Outside of California, Florida and Texas are the states with the largest number of HVAC businesses.

HVAC and plumbing businesses need to provide excellent customer service to build trust and get ahead of the competition. Having the trust of customers allows them to develop a strong reputation in the local community. A good reputation will help to secure more and more customers in the future.

Effective customer service should start as soon as a potential customer picks up the phone. The average homeowner is in the dark on their plumbing and HVAC systems, so it’s important to provide clarity and assurance on the phone. Utilizing techniques such as confidently guiding the conversation toward scheduling a service appointment or providing a rough quote over the phone helps establish trust and demonstrates professional expertise. The more information a customer receives over the phone about solving the issue they’re facing, the more likely they are to schedule an appointment with your company versus your competitor.

If you run a plumbing and HVAC answering service, this post is for you. Today, we’ll explain the importance of plumbing and HVAC answering service training, as well as the skills needed for success. Keep reading and you’ll be able to boost your service team performance in 2024.

Understanding of Plumbing and HVAC Services

The role of an answering service employee is much different than that of a plumber or HVAC technician. You’ll deal with the maintenance, diagnosis of problems, and repairs of important systems.

They deal with the communication side of things. Part of being able to effectively communicate with both customers and technicians is a general understanding of plumbing and HVAC systems.

When customers call and discuss the issues they’re facing, you’ll need to understand what they’re saying. You need to track this information and relay it to technicians.

If you can’t do this, it leaves the door open for communication breakdowns. When information isn’t correct, it puts a technician on the back foot. This leads to unhappy customers, which tarnishes the reputation of the plumbing or HVAC company.

Amazing Listening Skills

At the very top of the list of essential skills for an answering service worker is the ability to listen. When you get a call from a homeowner about their HVAC or plumbing system, there’s a good chance they’ll be stressed out.

As the initial point of contact, you need to make sure you’re getting all of the information you need. This requires you to listen carefully and clarify any information that doesn’t make sense.

When you hang up the phone, both parties should have a good understanding of what the next steps are. For the homeowner, the most important thing is that they know a technician will be on the way. For the answering service, it’s about having the necessary information for the technicians.

Professional Tone

A big aspect of being a customer service representative is having the proper phone etiquette. Every HVAC and plumbing company needs their customers to trust them, and that starts with the answering service.

Plumbing and HVAC answering service training must emphasize tone. It’s all about striking a balance between friendliness and professionalism, being helpful, and possessing knowledge. The customer should always finish a call thinking that their plumbing or HVAC system is in good hands.

One poor experience on the phone is enough to drive any customer to your direct competition. Every call should start with a friendly greeting that establishes professionalism.

Multitasking

Any growing plumbing or HVAC business has to learn how to manage a greater number of customers. This goes for the person answering the phone as well. There may be times when multiple callers are phoning in, all while you’re trying to type out what you’re being told and relay information to technicians.

If you can’t multitask as an answering service rep, you’re going to quickly fall behind. A lot of this comes down to simple organization and understanding the rhythm of customer service.

You also need to be able to make quick decisions based on what a customer is telling you. Some calls will need to be transferred, while other calls will require you to leave messages for technicians. The faster you can process information, the better you’ll be.

Plenty of Patience

Patience is an essential skill for any customer service representative. In the world of home services, like plumbing and HVAC, you’re often dealing with distressed homeowners who want their issues fixed right away.

They may be aggressive and rude on the phone, but you have to stay calm and avoid reacting negatively. In short, an answering service worker should have empathy for everyone they deal with.

It also helps to be able to de-escalate conflicts with customers. If you can calmly manage a disgruntled customer and bring them a degree of comfort, you’re doing your job.

Organization

We touched on organization as it relates to being on the phone, but it’s important in other areas of customer service as well. The most important of those areas is scheduling appointments for technicians.

Answering service best practices for appointment scheduling differ depending on the client. For HVAC and plumbing services, you’ll need to have technicians’ schedules in front of you so you’re not double booking.

You also need to understand geography to ensure technicians are being deployed efficiently. All the while, you need to make sure that the timing works for the customer on the phone.

Adaptability

Effective customer service comes down to adaptability. Each day – and each call – will bring new challenges, so the quicker you can adapt to the fluid nature of plumbing and HVAC calls, the better off your answering service will be.

One call might be to deal with a mysterious plumbing problem while a simultaneous call might be regarding an HVAC installation promo from a marketing email. Your ability to adapt to the needs of the caller in real-time is the key to success.

HVAC and Plumbing Success Hinges on Customer Service

If you want to provide the best possible customer service for your HVAC and plumbing clients and their customers, factor these things into your employee training. When you boost service team performance, it’ll result in higher client satisfaction, which will help to grow your customer service enterprise.

Running an HVAC and plumbing answering service can be tricky. If you need to bring more clients in, you need to employ strong digital marketing tactics.

At Optic Marketing Group, we’re Texas’ top HVAC marketing agency, specializing in B2B and B2C digital marketing strategies. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your answering service thrive.