With the heat of summer, the demand for HVAC services soars along with the temperature.
The HVAC peak season brings a lot of demand calls and HVAC unit sales that have been dormant for the entire HVAC slow season.
Summer brings a huge opportunity for revenue for every HVAC business owner. Unfortunately, even the most experienced HVAC contractors find themselves held back by a few common mistakes.
These HVAC sales mistakes create lower customer satisfaction and impact the long-term success of the company.
Recovering From The HVAC Slow Season
It’s not a secret for HVAC contractors that 2023 has had a slow start to summer. The HVAC slow season has extended into April, May, and June for many areas of the U.S. and Canada.
However, there is a prediction of a very hot summer in 2023, according to reports from the Weather Channel.
Even though 2023 Spring has been more mild than normal, this HVAC slow season is not a new trend. The HVAC slow season arrives every year from October through to April, and many HVAC businesses start to worry if they can survive financially.
Fall, Winter, and early Spring can eat up all HVAC business profits so that the business owners are dependent on the HVAC peak season to survive.
In this article, we’ll look at the ways that we can recover from the HVAC slow season by avoiding the common mistakes many HVAC business owners make in the summer busy season.
1. Inadequate Staffing and HVAC Training
A typical mistake HVAC companies make is either underestimating the staffing needs for the busy summer period or just not making it enough of a focus and priority in the HVAC slow season.
Being understaffed leads to extended response times, customer dissatisfaction, and often burnout of your team. All of these problems lead to a decline in productivity and missed HVAC sales opportunities.
At the same time, if your team isn't adequately trained, they may be unable to handle the complex issues and opportunities that arise with HVAC units under summer stress.
Investing in HVAC sales training programs and getting HVAC business coaching on how to build out a robust hiring process will make sure you have the right team in place and prepared for the HVAC peak season.
2. Not Offering Preventative Maintenance
All HVAC systems work overtime during the summer. If preventative maintenance isn't prioritized and conducted regularly, small issues can escalate into significant problems, leading to system breakdowns when your customers need them most.
Regular maintenance can extend the lifespan of HVAC units, ensure peak performance, and deliver superior customer satisfaction.
When you are at these homes during summer that have had a breakdown, it is a great opportunity to ask the homeowner when they last had maintenance done on their system. Not only repair the problem but help your customers understand what goes into keeping a system operating and how to avoid these breakdowns in the future.
The summer busy season is the biggest HVAC sales opportunity of the whole year to sell new HVAC maintenance agreements.
3. Lack of Goal Setting and Accountability
In the rush of the high-demand peak season, many HVAC companies fail to strategize and set clear goals. Without defined objectives, it's challenging to measure progress, maintain accountability, and keep the team motivated to stay in peak form all summer long.
Leadership plays a crucial role in setting these objectives and ensuring they are in alignment with the company's overall mission. Key performance indicators (KPIs) should be defined clearly for all staff members, ensuring everyone is working towards a common goal. Regular tracking of these KPIs enables the leadership to understand progress, identify any bottlenecks, and take corrective action promptly.
Establishing systems for accountability creates a culture of responsibility and ownership. When team members know they are accountable for their tasks and their purpose, the quality of service provided to customers often improves, leading to higher customer satisfaction and higher revenues for the company.
4. Overlooking Customer Communication
During the summer, HVAC contractors are often so inundated with demand service requests that they overlook the critical aspects of customer communication.
It’s imperative that even though you are busier, you don’t let your HVAC customer service standards slip. Keep your customers informed about the status of their requests, delays, and expected times of arrival at their home.
Regular, clear communication can significantly enhance HVAC customer satisfaction and loyalty, even during the peak season. Excellent customer care during the peak season ensures that customers will call you during the HVAC slow season.
A great example of excellent customer care is a ‘Call Ahead’.
During the offseason, CSR and HVAC sales training can teach the best way to communicate ahead of arriving at a customer's home. HVAC maintenance calls and tune-ups during the HVAC slow season are the perfect opportunities to improve and practice these so that when summer demand hits, they are built-in habits, and they continue during a critical and busy time.
5. Missing Marketing Opportunities
The high-demand season is an excellent time for HVAC companies to advertise and market their services and attract new customers.
Many businesses neglect this golden opportunity because the phone automatically rings more during this HVAC peak season. By leveraging digital marketing strategies, social media platforms, newsletters, and local advertising channels, you can expand your customer base during the summer season.
Prepare for The HVAC Slow Season During Summer
With adequate preparation and strategic leadership, your company can avoid these common mistakes.
The key is investing in leadership coaching, staff training, regular maintenance, efficient inventory management, customer communication, and marketing. Your HVAC company can fully maximize all of the opportunities available during the bustling HVAC summer season.
Our team at SBE is committed to helping HVAC business owners and HVAC technicians thrive. Our HVAC business coaching and HVAC sales training are tailored to help you grow.
Learn the secrets of Million-Dollar HVAC technicians and increase the revenue of your HVAC company this busy season by partnering with SBE.