It’s March, and just as NCAA hoops are starting to heat up, so is your HVAC business. Here in Florida, we’re already seeing temps in the high 70s and low 80s, and summer is just around the corner for plenty of parts of the country. In between tracking your brackets, here are some things to do to prepare your company for the busiest time of year.
Make sure you have the right people, processes, and systems in place. If you don’t have the right team and enough techs in place now, it’s going to be a long, hot summer for you. Right now might not be the time to take on new techs (unless you have solid knowledge of their performance) because you’ll be tempted to put them in the field when things get really busy. An underperforming tech in the field can mean having to do a job twice when you barely have enough staff to do it once.
Focus on the crew you have instead. Do some sales and customer service training. Make sure the field techs know how to maximize each call; it’s the best time to make a sale on equipment, parts, or maintenance agreements. Make sure the crew knows that and knows what to say.
Put your pricing in order. Now is the time to analyze your expenses and predict what you’ll need to operate the rest of the year at the same – or better – profitability. You don’t want to find out at the end of the summer that you weren’t charging enough to cover your costs or make a healthy profit margin..
This is a great time to work on maintenance agreements, which stabilize cash flow and keep techs working in the fall and winter. Have your team calling for renewals now; the idea of heading off any system problems while it’s still relatively cool, will appeal to your risk-averse customers and those who can’t afford to have their systems fail a couple of months from now.
Invest in marketing to stay top of mind for returning and new customers. Every sales call you make now means more time for repairs when they’re starting to heat up. Train your field staff and customer service staff to ask for online reviews; they are more important than you might think in attracting new customers, better talent, and, eventually, a buyer or investor for your business.
Make equipment repairs and upgrades now. Check for any issues that need to be addressed in your fleet; you can’t afford to have vehicles break down during your busy season. Have every tech review their tools and diagnostic equipment and organize their truck for maximum efficiency. You might even create a checklist for service calls or standardize a truck and toolbox setup so field techs don’t waste time looking for essentials when they have to take a new truck to a call.
If office technology or systems need upgrading, this is the time to do it. Your quotes system, Customer Relationship Management system, and database of prospects and customers could all benefit from a review to ensure data is current and error-free. They’ll also benefit from creating a Standard Operating Procedure manual for use. If you need to bring in someone new during the summer or put someone on temporary duty during unexpected absences, they’ll be able to be effective in a much shorter time. You’ll also have fewer errors, which take time, patience, and money to find and fix – all of which will be in short supply in the middle of July.
The summer of madness is nearly upon us. Proper planning now can help you with a lucrative exit in the fall. Click here to get a complimentary and confidential opinion of value.
