Most HVAC contractors and businesses can attest that HVAC isn’t a 9-to-5 industry. After all, repair needs seldom occur at a convenient nor predictable time for the customer. To keep profit margins in the black when there’s a yellow page full of competitors, HVAC providers must make themselves accessible around the clock. Accessibility goals can take providers one of two routes - in-house call staff or HVAC answering services. Let’s explore how the latter option can be most beneficial. 
 
How Many Clients Are Being Missed?
 
Client apprehension and retention is a quintessential element to any business’s success, and the key to this happening is the client being able to have immediate and reliable access to the service providers they need. In other words, clients want immediate gratification and attention when they call. 
 
The phone is ringing as an HVAC professional is climbing into a tight crawl space or has his/her hands tied up with dangerous electrical wiring. The call goes to voice mail, and the potential client hangs up and moves on to the next provider. These are a lot of missed opportunities. And, if you’ve spent advertising and marketing dollars to get those calls, it’s a double loss in not converting. 
 
Virtual Receptionists Are The Cost-Effective Solution
 
Hiring in-house is a phone solution, but it’s an expensive one that can cut profit margins to nil over the long run. Why? It’s not just a salary to consider with an in-house employee. From drug screens to marketing the job offer, there are the multitude of expenses in hiring and rehiring. There’s also everything from the cost of office supplies and benefits to workman’s comp insurance to consider. 
 
Virtual answering services provide the most efficient and effective solution. Not only does it negate all the above costs of hiring in-house, but it also means that the only cost consideration is within the services you need and calls you actually get. 
 
An answering service means that the HVAC business’s operations are never out of touch with customers. There’s always a professional there to take each and every client’s call, which includes holidays, weekends, and after hour calls. 
 
It’s up to the business how those calls are handled. Choose HVAC answering services with professional receptionists knowledgeable in the HVAC industry and the business they serve, or choose a script for the receptionist to follow. In either case, the result of having someone always manning the phones is improved customer satisfaction, loyalty, and bookings at an affordable price. 
 
Performance-Focused Call System
 
How many times has a client called and been placed on hold? How many times has a client called and spoken with an in-house representative only partly focused on the caller because they’re doing other duties? How many times have remote employees been too tied up to answer the phone? Again, these are a lot of missed conversion opportunities and a lot of dissatisfied and impatient clients that hang up and call a competitor for better customer service. 
 
Plus, if employees on HVAC worksites are tasked with answering the phone every time it rings, then the HVAC employee is inevitably distracted. This, of course, prolongs the time it takes to do the job and can cause distraction-based accidents and subpar work. 
 
A live answering service allows office personnel and remote workers to focus on tangible tasks in front of them and calls to be handled by a representative solely focused on answering the caller’s questions and locking in a booking. 
 
Top Benefits To Look For In Hiring A HVAC Answering Service 
 
• Paging Service
 
Don’t wait around on emails or lose connectivity due to poor phone signals. Rest assured that emergency on-call personnel can be reached immediately via paging services. 
 
• Patching Service
 
When a big job comes in, a high-profile customer calls, or other emergency call comes in, these can be patched straight through to a designated employee. 
 
• Appointment Scheduling 
 
Allow the answering service to book appointments as they come in from clients. 
 
• Knowledgeable Agents
 
Having live 24/7 agents experienced and knowledgeable in the HVAC industry provides the business’s telecommunication efforts to go above and beyond to answer and solve customer questions. 
 
The benefits of hiring an answering service are extensive and far reaching into an HVAC company’s operations, customer service, and profit margins. Contact Front Office Solutions today to learn more about how a professional call service can benefit your HVAC business.