Calls come in while you're on a job or after hours, and they book whoever answers.

A missed HVAC call is a customer with a problem right now. If you can't pick up, they often don't wait. They call the next shop and book whoever answers.

Book a call

A technician with a flashlight bent over an outdoor air conditioning condenser beside a house, both hands busy on the job — Photo by Kathleen Austin Kuhn on Pexels

Sound familiar?

You call back inside the hour, and they've already called around. Somebody else picked up first.
You're under a house or up on a roof with both hands busy, and the phone in your pocket won't stop buzzing.
Someone needs emergency service tonight, and there's nobody on staff to pick up after hours.
You tried a low-cost answering service. It wrote down names and numbers, and every callback was still yours to make.

What it costs you

The first cost is the job. The caller had a problem today, and whoever answered got the work.

Then there's what you spent to get that call. The ads, the truck wrap and the listing all did their part, and the call rang out anyway.

And there's your evening. You spend it returning calls, and some of those people have already booked another shop.

Why it keeps happening

Your CSRs are already on other calls, dispatch is slammed, and after hours the phone rolls to someone's cell. The call that doesn't get through goes to the next shop on the list.

Nobody is paid to sit by the phone. During the day everyone is out on calls, and after hours the phone goes home in someone's pocket.

Voicemail doesn't help much. A caller with no heat wants a person, not a beep.

Taking a message only moves the wait. The customer still doesn't know when you can come, so they keep dialing.

Who you'll talk to

Kevin Kirchner smiling, in black glasses, a black cap and a green plaid shirt — Kevin Kirchner

I'm Kevin Kirchner, an AI enablement specialist at True Frontier. On the call, I'll ask where your calls go when nobody can pick up, during the day and after hours.

A lot of what happens between the ring and the booking is routine, and routine work like that can now come off your plate. How it fits your shop is what we work out together.

Questions

Why do HVAC customers call the next company instead of waiting?

When the heat or the air is out, they want it fixed today. Waiting on a callback feels like a gamble, so they keep dialing until a person picks up.

How do I find out how many calls we miss?

Your phone's call log can usually show the calls that rang with no answer. Look at a busy week and a quiet one. That count is worth bringing to the call.

What exactly do you build?

It depends on how you work today; we figure that out on the call.