The Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry is booming. It’s a great time to start a career in this field and can open many doors for you. Adequate training is obviously necessary, but beyond that, what will give you an edge?
A Changing HVAC Industry
The HVAC industry is in a period of growth and evolution. New innovations are creating opportunities for expansion, but the industry itself is in a period of transition.
A significant portion of the workforce is nearing retirement, meaning that job growth in the HVAC industry set to explode. Click To TweetWith more jobs available than skilled talent, it’s vital that HVAC professionals receive the training they need to excel on the job and pick up where the retirees leave off.
1) Technical and People Skills Will Net The Highest Pay
It’s not enough to know how to fix an HVAC problem. If people aren’t comfortable with your demeanor or happy with your attitude, you’re going to lose business. Making pleasant, personable conversation is vital to put your customer at ease. Your goal should be to make your customers feel a sense of loyalty to you, and that simply won’t happen if they don’t like being around you.
2) Good Jobs Will Require Hands-On Experience
More and more HVAC technicians are only hiring new techs who have had hands-on training. The experience gained from such classes is invaluable in real-world situations. While these techs may still need to learn the ropes, they’ll know the basics.
3) Online Reviews Will Be Key
The minute you leave a customer’s home, they have the option to leave feedback on your service. Based on your behavior and work, that review will either help or hurt your bottom line. In general, people will leave a written review when they are very pleased with the service, or very displeased. Once posted, other customers looking for similar service will have access to it. Negative reviews should be handled with maturity and viewed as a way to improve your service.The customer is the only one who can delete that bad feedback, so responding defensively won’t do you any favors.
4) Business Must Be Mobile
Your service should be as mobile and reliable as you are. Your customers should be able to pay over the phone, with a mobile card reader, or through an app. Keeping your accounting on the cloud maximizes flexibility for the customer and gives you instant analytics, scheduling information and accounting status.
5) Speed and Quality Will Win The Day
The prevalence of gig economy means that most millennials who own homes expect on-demand service and rarely tolerate waiting for more than a day. This means that expectations are extremely high for both quality of service and turnaround.
Set Yourself Up For Success
Incorporating these practices into your approach will make a huge difference to your success as an HVAC tech. The job is dramatically different than it was 20 years ago, and it’s important to adapt to the changing times. If there is one common theme for the HVAC industry trends in 2018, it’s that technology is influencing the trade and customer expectations. Incorporating new technology, striving for efficiency and creating personal connections will only help you reach success.
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