Capacity Planning & Hiring Triggers
Purpose
Defines the signals that tell Spartan leadership when to add headcount, which roles to hire first, and how to pace hiring to maintain quality and profitability.
Who This Applies To
Josh (owner) and office management making staffing decisions.
Core Principle
Hire one step ahead of demand — not two. Adding a technician too early kills the GBA of everyone on the team because there is not enough job volume to keep everyone busy. Hiring too late creates missed leads, overworked techs, and callback risk.
Capacity Triggers — When to Hire
Service Technician
Hire when all three of these are true for at least 4 consecutive weeks:
- Current techs are regularly running 5+ jobs per day
- Lead Creation Rate is consistently 75%+ (demand is real)
- Revenue Per Lead is at or above $5,000 (jobs are quality, not just volume)
Install Technician
Hire when:
- Sales team is closing 5+ large jobs per week that cannot be installed within 2 weeks
- Backlog is causing customer dissatisfaction or lost jobs to competitors
Office / Dispatch
Hire when:
- Inbound call volume causes missed calls during peak hours (verified in ServiceTitan call data)
- Dispatch errors increase due to overload (track dispatch error KPI)
- Avoca is booking jobs that are not being followed up on same-day
Role Prioritization
When resources allow only one hire at a time, prioritize in this order:
Slack insight on hiring process: Before sending an offer letter to any candidate, verify they can be added to the company's insurance plan. Insurance check = mandatory pre-offer step.
Slack no-show policy: If a new hire does not show up on Day 1, the hiring manager is the first point of contact. If the manager no longer needs the employee, remove them from the system immediately.
Scaling Decisions — Fleet and Equipment
Every new technician hire requires:
- A company vehicle (or confirmed vehicle arrangement)
- Tool kit issue (per Tool & Equipment Issue Process)
- Enterprise gas card assigned
- ServiceTitan account created
- Paylocity profile created
Equipment triggers:
- Second jetter: when Cart Jetter utilization exceeds 80% of available weeks
- Second drain camera: when camera is unavailable more than once per week due to scheduling conflicts
- Additional service van: evaluate every 2 new tech hires
Downsizing / Furlough Triggers
If revenue per tech falls below $3,000 RPL for more than 6 consecutive weeks, evaluate:
- Reducing hours before eliminating a position
- Redeploying install techs to service if install backlog clears
- Pausing new hiring immediately
Important Notes
- Do not hire in response to a single great week. Look at 4-week trailing averages.
- A new tech takes 8-12 weeks to reach full production — factor this into revenue forecasting.
- Spartan's training program is 90 days — hiring and training have a real cost. Hire with intent.
Related SOPs
- Strategic Planning Process — annual headcount decisions
- Job Posting & Sourcing Process — how to start a hire
- Interview Process & Question Guide — how to screen candidates
- New Hire Paperwork & Onboarding Prep — what happens after the offer