure of a much larger company, enabling efficient and scalable operations. From day one, Erin’s goal was to automate and enhance every aspect of the business that didn’t require human intervention. FieldPulse delivered, replacing spreadsheets and manual processes with smart, integrated tools that streamline scheduling, communication, job tracking, and financial oversight, all in one easy-to-use platform.

From Manual to Automated HVAC Jobs: A Transformation Story

In the early days of Bayou South Mechanical, job tracking was a patchwork of spreadsheets, handwritten notes, and memory. Each return visit to a customer relied on whether Erin had the right record handy or remembered the last service details. It was a system that worked just well enough, but it couldn’t scale.

That all changed with FieldPulse. By centralizing every job detail, technician job note, and service file in one platform, Erin eliminated guesswork and introduced consistency. Customers can now book appointments online without a phone call, HVAC service history is tracked automatically, and communication flows through built-in text and email features, saving hours of administrative back-and-forth each week. For example, if a returning customer needs service on the same HVAC unit, Erin’s team can pull up photos, warranty files, and prior job notes within seconds.

Technicians are dispatched more efficiently, with automated daily reminders and clearly organized return visits. Repeat jobs no longer require Erin to dig through old files; every HVAC unit detail, part used, and service note is right there in the job record. This level of visibility reduces operational friction and helps the entire team work smarter and minimize downtime.

While the business remains lean today, Erin is building for long-term success. She sees FieldPulse as more than just a dispatch or HVAC business scheduling software; its a complete HVAC field service software solution that brings structure, pricing integrity, and financial transparency to every part of the operation. With detailed cost tracking, HVAC service calls, and standardized pricing, Bayou South Mechanical is positioned to grow and eventually become a sellable, well-documented company.

What Made FieldPulse Different From Other HVAC Software?

After testing other platforms like Dispatch.me, Housecall Pro, and ServiceTitan, Erin was looking for something different that worked with her, not against her. FieldPulse offered a balance of simplicity, power, and adaptability that the others didn’t.

What stood out most:

Transparent Financial Tracking

FieldPulse made it easy to understand where money was being spent, what jobs were actually earning, and how to close the gap between estimated and actual job costs. Erin now has access to customizable reports that help her make smarter decisions.

Customizable Workflows

The platform was flexible enough to support Erin’s specific processes and custom workflows , from custom sales stages to detailed job templates and recurring service tracking, instead of forcing her into a one-size-fits-all HVAC software.

Built-In Automation

Tasks like dispatch notifications, service reminders, and even quote approvals were automated right out of the box, reducing manual admin work and helping the small team stay efficient while improving follow-ups.

Clean, User-Friendly Design

Unlike clunky or overbuilt systems, FieldPulse was intuitive and easy to manage day-to-day, even for a busy founder juggling multiple businesses.

FieldPulse gave her the tools to stop reacting and start leading, something that was missing in every other platform she tested.

Key features driving their day-to-day efficiency include:

Online Booking Portal

Customers are empowered to schedule their own appointments through a user-friendly online interface , pay service call fees up front, and receive immediate confirmation, which cuts down significantly on administrative work, customer calls, and phone time.

Customer Communications

Integrated text and email notifications keep customers informed at every stage , reducing no-shows and improving customer experience without the need for constant manual follow-up. Automated appointment reminders play a key role in customer satisfaction.

Recurring Billing & Maintenance Agreements

With automated billing cycles and built-in service agreement tracking, Bayou South Mechanical can now manage its preventative maintenance program with ease. These features support personalized service and stable, recurring revenue through structured service agreements and tools for payment processing.

Pricebook & Cost Tracking

Using the pricebook feature , every job, part, and labor item is tracked against real costs, allowing Erin to adjust pricing, manage line items, easily edit and send invoices and estimates, and maintain profitability. The transparency provided helps track jobs and monitor the difference between estimate and actual job details.

File Uploads to Job Profiles

HVAC technicians and office staff can attach photos, warranties, receipts, documentation, and add notes directly to customer records, creating a comprehensive and detailed record that makes future visits faster and more efficient. All job photos, estimates, and customer information are stored in one place, streamlining future visits and reducing miscommunication.

Custom Sales Pipeline

Erin tracks every incoming lead or account through a tailored sales funnel, allowing her to prioritize follow-ups, measure conversion rates, track progress through the sales journey, assign the right jobs to field service technicians, and be prepared to take on bigger jobs.

Employee Timesheets & Project Management

FieldPulse helps manage field technician hours, track labor allocation across jobs, and organize multi-visit projects, all while maintaining visibility into schedules, productivity, and work orders. Using the FieldPulse mobile app, technicians can do this in real time, without returning to the office.

These tools have helped Bayou South Mechanical stay organized and enabled the company to plan its growth in future years. With fewer manual tasks and more data-driven decision-making, the business runs more efficiently, and Erin has the bandwidth to focus on strategy instead of daily firefighting.

An HVAC Service Software Built for Real Growth

Erin approaches every business decision with a long-term lens. With experience running both a law firm and an HVAC company, she knows what it takes to build something sustainable and eventually sellable. That means having clean books, pricing consistency, operational transparency, and software that supports it all, while keeping visibility into your HVAC software cost and long-term ROI.

For Bayou South Mechanical, FieldPulse provides that structure. From automated booking and streamlined communication to job tracking and detailed documentation, the platform eliminates guesswork and puts every piece of the HVAC business in one place. Erin doesn’t have to wonder where the data is or if her team has what they need. It’s all there, and it works.

She’s also found value in FieldPulse’s flexibility. As the business shifts from side hustle to full-time operation, the platform has been able to grow with her, something that past tools couldn’t offer. Erin has no interest in hopping from one software to another. She wants a partner that evolves, adapts, and supports how she runs her business.

FieldPulse isn’t just software, it’s part of the blueprint she’s building for scale, stability, and long-term success.

Results: Streamlined, Scalable, and Ready for What’s Next

Since onboarding with FieldPulse in early 2023, Bayou South Mechanical has seen a dramatic improvement in operations. What once took multiple apps, spreadsheets, and phone calls is now handled in a single, streamlined system.

Key outcomes include:

Improved Operational Efficiency

Day-to-day operations are more streamlined than ever, with automated job reminders, simplified dispatch, and complete job records reducing errors and saving time. This HVAC business software helped the team better manage field service asset management and job logistics.

Enhanced Customer Experience

Customers are no longer stuck waiting for callbacks or guessing about job status; they can book online, receive automated reminders, and communicate through their preferred channels. Automated updates and reminders create a smoother, more responsive experience that leads to better service and keeps customers happy.

Better Financial Visibility

FieldPulse’s cost tracking and estimate comparison features help Erin understand which jobs are profitable, where adjustments are needed, and how to maximize profits going forward. With digital payment options and automated reminders, Bayou South Mechanical gets paid faster, improving cash flow and cutting delays.

Scalable Infrastructure

The business is now positioned to grow, hire, or even sell, thanks to standardized pricing, clean documentation, inventory management, and repeatable workflows that make the operation efficient and attractive to potential buyers or partners.

FieldPulse hasn’t just made daily work easier. It’s helped Bayou South Mechanical evolve into a business that’s data-driven, growth-ready, and built to last.

Looking Ahead: Building a Business That Lasts

For Erin, Bayou South Mechanical is more than just an HVAC company, it’s a long-term investment. She’s building an HVAC business with real equity, one that can scale, operate independently, and eventually become a sellable asset. That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident. It takes operational discipline, clear financials, and the right technology to support it.

With powerful features that cover every aspect of Bayou South Mechanical's HVAC services and business operations, FieldPulse gives Erin the infrastructure she needs to scale confidently. It’s not just a platform to run jobs, it’s a partner in building a sustainable, future-ready HVAC business that delivers exceptional service at every step.

Ready to Scale Like Bayou South Mechanical?

See how FieldPulse can help your service business streamline operations and scale. Schedule a free Demo with our team today.

About FieldPulse

FieldPulse empowers service businesses of all sizes by providing a robust platform that integrates essential tools for billing, job management, inventory management, and customer relationship management. With its intuitive design and powerful automation, the software helps businesses reduce time-consuming processes, increase productivity, and deliver better experiences for customers with every job.

• Scheduling and Dispatching

• Estimate and Invoice Management

• CRM and Customer Communication

• Dashboards and Reporting

• Custom Workflows and Automation

• Inventory and PriceBook Integration