Are you a busy HVAC service manager trying to manage new installations, regular maintenance, and emergency repairs all at once? Keeping your customers comfortable can be tough, especially when HVAC problems come up at the worst times.
The mission of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) providers is to keep people comfortable in their homes and at work. This means air-conditioning when it’s hot outside, heat when it’s cold, and proper ventilation throughout the year.
Because HVAC issues never seem to happen at a convenient time, this means the leading HVAC providers must be available around-the-clock to meet the needs of their customers. Though you could staff someone in-house to field these calls twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, it wouldn't be cost-effective.
The ideal, cost-effective solution is to outsource the work to an HVAC answering service that understands your industry and can meet your specific requirements.
Here are the 5 best reasons to use an HVAC answering service:
- 24/7 Availability
- Patching Capability
- Understanding of the HVAC Industry
- Message Delivery Options
- Appointment Scheduling
Now, let's look at why and how HVAC answering services are available 24/7.
1. 24/7 Availability
Being available during business hours is important, but it only covers part of the week. Quotes for new construction and requests for maintenance usually happen during the day, but emergencies often come up after hours.
That’s why you need an answering service. They're available 24/7 and have full-service availability, not scaled-back, automated, or sent offshore. Well, most answering services do outsource their answering services, but a true American answering service wouldn't.
A good HVAC answering service can handle your calls in the evenings and on weekends—including holidays—just as professionally and proficiently as they do during regular business hours.
2. Patching Services
Answering the phone is just the beginning. What happens next is even more critical. If the caller requires an emergency service, what should the answering service do?
The answer is actually simple. They must reach the emergency on-call person at your office. But, how?
Will they send an email that might go unread for several hours? Will they transmit a text message that could get delayed or lost? Certainly, they shouldn’t hold the message for the office.
But the fastest and most reliable method is to patch the call through to the on-call personnel. Patching avoids most of the problems associated with other communication methods.
Bonus:
A good HVAC answering service will allow you to update your on-call contacts with them for free. Check with your answering service to ensure that it is not an additional cost.
3. Understanding of the HVAC Industry
Most answering service can answer your phone, but the best of them understand your callers.
That’s why it’s critical to select a communications provider that understands the HVAC industry. If you're shopping for an answering service, you should ask yourself:
If you're shopping for an answering service, ask yourself:
"Do they have experience with other HVAC companies?"
"Do they have a working grasp of industry jargon?"
"Do they know what it will take to configure their system for the specific needs of your HVAC business?"
In addition to the answering service’s capabilities, their agents should be equally experienced and adept at handling HVAC calls.
HVAC answering services train their agents in basic skills before they take their first call, but they can only learn advanced capabilities over time. That’s why agent tenure is so important. But with a reliable answering service that trains their agents adequately, this won't be a problem.
4. Message Delivery Options
We talked about the importance of patching. Yet, despite careful preparations and a specific protocol to follow, sometimes HVAC answering services can’t reach the on-call person or their backup. What happens then?
Forward the call to the office and wait until the morning? Will the frustrated customer still be waiting? Probably not.
Likely they’ll call your competitor, who may even complete the repair before you know there’s a problem.
But with an answering service that, you would have multiple contact options for reaching your on-call staff and their backup. Sure, you may never use most of these options. But, when the time comes for you to need it, you'll be glad to have the option readily available.
5. Appointment Scheduling
Sometimes, perhaps often, the customer may have an emergency but not require an immediate response. That is, they may opt to wait until the next morning, provided they can get help quickly. When you can provide this option, it protects your on-call staff from overwork and helps keep your customers’ invoices lower. But how do you do this?
The answer is simple. Allow your answering service to schedule service appointments for you. If you provide your HVAC answering service with secure, online access to your service calendar, they’ll immediately know your availability for the next day.
That way, a customer who calls in the middle of the night about an underperforming air-conditioning unit, may delay repair until the next morning, providing there’s a technician available first thing. If your answering service has access to your schedule, they’ll know exactly your availability and fill the open slot with a service call to meet your customer’s need.
Is an HVAC Answering Service Right for Your Company?
Managing HVAC services can be a challenging task, but with the help of a reliable HVAC answering service, you can ensure that your customers' needs are met around-the-clock. From 24/7 availability to appointment scheduling, the right answering service can make a significant difference in your business operations.
So, if you're looking to streamline your communication processes, improve customer satisfaction, and stand out from the competition, partnering with an HVAC answering service that understands your industry would be a great benefit.
If you're shopping for an HVAC answering service, we would love to help you on your journey. Even if we aren't a good fit for your HVAC company, as a family-owned company, we would still love to point you in the right direction. So, request a quote to learn more about our HVAC answering service!
Topics:
