A fresh take on customer experience
NextGen Aire
NextGen Aire is service business with a master plan to redefine the customer experience in the heating and cooling industry. Owner Matthew Girouard found in his more than 10 years of industry experience that customers were being oversold and underserved. He saw an opportunity to deliver a novel and more valuable experience but could not bring this aspiration to life under the influence and control of his last employer who was reluctant to change and transform the status quo. Matthew understood that if he wanted to make this dream a reality he would have to go at on his own. Nextgen Aire represents the next generation of heating and cooling services focused on customer comfort over quick profits and poor experiences.
"Kyle is the epitome of dedication to his craft, entrepreneurship and innovation. I have worked with Kyle on a number of projects over the last 3 years, and he has continued to hone his craft in the time I have known him."
Matt | CEO | NextGen Aire

Challenge

As a new entrant to the heating & cooling space Matthew and NextGen Aire faced strong competition from established players with big budgets and well known brands. Not only would Nextgen Aire have to stand out amongst the numerous players competing for market share but it would need to do it in a way that left room for it to deliver on it's unique customer experience strategy. Vantage was tasked with designing a robust business and customer experience model to most effectively position this new HVAC startup for high growth in the face of fierce competition.

Approach

Given Matt's unique focus on customer experience to differentiate Nextgen Aire we started with research to gain insight into common expectations and frustrations of customers in the industry. Through this research we were able to frame a clear value proposition that mapped to the real needs and goals of real people, not on biased assumptions made in the office. This value proposition became the keystone of Nextgen Aire's business model and all facets of strategy including hiring, service delivery and experience, technology, brand and marketing, pricing  and capital investment were designed to support it. Some key tools used to facilitate the design of this service business were the business model canvas, value proposition design canvas, customer personas and segmentation, customer journey maps, service blueprints and ecosystem maps. A website was also designed and developed to help Nextgen Aire put a stake in the ground in their market.

Outcome

With a blend of thoughtful design, regular consultation and of course a ton of hard work, Matt and Nextgen Aire were able to totally crush their first year revenue goal of $500K closing in on nearly $1.5M! From the clean website to the striking vans wrapped in brand colors customers were loving Nextgen Aire's fresh and simple brand experience. While slick looks brought customers through the door, it was Matt's unrelenting focus on delivering the highest quality service experience that established strong customer relationships leading to thriving repeat and referral business. When a venture begins with the customer and designs a solution tailored to their needs it positions itself for success. Matt and Nextgen Aire continue to engage Vantage for consultation, research, innovation and design services allowing them to respond to sudden market disruptions, scale operations and improve their customer experience.  

Consultation

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Exploration

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Ideation

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Application

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Outcome

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