National Radon Defense

Case Study

National Radon Defense (NRD), an Omaha-based franchise business, specializes in radon mitigation for residential and commercial buildings across the U.S.

With 47 franchisees and growing, NRD needed more than just a business in a box. They needed software tailored to the needs of both their sales professionals and installers. After years of struggling with laminated flip charts, PowerPoints and the limitations of third-party systems, NRD partnered with Volano to develop a fully custom suite of applications designed to improve sales effectiveness, simplify the installation process, and integrate well with their existing systems.

Challenge

As NRD’s franchise network expanded nationwide, its existing tools for managing commercial sales and installations began to show limitations. The company had previously used a third-party software product, but it posed multiple challenges:

• Outdated Technology: The system required PC-based installations, which were misaligned with the modern tablet and mobile devices field teams were using.
• Customization Constraints: Making changes to fit NRD’s unique sales and install processes was either impossible or prohibitively expensive.
• Limited Control and Scalability: As the network grew, the lack of control over the platform became a barrier to delivering a consistent, scalable experience across franchisees.

These issues were slowing down sales processes, increasing ramp time for new hires, and complicating project execution for installers in the field. It was clear that off-the-shelf wasn’t going to cut it. “Our last system was PC-based, and we wanted mobile software. We wanted to be able to customize it and make changes and not be limited by off-the-shelf functionality,” said Curt Drew, Founder and CEO of NRD. “It felt like long-term it’d be best to have full control of our software even though it’s a big investment up front in terms of both time and money.”

Business Solution

Volano partnered with NRD to design and deliver a custom suite of connected apps, each addressing specific user needs while working together as an end-to-end platform. “We could be like every other radon company and just go out and give homeowners a price for some PVC pipe and a radon fan,” said Drew. “But some homeowners may want other options, so we offer a lot of indoor air quality products. We can educate them about those options, and the software enables us to do all that.” Radon Shield Pro (Tablet App) A centerpiece of the solution, Radon Shield Pro empowers salespeople with an optimized, in-home presentation and quoting tool to create a consistent, professional customer experience, no matter the rep or region. Features include:

• A guided needs analysis to foolproof the sales process for new reps
• Visual product presentations and dynamic pricing tools
• A good-better-best quote system and real-time signature capture
• Direct proposal delivery to the customer’s inbox

  Sales Point (Phone App) Sales Point is a mobile-friendly appointment viewer that shows sales reps where they’re going, who they’re meeting, and what they need to know before they arrive. Project Point (Phone App) Installation crews can access daily schedules, job details, and installation specs on Project Point, so there’s no more paper instructions or guesswork. Crews can also view annotated drawings created during the sales process. Admin Portal (Web Platform) The Admin Portal is the hub that ties it all together. From here, admins can manage user access, control pricing, and update product options and content for all franchises. It also enables licensing management, turning the tool into a new recurring revenue stream for the franchisor. The software platform comes as part of the franchisee’s agreement with NRD, and the franchisee pays a per-user fee per month for access.