10 HVAC Customer Service Tips to Boost Your Customer Experience

First of all, take our appreciation that you are looking to improve the customer service of your HVAC business. This is a crucial element of any business that many overlook, but you did not. And that calls for applause.

In fact, this problem with businesses is so dire that they lose $75 billion due to poor customer service, as per Forbes.

So, in an effort to prevent HVAC companies from contributing to this amount, here are 10 HVAC customer service tips you must use to provide a great customer experience.

To simplify these tips, we have categorized them into 3 parts – before, during, and after the service. And there is a Golden Tip at the end as well. So let’s get started.

Tips to Keep in Mind Before the HVAC Customer Service

1. Be punctual

A lot can be judged upon how timely you arrive to provide your HVAC services. People love companies who keep their promises and are more likely to be loyal to them.

Thus, if you want to increase the lifespan of your relationship with customers, you need to:

• Knock on their doors as fast as possible and 
• Reach out to them on the committed time

For this; you can use route-planning software like UpperInc. This will help you manage your on-field customer service team and direct your HVAC technicians to the desired location in the minimum possible time.

Such software considers factors such as a representative’s proximity, availability, traffic, etc., to allocate a person and route to reach your client the fastest.

2. Have a proper uniform for your team

This isn’t to turn your HVAC company into a school. But having a proper uniform has many benefits that span not just your team but also your customer service.

When a client sees a tidy HVAC technician in uniform, it will check “Yes” in the columns of professionalism and positive first impression.

You can even go a step ahead by encouraging your customer service team to shave properly and smell pleasant.

However, keep in mind that this isn’t an alternative to quality service. A tidy etiquette gives you a flying start on which you need to build quality customer service.

A uniform also contributes to the branding of your HVAC company.

3. Provide instant quotations for your HVAC service

Time is valuable to your customers. So, the quicker you are, the more ready you will seem, and thus, the more likely you will be able to convert your potential clients.

This is why you will need to send an estimate of your service as fast as possible whenever a client asks for it. 

For HVAC estimating and invoicing, you can use software like InvoiceOwl and save your hours of time that you used to waste on creating estimates and invoices manually. 

Moreover, it will also move the needle in the meter of professionalism by helping you create professional and branded estimates.

To get a better picture, let’s compare a traditional invoice with the one created with InvoiceOwl.

Just think for yourself. What will be your first impression when you see both of these estimates? Don’t you think the branded one will be more appealing?

Tips to Keep in Mind During the HVAC Customer Service

1. Respect the client’s space

When your client calls you to service, let’s say, its air conditioning system, they wouldn’t want to be dealing with other problems when you are done.

For example – the cleaning of the dirty coils and condenser of the air conditioner doesn’t need to leave a mess on the floor for your client to clean.

It is a mark of a quality HVAC service when you leave the place better than you found it. So make sure that you properly clean up your equipment, trash, or any unwanted parts as you bid goodbye to your client.

This small gesture can turn a “goodbye” into a “see you again” in terms of repeat business calls or even referrals.

2. Communicate with the client about the issue

Your clients want to be a part of the solution. And not a mere spectator while you solve their problems to move to the next assignment quickly.

Thus, communicate with your clients about the underlying issue of their dilemma. Yes, even if they have no idea about the systems of air conditioners or furnaces.

Imparting education clearly is a sign of expertise and empathy – both of which contributes to enhancing customer service relationships.

Wouldn’t you like an expert who clearly understands your problem to deliver its solution?

Here are the benefits of communicating with clients during your service:

• It shows that you are here for them
• It makes your client visit a two-way meeting
• It adds to the personalization of your service (next point)
• It makes you more likely to be remembered
• It establishes your business as an authority
• It increases your chances of getting a positive online review (discussed ahead)

3. Provide personalized services

Generalization, nowadays, is not a strategy that any successful HVAC service company uses. 

This is an era where your customer likes to feel special. They want to feel as if you are here for them, and dealing with their concerns is your top priority.

So look to provide personalized services to your clients. But how?

• Use your customer’s name
  Using their name during your interaction is the least you can do. A name can seem like a mundane thing. But it is the most important part of your client’s identity. 
  This practice, known to create a greater connection, is also highly encouraged by Dale Carnegie in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People.

• Reach as per the client’s schedule
  Your customers may need your services. But they may also have other things to deal with, like unexpected guests or their toddler. 
  Thus, it can go a long way if you are empathetic enough to reach them as per their schedule.

4. Reduce repeated visits for the same problem

Nobody likes to deal with the same things again. In this case, it shows your carelessness and lack of knowledge.

If you think about it, this is not a great situation for both of you. You have to use your resources again to visit the same customer. And your customer also has to bear its issue longer.

So aim to provide a solution that gets delivered in minimum visits (ideally, just one). For this to happen, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Listen to the issue properly
• Carry the needed tools and parts
• Allocate the task to the appropriate technician
• Check the assigned time to reach for the service

Tips to Keep in Mind After the HVAC Customer Service

1. Build a relationship with your clients

Your potential customers will prefer an HVAC service provider that they are more familiar with. This familiarity is developed as you make efforts to build a relationship with them.

And this is your responsibility, not theirs. Your customer has no incentive to form a relationship with you. But you have.

So reach out to them to follow up on the service you provided to them. Ask them:

• How is it going?
• Whether their issue persists or is completely solved?
• Whether were there any other issues?

Follow-ups enforce the fact that you remember them and care to look back for any possible hiccups.

2. Take customer feedback seriously

The way you handle a customer’s feedback shows your respect for it. So take the feedback seriously and handle it with grace – whether good or bad.

Great businesses are not afraid of customer feedback. In fact, they encourage them. So after your service, ask your customer to give you an online review. 

Depending upon the overall reviews and how you tackle the negative ones, many will judge whether your HVAC business is worth approaching.

To get good overall feedback, remember to provide excellent customer service in the first place. Working on the above-mentioned tips will also contribute immensely to your goodwill.

The Golden Tip For a Great HVAC Customer Service

1. Listen, listen, and listen some more

Yeah, we admit that this has been repeated countless times. And you might be bored listening to the advice to listen! Yet, here we are saying it once more. Why? Because it is as overlooked as it is rewarding.

Listening serves you at all the stages of customer service – before, during, and after. And that’s why it is the golden tip.

• Before
  Listening properly gives you an idea of the issue and helps you send suitable HVAC professionals with the required tools and equipment.
• During
  When your customer interacts with you during the HVAC service, this is your chance to empathize with them by listening.
• After
  You are not done when the service is over. You are done when your customer is satisfied. So engaging and listening to them even after the service will give you an edge over others.

See how listening to your customers can help you immensely? So ingrain the habit of listening in your whole team. This small shift will create a massive turnaround.

Conclusion

No matter how qualified a business is, poor service can ruin everything. Thus, it is always a priority for a successful HVAC business to deliver quality customer service. 

And with the tips mentioned above, you are set to be in the heart of your customer and create a loyal customer base. So what’s stopping you now?