Why Would We Invest in HVAC Field Service Software?

Field Service

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Last updated Oct 1, 2020 at 9:03AM | Published on Jan 21, 2019 | Field Service

Field service managers in the HVAC industry see the importance of an HVAC field service software moving forward. The value it can bring to an organization can be measured many ways, such as:

  • Increased revenue
  • More service calls booked
  • Better first-time fix rates
  • Happier technicians in the field

But if you still aren’t convinced that HVAC software is something you need, let’s build a case for you. You don’t need to go to deep to understand how a connected cloud-based field service software would benefit your organization. Every manager, sales person, technician and executive works from one HVAC software. It can integrate to other software your organization uses to succeed, such as CRM, ERP and accounting systems, plus many more.

It’s making service delivery faster with field service mobile apps that are allowing work orders to be pushed to the field. It’s technicians being able to send those work orders back instantly through the mobile app and having the data available in the HVAC software. It’s becoming more optimized than you have ever been before.

But if that isn’t enough, let’s look deeper into the case for a HVAC field service software platform to be introduced into your organization.

Make First-Time Fix Rate the Star of Your HVAC Service Delivery

Your technicians are the front line of your service delivery. They are the ones having the face-to-face interactions with the customers, doing the service work, filling out work orders and on the road. And if they aren’t providing top of the line service, they are the ones to hear about it first. Especially if they must admit to a customer that they can’t find a solution to a problem and have to return.

That’s what makes first-time fix rate so important to the HVAC industry, and equipping your technicians is of upmost importance. And it’s also why it’s important to give your technicians the tools they need so they can have the best chance at completing the job the first time out. It other words, giving them an HVAC field service software that gives them all the information they need to deliver a high first-time fix rate.

With a HVAC field service mobile app, technicians now have greater access to past service history. They are no longer going onto job sites without some knowledge of what previous repairs were completed. They have insight into inventory and where it is located, and what parts they should have before hitting the road. With HVAC field service software, first-time fix rates are now becoming the thing that drives service departments.

It’s allowing multiple technicians to work together, without working side by side. Notes are in the HVAC software, and technicians don’t have to call other technicians to get their notes on the repair or install they did. It’s opening the lines of communication like never, which is only benefiting the customer and the first-time fix rates. The way to look at it though is that investing in HVAC field service software is investing in your technicians. You’re giving them as much information as they need and a system to complete their work quickly. A happier technician completes more work, makes fewer mistakes, and enjoys as much wrench-time as they can get.

 

HVAC Software is an Investment in Experience

There are two types of experience pertaining to the HVAC field service industry. First is the one dealing with the customer. The second is dealing with the experience of the technicians. Both can have a large effect on each other and be solved with an HVAC software solution.

One of the newest trends in the field service industry is the customer experience. Customers are demanding more, and technicians are having to facilitate those demands. It’s as if the industry has gone from servicing equipment being the focus, to the service to the customer being the most important. But with a technician pool shrinking, it’s harder today to provide that service on the equipment, while keeping the customer’s experience a positive one as well.

However, HVAC field service software has a way to offer both and invest in technicians who can deliver the service experience customers are now wanting. With mobile HVAC field service software, all the experience from journey technicians is now stored and readily available to access. HVAC managers no longer must hire the best of the best, but rather, can hire the technicians with the qualities to deliver a great experience, and use training to bring their repair skills to the level they need to be.

With a younger generation entering the workforce, they are ready and willing to use mobile apps, Internet of Things technology, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality to learn and improve their skills. And if they need help during a repair, information from previous service calls is available, documents and guides can be attached to their word orders, and these different forms of reality can help guide them to a success repair.

That means HVAC managers can now hire technicians who are great with customers, offering a level of customer service that meets the growing demands.

 

The Case to Invest in HVAC Software

Investing in HVAC field service software is an investment in your technicians and your service delivery. The case to be made is that when you invest in your people, they return it back multiple times over. That return on investment can be measured in new customers, new service, new installations and a larger bottom line. When you respect and value your technicians and customers and give them the tools and experience they need and want, you get more back.

HVAC field service software has many tools that can improve your service delivery, from routing and scheduling optimization, to work order automation, to preventative maintenance contracts and project job costing tools. But it’s the investment in your technicians that is the real case to be made with HVAC software. Because they are the ones on the frontlines, the face of your organization and the power behind exceptional service delivery.