HVAC pros: is your season heating up yet? Traditionally, the peak time for HVAC runs from April to September. Your phone rings off the hook, your techs are hustling every day. It may be peak season, but that doesn’t mean you’re getting peak profits.
When calls are coming in like mad, it’s tempting to make hay while the sun shines and book every job that comes in. But that can leave your people burned out and rushed, and it could result in less than top-notch work.
Maximizing your busy season is about setting priorities carefully, scheduling efficiently, and supporting your techs who will be running from job to job.
When your schedule is full, it’s critical to set your priorities in stone. A few tips:
Focus on bigger tickets
New installations, major repairs, system replacements, and other high-value jobs should get the top spots in your schedule. Just make sure to leave some wiggle room for emergencies and smaller jobs.
Streamline your scheduling and dispatching
Scheduling and dispatching need to run like clockwork during your busy times. It means a laser focus on grouping jobs by geography, which reduces drive time and maximizes billable worktime. It’s also important to take note of the time window between jobs and build in some cushion for your techs. Keep lines of communication open to ensure your people arrive on time and if they hit a snag, you’ll know about it and can act fast.
Support your staff
This is your peak season, but it’s also their high-pressure season. Management can help by making sure trucks are fully stocked, gassed up, and ready to go each day. It’s also the time when free breakfast or lunch is much appreciated — even just doughnuts in the morning and pizza or subs at noon. Rewarding great performance is a major incentive anytime, but especially during peak times. It’s all about making your people in the field feel supported, appreciated, and valued while they’re going the extra mile.
Focus on inventory management
In line with supporting your staff to make sure they have what they need at the ready each day, inventory management is critical during busy times. Stocking up on parts is vital to avoid delays in service.
Push upselling and add-on services
As we highlighted in our last article, your techs in the field are your first and best resource to upsell, add services, and suggest further maintenance. Now is the time to really turn up the volume. While they’re installing new units or repairing existing equipment, make sure they know to offer upgrades, maintenance agreements, and add-on services like indoor air-quality solutions and smart thermostats.
Invest in marketing
Yes, it’s your busy season, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be running targeted ads. Your current customers know to call you if their AC goes out, but this is a golden opportunity to attract new customers whose AC fails and they don’t know who to call. Digital ads on social media work well, but there’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned flyer distributed door-to-door in the neighborhoods you serve.
By managing your busy season well, you’ll maximize your profits, keep morale high, gain new customers, and build strong relationships with your current customers.
