What a Test Hole Taught Me About Pricing and Integrity

In the attic, on a Georgia summer day, I stared in disbelief as he began to drill a hole in the side of the ductwork.

“What are you doing!?” I proclaimed, in a tone attempting to hide my shock. I meant it more as an, “Oh, that’s interesting, what are you doing that for?” Not wanting to lose all credibility, I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t know what a test hole was. As a non-certified, non-HVAC technician, what business did I have being in the attic anyway?

We were testing the integration between The New Flat Rate menu pricing and ServiceTitan on live calls out in the field. It was a real treat for me to be riding along with Mike. He was the epitome of the perfect technician—clean, sharp, articulate, patient, kind. All the things the Boy Scouts trained him to be, like so many in the industry.

Mike quickly responded, “I didn’t see any test ports, so I’m drilling one in. I always make sure to test here by the air handler because it’s really important to be accurate on the true temperature of the system.” Mike was like a surgeon, doing his pre-op, fully diagnosing before preparing to present a menu of pricing options to his customer.

He tested the airflow, temperature, and a few other things, then meticulously sealed the hole before heading down the ladder and into the home.

I made a mental note to follow up with Matt Koop, our EVP and head of training, in my debrief later that day. I wanted to make sure “test holes” were a real thing and that we were holding the highest standard in technical craftsmanship.

Although I didn’t know if test holes were right or wrong—because mentally it felt odd that you would drill into ductwork that carried the cardinal rule of being sealed—it wasn’t the actual test hole that truly stumped me.

What stumped me the most was the age of the unit and the customer. The unit was over five years old, and the customer was in the maintenance program. Meaning, our technicians were going out there every year to maintain, inspect, and ensure longevity of the unit. So, surely, if this wasn’t a new customer and it wasn’t our first time there…why wasn’t there already a test hole?

Later that day in my debrief, I asked the questions that had been weighing on my conscience.

“Did we do right by drilling the hole?” Yes.

“If this was a maintenance customer on an older system, why wasn’t there already a test hole?” Great question.

The other day, one of the tenants in my five-plex called in to report a water leak. We sent out a plumber to have a look, only to find it wasn’t a plumbing issue—it was related to HVAC. The condensate drain lines were clogged. Something simple, so simple that it’s often a skipped step on maintenance visits.

Whether we’re talking about test holes or cleaning drain lines, how can we inspect what we expect, and verify our teams don’t skip steps?

It’s easy to focus only on the big jobs and the price tags that come with them. But what I saw that day in the attic reminded me of something deeper: when we do a thorough diagnosis, it creates countless opportunities to help our customers. From there, the power of a clear menu comes into play—because when we present all the findings as options, customers feel empowered to choose the level of service they want. That naturally increases our revenue per job. But with that choice also comes responsibility: we must back it up with integrity by delivering the level of craftsmanship they deserve, and purchased.

When we price with clarity and inspect with integrity, contractors don’t just win bigger tickets—they win lifelong customers. And that’s the true measure of success.