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Does your day consist of rushing from appointment to appointment, only to find yourself deep in a call with a new client you won’t even have time to help? There is just not enough time in the day. Partnering with the right answering service can change that.
When considering an answering service for your HVAC company, it’s important to know what you are looking for to find the right fit for your team and customers. Maybe a local service seems ideal since they will already be familiar with the lay of the land. Maybe the cheapest deal makes the most sense for your budget. Maybe it doesn’t matter at all and you just need to answer the phones, because hey, it’s not rocket science, right?
Wrong!
At Dexcomm, we believe there are three things to look for in an answering service that will provide the greatest return for your team, added value to your customers and overall success for your HVAC business: functionality, adaptability and partnership.
Functionality
Let’s start with the most obvious quality. Can your HVAC answering service do what you need it to do? Do you know what you want it to do, or even what it has the capability of doing? Be curious and know what you want!
If you are switching from an existing answering service, then you will already have a basic understanding of what can be provided, but do not limit your thinking to what you have experienced. Think of your ideal solution and ask for it. Solutions for a heating and air conditioning company may include:
- Intaking basic messages
- Sending text messages
- Sending emails
- Dialing out to your techs in the field
- Being able to provide value on the call by answering frequently asked questions
- Integrating directly into your scheduling and dispatch software
Adaptability
Every HVAC company is not the same. Do not allow a service to “package” you into a solution they feel works best for you without letting you voice your unique needs, hopes and dreams. Just because someone has experience with other HVAC customers does not mean the exact same solution will work for your HVAC team and client base.
Seasons of the year bring on entirely new challenges and, therefore, should bring on new solutions from your service. Not only do the needs of your client calls differ from heating to cooling, but the volume of your calls will also increase and decrease according to your geographical location. Ask about the options for seasonal billing as this is worth knowing.
See how you can guarantee that your business does well even in the offseason with our article, "Help Your HVAC Company Thrive During the Slow Seasons."
Even after agreeing on your unique solution, things change—a lot. Make sure to have an open and smooth relationship with your provider and feel confident in knowing that when your day-to-day protocol fluctuates, it will adapt with you.
Partnership
Dexcomm’s partnership approach helps build the necessary relationship that is needed for trusting your customer calls, your company’s life source, to a relatively unknown extension of your business.
To form this bond, you need to meet the members of your answering service partner and they should always be accessible to you and your team. Be certain to have multiple points of contact and maintain regular contact, just as you would with an in-house employee.
Last but not least, find a partner that shares your company’s core values. You can breathe easy knowing that the team you have selected to support your business conducts itself with the same inherent principles that your employees possess and exhibit on a daily basis.
Key Points
Do yourself, your colleagues and your customers a favor and take the time to seek these three key things out when partnering with a 24/7 live answering service to support your business.
If it demonstrates all three of these qualities, you will know that the relationship is founded on something solid enough to get you where you are hoping to go.
