ACHR News: Software Saves Time, Improves Efficiency for HVAC Contractors

Simply automating certain aspects of day-to-day operations allows focus elsewhere

Time is already precious in the HVAC industry — whether it’s responding to an emergency call or trying to find enough hours in the day to get everything done, time wasted is money wasted.

But luckily, thanks to a wide range of powerful software options that allow users to automate many different aspects of the customer interaction process, there are now ways contractors can claw some of that precious time back.

Leaving some of these tasks to software and AI applications also allows both technicians and staff to focus on more important aspects of the jobs, and enhances the accuracy of communication between customer and company. In turn, alleviating certain tasks can also open the door to more sales.

Endless Possibilities to Save Time (and Money)

For contractors involved in any aspect of HVAC, a lot of time is spent juggling multiple customers, projects, employees, and the skilled craft they excel in, all while managing the responsibilities of being a business owner.

“It’s a complex dance, one that often leads to chaos and inefficiency,” Roland Ligtenberg, co-founder of Housecall Pro, said of day-to-day HVAC business operations. “Housecall Pro changes the game by automating and streamlining the monotonous tasks that plague contractors daily.”

Just think about customer communication — letting them know a tech is on the way, reminding them of past due invoices, or facilitating collecting payments in various forms. These tasks are critical, they are time-consuming, and they can be automated.

“Follow-ups on unsold estimates, crucial for revenue, become seamless as the software consistently nudges the customer multiple times, increasing your chances of winning jobs,” Ligtenberg added. “Collecting payments is another area where time slips through the cracks and uncollected service jobs across multiple techs add up. Automation in Housecall Pro ensures nothing is forgotten, helping you focus on what truly matters — growing your business.”

These business software functions are not only a boon to business owners, but also to employees, who spend a lot of time dealing with data collection. If there is a central repository in play, everyday tasks like sales notifications and customer correspondence become automatic, and that means a little less on their plate.

“With instant access to trends about the assets they work on, techs can identify upsell opportunities in real-time, and utilize instant email notifications to the sales team,” said Aaron Salow, CEO at XOi Technologies. “Technicians who use XOi begin each job with a simple photo of a data plate, which sparks instant notation of the unit being worked on, and it creates a workflow in which all of their work is captured. This work ("data") is aggregated and analyzed by XOi — the software then provides efficiency-producing insights for contractors to run their business more effectively.”