For an HVAC business, spring may be your slow season. However, this is not the time to be idle, but rather do your homework and start preparing your company for the inevitable summer AC rush. All the questions your customers are bound to have about making their air conditioners more cost effective is only the tip of the iceberg.

Have you stopped to consider if you’re going to have sufficient employees for when the phone starts ringing off the hook? Are marketing strategies being developed for increasing your outreach? Are you doing everything in your power to make the summer wait as productive as possible? If you’re not sure, here are a couple of tips on where to start.

How do I prepare my business for the AC season?

During spring, try to make the best of the slow days and start putting together a plan you’ll put into action come summer. Capitalizing on the summer air conditioning seasons means being prepared for it, and that’s exactly what you should do. 

Here are the three most important aspects to pay attention to when getting ready for the summer season. Taking care of these will help you be ready for all the phone calls that are  coming.

Think about your staffing situation 

The current job market has made hiring skilled and knowledgeable HVAC technicians extremely challenging. The competition is very high, and waiting too long to hire the staff you will need during the summer can end up devoiding you of prospective employees. And that’s why you should think ahead. 

First, inspect the seasonal data from a few previous years and try to work out the exact number of additional technicians you will need for the summer season. Being familiar with the numbers will help you come up with a detailed hiring plan. 

Once that’s done, designate a hiring budget complete with perks, benefits, and additional bonuses. Finally, think about starting the hiring process a bit early, just to stay ahead of the potential competition. 

Consider advertising and outreach

Dealing with your company’s staffing is only one part of getting ready for the summer season. While your business will certainly experience a rise in customers, why not make that rise an all-time high? That’s where marketing comes in. 

When it comes to increasing the reach of your business, it’s best to implement various marketing strategies in unison – from direct mail postcards to social media marketing and using different modern technologies. 

Use all means at your disposal to notify your existing and potential customers that the time has come to get ready for the summer. Advertise the services you offer, explain how your work can benefit them, and provide incentives that will get them to contact you. 

Field Management Software

Field Management software solutions help give your company different ways to manage on-site resources related to your HVAC business. They mainly offer resources connected to maintenance, repair, and installation of heating and cooling systems. 

Field Management software solutions are designed to make the different aspects of your business easier and more efficient. They are modern tools for streamlining job scheduling and dispatching, parts inventory management, work order management, and contact and order management. 

Additionally, the leading solutions in field management software have the capability to provide detailed analytics, as well as an integrated messaging system and route planning for your employees. 

Incorporating Field Management Software into your daily operations can also bring the following benefits to your HVAC business: 

• Increased scheduling, dispatching, and organizational efficiency

• Lower operating costs via improved cash flow and invoicing

• Improved customer experience through better communication, relationship management, and follow-ups

• Advanced employee experience with greater ease-of-use and incorporation of best practices

• Advanced business insight through advanced tracking and reporting

• Higher business profitability by improving financing, upselling, and service agreements

How do I prepare my technicians for the summer rush?

When getting your HVAC business ready for the summer, spending time to prepare your technicians for the peak of the AC season is vital. There are three core skills you should advise your specialists to pay attention to:

• Time management: When the summer rush ensues, time management becomes an essential skill for your technicians. They need to focus on performing the job at hand swiftly and with precision so they can quickly move on to the next one. 
  Some ways your technicians can improve their time management and their efficacy include:

  • Gathering the necessary tools for the service before arriving at the address.

  • Requesting the necessary information before starting the job.

  • Preparing the replacement and maintenance parts in advance.

  • Documenting the time of their service and identifying the areas of improvement. 

• Customer service: Your technicians should never disregard the importance of great customer service, especially during summer and the highest demand for AC services. This will help your business retain current customers, as well as attract new ones through positive reviews and word of mouth. 

• Troubleshooting: This is vital when performing AC summer maintenance, tune-ups, or repairs. Your workload will definitely increase during the summer, and the more efficient your technicians are at diagnosing the issues, the quicker they will be able to resolve them and move on to serving other customers. This will improve customer satisfaction and boost your revenue.

Gustave A. Larson will help your HVAC business prepare for the summer

Spring is the perfect time for putting together a plan for your summer HVAC business operations. Especially during early spring, when there is less to do besides preparing customers’ air conditioners for the summer season. That is precisely why you should use the downtime well and start outlining a detailed plan on being ready for the summer and the increased business it will inevitably bring. 

If you’re not sure what you can do to prepare your business for the ensuing summer rush, contact the Larson Company and we’ll help you out. Besides being a certified wholesale distributor of numerous industry-leading HVAC brands, we are always willing to provide useful business advice to our partners. What’s more, we can give you access to some of the most advanced Field Management Software through our Larson Business Solutions. Reach out to us today!