As an HVAC contractor, do you sometimes find yourself frustrated by having to answer the phone when you are in the middle of a complicated job? It seems counterintuitive. After all, you need those phone calls to bring in new business. But at the same time, an unending stream of calls for emergency service just slows you down.
The whole not-wanting-phone-calls thing is enough to make any HVAC contractor feel guilty. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You and your fellow contractors can continue taking every call that comes in without interrupting what you are currently working on. How? By bringing in an HVAC answering service.
HVAC answering services are on the menu here at Apello. We work with HVAC contractors of all sizes, from sole proprietors working alone to LLCs with small armies of technicians. We take care of the phone calls so contractors and techs can concentrate on getting the work done.
Emergency Response and Customer Perception
An HVAC answering service is ideal for any type of incoming call. We have chosen to concentrate on emergency service calls for this post because they can actually make or break an HVAC provider. Think about it.
Customers rarely consider HVAC service when their systems are running fine. It is not until the system breaks down that things change. At that moment, customers want the hope of a fairly quick resolution. So they start calling contractors with the expectation that someone will be able to help them right away.
An HVAC provider known for being slow to respond to emergency service requests is not going to get a lot of positive reviews. You can understand why. Waiting three or four days in a cold house in the middle of winter just isn’t an option. Likewise for having to endure a sweltering home in the middle of the summer.
But what does all of this have to do with phone calls? In addition to wanting prompt service, customers facing an HVAC emergency expect someone to pick up the phone when they call. This is critical. Because if no one picks up, a customer will simply move on to the next HVAC company on the list.
You Want to Provide Prompt Service
Your thing is that you want to provide prompt service. But doesn’t it seem like emergency service calls come in waves? You will go several days with very little action. But then you get a call for emergency service first thing in the morning. You can bet you’ll get half-a-dozen more throughout the day.
You are working as hard as you can to get that first job done so you can move onto the next. But every time you reach for another tool, the phone rings. Every call just adds time to the job. Ultimately, you get less work done. That means putting off emergency service jobs and the customers who are patiently waiting for your arrival.
The fact that your phone rings a lot is a good thing. But it can be bad in the sense that it prevents you from providing prompt service. This takes us right back to the idea of an HVAC answering service.
What We Can Do
As a provider of such a service, we can take all your incoming calls 24/7. We can perform emergency triage as a means of helping you prioritize service needs. We can take messages, forward calls, and even schedule service for non-emergency needs. Our HVAC answering service can help you be a better contractor by eliminating the problem of phone calls slowing you down.
