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July is among the busiest months for HVAC contractors. With temperatures rising and systems being pushed to the limit, service calls — and sales — are likely to increase. These months can be a time of great opportunity for HVAC businesses. They can also be a time of great stress if the right tactics aren’t in place.
Here are three ways you can get prepared for the busy summer season:
- Training is the first step
- Don’t put marketing on the back burner
- Polish your systems squeaky clean
1. Training is the first step…
Your team is the energy that fuels your business. When busy seasons start rearing up, make sure your team is well equipped to handle the influx of calls and appointments.
A great place to start is your customer service team. This team is often the first impression for customers. Give your dispatchers specialized training on how to set customer expectations during busy times.
Efficiency training during busy seasons can be invaluable. Ask your team questions like, What processes are flowing smoothly and where do we get hung up? How do we maximize sales and satisfy customers during our busiest times of the day/week? Can we optimize our routes to save on driving time? Clarifying team roles keeps businesses running efficiently, so make sure everyone knows their key responsibilities.
Another important training aspect is setting KPIs. Let your teams know what their goals are for the season and strategize together on how they can reach them.
2. Don’t put marketing on the back burner
It’s easy to get caught up in business functions, leaving little room for creativity. However, marketing your business is the best way to get your name out there. It’s a necessary strategy for coming out on top against competitors and growing your business connections.
Invest in your social media presence this summer season. Customers trust you more when they can see a long track record of your accomplishments. Post customer testimonials, share a video of your team on the job, or share the ways you support your community.
Social media is one of the best places to advertise summer promotions. What deal or advantage can you give customers that would make them want your services above others? Attempt to make your promotion stand out with slogans and graphics that will be memorable to customers.
By advertising financing options you may appeal to a broader range of customers. Promos that include monthly payments can reduce sticker shock and help customers fit a new system into their budget. Compare financing options to other monthly purchases like cell phone and car payments that make larger ticket items more affordable.
3. Polish your systems squeaky clean
The most essential preparation for the busy season? Getting your systems running efficiently. If there’s any hiccups in your process make sure to iron them out before the sales calls increase. All the training, KPIs and marketing efforts will mean nothing to your customers if their service calls go unanswered.
Proper daily vehicle inventory checks seem obvious, but it’s a big deal. Even missing one check, can lead to disruptions when service requests come in. Make sure team members are taking these basics seriously, even when their schedules get full. The more vehicles and fleets you own, the more essential these checks become.
Don’t forget to prioritize gear too. Make sure that your technicians have all the tools they need: cable, line sets and screws, to not waste productivity time with trips to the distributor. There’s a reason they call them the basics. It’s the baseline of what helps your business run. Have your teams start their day asking: Do we have everything we need to make our jobs run smoothly? With the right equipment and systems in place, jobs are done quicker and better.
Hopefully, this list was a good mix of reviewing the basics and stepping into the strategies that will make this summer season your busiest — and most successful — yet!
Home Improvement loans through the Mosaic platform are issued by WebBank, Equal Housing Lender