The HVACR industry continues to grow and evolve, as new technology, innovations and opportunities are opening the door for new competition, making it one of the most competitive field service industries in the world.
In 2015, the HVACR systems market was worth $81.1 billion, and it’s expected to grow by 5.5 per cent each year through to 2020, leading to what experts say will be a $130.7 billion opportunity by that time. This is being led by refrigeration, which is expected to be the major player in the growth of the industry as whole, as the demand for food processing and cold storage expands. With the residential construction market coming back, economic activity is increasing in both residential and commercial sectors.
And driving the HVACR field service industry forward is going to be new automation tools, mobile solutions and technology that makes organizations run more efficient, which all comes from an HVAC field service software.
HVAC Field Service Software a Driving Force
With a shortage of technicians in the industry, expected to be 138,000 by 2022, HVACR organizations are turning to solutions that can keep them competitive in an industry that has more than enough players in it, keeping their profit margins high and their technicians constantly busy. With HVAC field service software, organizations are finding plenty of useful ways they can streamline their processes in the field and in the office, to offer a more competitive service that has fast first-time fix rates, competitive prices, and timely billing.
HVAC field service software is now firmly in the driver’s seat of the industry moving it forward, as HVACR organizations are needing a solution for their complex problems, all within one platform, as opposed to having multiple systems. Managing work orders, technician’s schedules, inventory, and accounting, and having all those systems speak to each other and work together is exactly what field service management software does, and why it will continue to drive the industry forward.
Automating HVACR Field Service Delivery
Anything done automatically is a time saver, and in the case of the HVACR industry, it’s a money saver as well. HVAC field service software offers plenty of ways HVACR organizations can save time and money by having things by having automation in their lives.
- Preventative maintenance contracts automatically produce work orders when it’s time for a service call to be performed, including attaching any parts or checklists to the work order.
- Internet of Things (IoT) sensors can detect a problem in an HVACR unit and send an alert that failure will occur and have a team dispatched to correct the problem, resulting in no downtime.
- Invoices can be sent directly from the field as soon as a service call is completed, as a technician can collect electronic signatures and through integrations with accounting systems, such as NetSuite, Microsoft GP and QuickBooks, have invoices automatically sent to the customer before the technician leaves the job site.
Mobility to Force the Industries Growth
In this age where everyone has a smart phone, mobility has turned out to be the largest game changer in the HVACR industry, as organizations have ditched the paper-based work orders and checklists, and instead replaced them with electronic ones that are easily accessible from a native mobile app. These mobile apps work online or offline, allowing technicians to complete their work orders without an active internet signal, so there is no pen to paper required for any call. That saves time on administrative activities, as well as any errors when administrators are taking that information and inputting it into the system for legacy reasons or accounting purposes.
Mobile field service software is putting the entire HVAC field service software into the hands of the technician, who can now quote for new jobs, check inventory levels on parts to give customers real answers on fixes, and have access to manuals and help desk, all from their mobile device. It also allows HVAC organizations to hire subcontractors and give them access to the same information with the same mobile app as their full-time employees, making it simple and easy to schedule and dispatch any type of technician to a job site.
With plenty of competition over new talent in the industry, and with high turnover rates, HVAC organizations are needed solutions to their biggest concerns. Project management tools will help them job cost new installation projects, integrations to accounting, CRM and ERP software will give them a real-time look into inventory levels, and Business Intelligence modules will allow for analytical reporting, giving business managers the data they need to make informed business decisions. And all of these comes from an HVAC field service software that is ready to take on the growing HVACR industry and all its competitors.
Watch a Video to See How Fieldpoint’s HVACR Solution Works