In the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) business, an HVAC technician’s success does not just depend on having mechanical and technical skills — though of course, they are critically important to doing the job.
With technicians spending so much time interacting with customers, effective communication is the key to delivering good customer service. In fact, customer communication is critical to many aspects of what an HVAC technician does over the course of a day.
In this blog, we explore five tips to help an HVAC service technician improve customer communication and deliver a great service experience — whether you are new to the job or a seasoned pro who wants to brush up on your skills.
1. Great customer communication starts with being a good listener.
To diagnose a problem, an HVAC technician needs to clearly understand what equipment or service issues a customer is experiencing. Being approachable and listening closely to customers as they describe the problem they’re having will ultimately help you get to the root cause more quickly.
Being a good listener also means knowing when to ask a question. For example, if a customer says the air conditioner made a “weird noise” before it quit working, asking the customer to describe the sound in more detail might give you some insights into the cause of the problem.
In addition, listening actively as customers are talking shows you care and are focused on helping them resolve their HVAC issue. And that’s the foundation of effective customer communication.
2. Being sympathetic and patient helps to keep the experience positive.
Everyone has bad days, and a customer who is experiencing an HVAC system breakdown might be feeling especially stressed out. Perhaps she or he had to take a day off from work to wait for the service visit — or maybe s/he has had the same issue before and is losing patience.
Being understanding can go a long way in easing tension and turning the service experience into a positive one. Hearing the customer out, giving a thoughtful response, and treating the customer with respect will help to demonstrate that you understand the customer’s point of view and are there to help.
3. Clear communication keeps HVAC technician goals and customer expectations in sync.
Whether you are on a routine maintenance call or doing an emergency repair, you want to be sure customers understand the job, how long it will take, and what it will cost. So, when the time comes to explain the results of a troubleshooting or maintenance inspection, be sure to use language that customers will understand.
Remember, there is a good chance that customers don’t know a lot about HVAC systems, including the highly technical terminology related to it. (After all, that’s why they’ve called you.) So, avoid being too technical and confusing the customer with too many details.
For example, using a lot of HVAC jargon or acronyms might not make things clearer for a customer. On the other hand, you don’t want to talk down to the customer or appear disrespectful.
Common sense and experience will help you know which details are too complicated and unnecessary for customer communication. But in general, it is helpful to:
- Focus on what is important to the customer.
- Explain what the problem is, and how you plan to fix it, in terms that are understandable to a non-technician.
- Ask if the customer has any other questions or concerns before the work begins.
4. Honesty builds customer trust.
With HVAC systems that are increasingly complex, sometimes you need to do more testing or tinkering to uncover what is causing an issue. In these cases, honesty truly is the best policy.
There is nothing wrong with telling customers that you need to do some more troubleshooting to come up with the best plan of action. Chances are good that they will appreciate your being upfront about the task and what is required.
If resolving a problem is going to take much longer than you anticipated, it’s crucial to let your customer know about the delay as soon as possible. (Think about how you would feel in a similar circumstance. Don’t you want to know the facts ASAP?)
Just be sure to answer any questions and outline your plan for getting the project on track — reassuring the customer that you are there to solve the problem and will keep at it until you find the best solution.
5. Some tips “on the house” add value and build relationships.
As HVAC systems have become “smarter” and more complex, it can be harder for customers to understand how these systems work. As a professional HVAC service technician, you are in a position to offer tips that can help customers understand their systems and use them in a way that delivers maximum efficiency, energy savings, and comfort.
For instance, you might notice a customer is not taking advantage of a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature at different times of the day. Maybe the programming got “lost” during a power failure and the customer doesn’t know how to reprogram the system.
By proactively asking about it and then helping to program the thermostat, you can get the customer on track to optimize system performance. At the same time, you will be building a relationship and adding value to the service you deliver as an HVAC technician.
Technician-to-customer communication is the key to HVAC success.
Of course, there are many people in an HVAC business who regularly communicate with customers, from the service representatives and dispatchers who answer calls, to job estimators, project managers, and other HVAC team members.
But no one is as important to customer communication as you, the HVAC technician. You’re the one who works face-to-face with customers every day — giving you the opportunity to solve problems, build lasting relationships, and play a vital role in the success of the business.
That makes effective customer communication is an essential part of your HVAC technician toolbox.
For more ideas on how to put your best foot forward when working with customers, read our blog 9 Customer Service Tips for Technicians in the HVACR Business.
If you’re just getting started in the HVACR business, check out our training videos and other career resources that can help you stand out.
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