HVAC Field Employees Get the Technology They Need

The HVAC industry is rapidly growing as a result of construction spending on the rise. OEMs, dealers, and even service contractors need to effectively meet at this demand. In order to do so, technology should be implemented that makes it easier to satisfy customer's needs. There are several areas where field employees struggle:

• Touching base with customers
• Understanding pain points prior to arrival
• Smart dispatching
• Follow-ups

CRM technology and design for the field can make a big difference. It can also help to address a variety of struggles.

Organize Leads

Many HVAC contractors and repair technicians lose work because they are not following up on leads in a timely manner. When someone wants an HVAC unit installed or repaired, they don't want to wait. CRM automation tools can help to nurture leads and ensure that sales teams are following up quickly.

Additionally, it's possible for consumers to schedule some of their own services to ensure that they get the support that they require.

Engage Consumers

Consumers are often kept in the dark when it comes to a dealer, service contractor, or OEM. They don't know when the technician will show up because they were given an extremely broad ETA. The average consumer doesn't have time to wait at home or on the job site because they have received an eight-hour arrival window.

As a business within the HVAC industry, you have the ability to engage consumers more effectively using integrated field service management software. It allows you to provide a more accurate ETA and identify where the tech is currently located. Additionally, it's possible for consumers to communicate with the technicians prior to arrival to ensure that the technician is in the know and has all of the right tools in order to perform the install or repair.

Empower Technicians

Whether you are an original equipment manufacturer, a dealer, or a service contractor, you need to empower your mobile workforce. All of your technicians should have software tools available to them in order to provide a higher level of customer service.

Often, technicians are dispatched with a very vague understanding of what they are being sent to do. In some instances, they are not even the right technician for the job. By having a greater outlook as to what the customer needs, the right technician can be dispatched and they can be empowered to deliver the right service. They can be tapped into all of the necessary information and processes so that customers get more value when the technician shows up.

Improve Operations

You also want to make sure you are doing everything you can in order to improve productivity and reduce cycle time. Operational improvement is capable when you take advantage of artificial intelligence-based, real-time scheduling. You can optimize the schedule by sending the right field service technician (based on the needs of the customer) to the job. Intelligent optimization will ensure you send the right person for the right job, increasing your first-time-fixed rates.

If it takes two or three technicians to fix a customer's problem, the customer is going to get frustrated and it's going to reduce productivity. Your mobile workers can be deployed based on their skill set, which will reduce costs and increase productivity. You will also find that customers will be happier every step of the way.

HVAC systems are being installed left and right as a result of more construction. Regardless of whether you work with residential or commercial customers, you want to deliver better service and play to the talents of your technicians. In order to do this, it's important to implement a smart software solution.

Learn more about the Unified Software Suite at ServicePower. We will show you how to implement the right technology so that you can deliver faster, smarter service.