RUNNING AN HVAC BUSINESS – Q&A WITH SOFTWARE ADVICE:
Software that’s designed for your HVAC business has been shown to help streamline automated tasks that would otherwise be quite time consuming. To get a better idea of the benefits that HVAC software offers to business owners, we spoke with Software Advice researcher, Justin Guinn, who just released a new report on the topic.
Q: Your research indicates that a shockingly high amount of HVAC companies don’t have any software in place at all… What did you uncover?
Justin: When analyzing the many conversations we have with HVAC business owners every day, we found that a surprising 74% don’t have any formal field service software in place, let alone GPS tracking capabilities. This number is so shocking to us because HVAC businesses are constantly managing tons of moving parts all the time. It’s astounding that they aren’t taking advantage of the easy-to-use, readily affordable tracking software designed specifically to help them succeed.
Q: You also focused on HVAC businesses who have adopted GPS technology and how it’s impacted their operations. Would you say that in general, tracking systems have had a positive impact on their bottom lines?
Justin: After examining the effect that HVAC fleet tracking technology can have on businesses, it’s apparent that these systems provide numerous benefits that positively and directly impact revenue. Perhaps the most telling stat is that 95% of service companies using GPS tracking see an increase in the average number of work orders completed for day. Put simply, more work orders equals more money.
Another telling stat is that 89% of service companies see improved fuel costs after adopting GPS tracking software. These improvements are the result of features like more efficient scheduling, advanced routing with real-time traffic monitoring, and even more detailed monitoring that reduces idle times and improves driving habits.
Q: In your research, have you looked into how GPS tracking technology might impact customer retention? If so, what did you uncover?
It’s no surprise that no one enjoys waiting for a late technician to show up for an appointment. However, what is surprising is that 64% of customers won’t rehire an HVAC company once they are only an hour late to an appointment. If that isn’t telling enough, 23% won’t rehire the late company after 30 minutes and 12 percent won’t rehire them after being just 15 minutes late. This goes to show the importance of punctuality and other aspects in an already cut-throat, competitive industry. The good news, is that from our study, we found 95% of service companies improved technician punctuality after adopting GPS technology.
Q: Was there a particular success story that you heard from a field service business owner who adopted GPS-enabled tech?
Justin: One success story that stands out is from a field service business owner who spoke about the improvements GPS tracking has had on his guys in the field. He said:
“When implementing GPS tracking, I’ve seen an increase in both performance and quality — being that our technicians were able to work more efficiently rather than trying to rush to finish our routes.”
What stands out to me is that aside from all the directly impactful benefits of GPS tracking, these systems also provide a sense of ease for technicians. The direct and indirect benefits these GPS-enabled systems provide make it easy for us to recommendHVAC service software to business owners. We know the tracking system selection process can be difficult, but the good news is that the advantages can certainly outweigh any hesitation a business might be feeling.
