While peak seasons in the HVAC business mean long hours and weekend work, owners are happy when those times of the year arrive. The reason is simple: peak season is when those owners collect the year’s highest revenues.
Some HVAC business owners may be content to sit back and let the money roll in, but the industry’s top performers never relax as peak season approaches. Instead, they strategically prepare to capitalize upon the opportunities these busy times offer so they can maximize revenues, improve their internal efficiency, and take customer satisfaction to a new level. We’ve worked with HVAC businesses that are particularly effective when it comes to making the most of their peak seasons. There’s no magic to what they do – just a lot of smart thinking and ideas other contractors can adopt.
Pros don’t wait for the phone to ring
Top HVAC companies don’t sit back and eagerly await the first 90-degree day or the first frost. Long before peak season arrives, they’re starting to line up business with strategies like these:
- Early outreach. Top companies start reaching out to customers on their maintenance plans so they can schedule their planned appointments before the peak arrives and reduce the potential for those emergency breakdown calls when things get busy. Scheduling those calls keeps the team busy instead of sitting around.
- More maintenance. Top companies prioritize getting every customer on their preventive maintenance plan. In addition to strengthening customer loyalty and generating recurring revenue all year long, they can schedule less urgent work during slower times.
- Customer education. Top companies use the times before the peak to teach customers about the benefits of preventative maintenance and system upgrades, using social media and email to frame these concepts as long-term solutions that prevent emergencies.
Pros optimize their teams
Professional athletes and their teams use the off-season to develop strategy, sharpen skills, and condition players to become better in the coming season. HVAC pros use similar strategies to prepare for peak season:
- Strategic hiring. Many HVAC owners simply expect their team to work longer hours during peak season. Top companies focus on whether their staffing is optimal, because understaffing can lead to missed opportunities and customer dissatisfaction. Some hire temporary technicians to help them get through the peak
- Cross-training. Pre-peak time is ideal for training technicians on unfamiliar equipment and service types to enhance their knowledge, flexibility, and efficiency.
- Sales training. Top companies set themselves apart from the competition by investing heavily in training their technicians to better understand customer needs and how to present solutions in ways that build customer confidence and increased repairs, upgrades, and new system installations. (We can show you data confirming the powerful effect sales training has on the revenue your technicians generate.)
Pros invest in advanced tools
You can operate an HVAC business with the minimum of business management tools, but becoming a top contractor means learning how to make the most of today’s advanced business-building systems:
- Field Service Management. Top companies rely on their FSM systems to help them optimize scheduling, dispatching, and routing, improving efficiency and response times. The right systems also give technicians mobile access to customer history and equipment information.
- Customer Relationship Management. Data delivers knowledge and insight for top pros, so they use industry-focused CRM systems to help manage customer relationships, track service history, and identify opportunities for upselling or cross-selling.
- Financing solutions. Many customers who want (and need) new equipment are scared off by big estimates. Being able to offer readily available financing programs helps pros overcome that hesitation.
- Data analysis. Top companies constantly monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) like average ticket size, close rates, and technician efficiency to identify areas for improvement. Data improves their decision-making confidence.
Pros communicate with precision
Every HVAC business does some marketing and advertising, but pros refine and optimize every effort by making the most of the data they have:
- Timely marketing. When peak season arrives, top companies shift their messaging to focus on rapid response times, emergency services, and the peace of mind that comes with a well-maintained system.
- Transparent service. Being upfront and honest about wait times and service availability earn appreciation from customers and builds confidence in your ability to meet their needs.
- Online presence. Pros don’t sit back and wait for reviews. They actively manage their online reputation, encouraging positive reviews and responding promptly to any negative feedback.
Pros adjust their marketing spend by season
Top companies understand the importance of year-round marketing, but that doesn’t mean they spend the same amount of money the same way. Instead, they allocate their marketing investment to use the right tools at the right times:
- Peak seasons. When demand is highest, top companies want to capture as much of the urgent business as possible. Marketing during this time often focuses on immediate needs, emergency services, and quick solutions. Pros typically invest more in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and local search optimization during peak seasons.
- Shoulder seasons. When demand starts to slump, pros shift efforts to focus on maintenance program memberships and incentives for system replacements and upgrades.
- Off-season. During the slowest times of the years, smart companies continue to engage with their existing customer base, promote maintenance plans, offer special deals for off-season installations, and prepare for the next peak season.
Need help making the most of your company’s peak seasons?
If you want your HVAC business to grow and you’re not already doing what we’ve described here, having an outsourced Cornerstone marketing team will help you get on the right track. We’ll manage every aspect of your marketing and help you use data to inform and improve your operations. It’s easier and more affordable than you probably realize. Want to know more? Email kerryf@cornerstonead.com, call 317-804-5640 x108, or book a free strategy session with us here. We’ll transform the way you view and operate your business.