Hurricane season is upon us. Here in NYC, we have had our share of disasters and emergencies so it’s easy to assume we can handle anything. But do you actually have a plan in place to provide emergency HVAC service after a hurricane or dangerous storm?
Especially if you have been through emergency situations and found your business unprepared to provide service, here’s what you need to know to get ready for the next one.
Emergency HVAC service: what your customers need from you BEFORE & AFTER a storm
1. Communication options
If phone service is disrupted following a hurricane or storm, how will your customers get in touch with you to request emergency HVAC service?
Let your customers know in advance about alternate ways they can reach you in the event of an emergency. That could include email, social media, or an online customer portal. (In the following section, we’ll cover how you must prepare internally so you have these systems available and your staff can access them.)
2. Safety instructions
Hurricanes often create dangerous conditions due to the presence of water along with electrical problems. As a service provider, you can save lives and protect equipment by teaching your customers what to do and, more importantly, WHAT NOT TO DO in this situation.
When a dangerous storm is forecast, send out safety information proactively. Let customers know the steps they should take to protect their HVAC equipment, such as:
- Turning down thermostats
- Powering down AC units
- Turning off circuit breakers
This prevents damage from lightning strikes, downed power lines, and also the potential for damaging power surges when the power comes back on.
Also, remind customers NOT to turn their HVAC equipment back on immediately after the storm if there is ANY chance that the equipment has been exposed to water! You’ll want to inspect it first to make sure it’s safe to operate.
3. Preparedness
In the event of flooding, power failures, and damage to buildings and infrastructure, will you be ready and able to respond to your customers’ requests for emergency HVAC service?
To make sure you are in a position to help, you need to implement a disaster recovery and emergency response plan that includes your own infrastructure, trucks, people, parts & equipment, and travel.
Here’s how to get started.
How to prepare an emergency response plan
Make sure you have prepared in advance, created the processes you will need to respond in an emergency, and trained your employees so they know what to do.
Secure your infrastructure
Communication and access to information are both critical in an emergency. Prepare for outages by creating redundancies for phone and internet service, ideally hosted by different providers in different locations so you have a backup if one provider goes down.
Make sure managers have access to cell phone numbers for every employee.
Prepare for access to what you need to provide service
Trucks: Have them stored in different locations so you don’t lose them all in the event of flooding or other damage. Make sure to fill the gas tanks of all vehicles before the storm hits!
Records: Make sure you have both power generators and digital access to customer records including equipment and history. Data should be stored or backed up in the cloud (on a remote server outside the area).
Parts and supplies: Establish relationships with alternate suppliers throughout the area so you can get what you need even if your go-to supplier is closed.
People: Have a plan for how your staff will communicate and make decisions if your business locations or other standard procedures are disrupted.
Create emergency response procedures
Create a plan for how you will do the following in an emergency situation (and who has responsibility for which tasks):
- Communicate with employees and customers
- Access, prioritize, and assign customer requests for emergency HVAC service
- Get information about road closures, power availability, and access to affected areas
- Travel to customer locations in the event of flooding or damage
- Coordinate with other first responders in the city
Don’t overlook training
Don’t let your emergency response plan sit in a drawer or on your laptop. Every employee needs to be trained on exactly what is expected of them in an emergency situation.
Create training resources that are specific to the employee’s job. Provide training well in advance, and then periodic reminders when a storm is forecast.
More advice for HVAC service companies
If you found this article helpful, check out our other resources for HVAC and Refrigeration service companies that can help your business succeed.
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