In the highly competitive heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) field, new HVAC companies cannot afford to fall behind due to incorrect pricing or operational inefficiencies. Entrepreneurs and HVAC business owners must approach their HVAC business startup with a robust plan.
When learning how to start an HVAC business, you must tackle three main areas that determine your success: establishing an HVAC business plan that covers licensing and financial requirements, understanding the importance of HVAC software solutions to drive operational efficiency, and ultimately, choosing the right HVAC software partner. Getting the financial structure and operational efficiency right upfront is essential to ensure reliable cash flow and maximize your profit margin.
There are many preliminary steps a startup must take to become established and licensed to provide HVAC services. Many HVAC technicians complete trade school programs to become knowledgeable, and to provide services, they must also obtain a separate HVAC license or contractor license. Some of the initial steps to take for your own HVAC business to become a successful HVAC business include:
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New small HVAC companies have a clean slate for developing efficient operational practices, a culture of attention to detail, and other best practices. While often overlooked, investing in the best HVAC software solutions can prove to be a vital lifeline– especially for new HVAC providers and sole proprietorships who cannot afford to lose potential customers or damage their reputation due to avoidable operational errors. Some of the top advantages of field service management software include:
HVAC businesses have many factors to consider that impact the customer’s final price, including:
Customers value HVAC technicians who can provide a fair quote, which is as close to the expected final price as possible. Business owners must ensure that their HVAC technicians are not giving quotes off the top of their heads. An ideal estimating software solution, which is designed for the HVAC industry, can help to:
From HVAC installations to repairs, HVAC professionals will travel to a wide range of residential and commercial HVAC settings. The ability to utilize HVAC software from anywhere can truly set one HVAC business apart from the next. Whether an accurate quote is needed quickly at the job site or the HVAC contractor wants to collaborate with other professionals, a cloud-based solution with user-friendly apps can streamline software access across the entire company.
Field service management software makes it possible to get the most out of your day-to-day operations. The right solutions can:
Whereas manual cost-estimation methods can be time-consuming and carry the risk of error, HVAC software can help HVAC businesses create cost-efficient workflows. In addition, dispatching becomes more efficient by allowing dispatchers to plan routes ahead of time, helping to save fuel and time for higher profits. By maximizing efficiency and reducing risks of error and property damage, you increase referrals and secure new customers.
Aside from the potential for decreased labor and operational costs, the bidding process can also be streamlined. Estimators would have all the tools to price jobs accurately to simplify bidding on projects.
Many HVAC software platforms offer similar features, but it’s critical to choose the right partner that provides unrivaled customer support. Making this critical decision too hastily can lead to an investment with no return. Meanwhile, putting it off can cause new HVAC businesses to fall behind their established competition. The ideal field service management software provider should:
The biggest part of starting an HVAC business is deciding how business operations will run. Once you plan your business operations, it can be beneficial to compile the information into an accessible manual. That way, essential information about your business is clear and can be referred to by employees. Business operations manuals, or franchise operations manuals, can include much information about a business, including:
As a business grows, changes to the way it runs are inevitable. That’s why HVAC companies should continuously update their business operations manuals. With time, workers may find other processes and ways to complete jobs more efficiently. Or, you may have to adjust tasks to allow quality completion. Regardless, ensuring to update your business operations manuals is an important aspect of starting and running an HVAC company.
An HVAC business cannot operate without the right HVAC hardware and tools. This is another important step in starting an HVAC business. Businesses should evaluate which tools and materials they require to complete jobs. To determine this, you should start with the most basic tools technicians need to work efficiently. These can include:
From there, you must decide if you will give technicians their own tool kits, or if they will need to purchase additional tools. Most HVAC companies do not provide these tools; technicians must go out and purchase them on their own. These tools can include:
Once the details are finalized and put into place, it’s finally time to market your new HVAC business. To start, you should create a website strategy. Having a website marketing plan can put your company above others, as many of them put website design on the back burner.
The time and effort you spend on your website design will not go unnoticed and can make a huge difference to the customer experience. When customers can easily browse your website for information, it is more likely they’ll return to you for more. It can also play a role in establishing yourself as a reliable, trusted resource for customers.
The goal of marketing is to encourage action from readers. This can include scheduling an appointment, calling to ask questions, or invitations to read more about your services. That’s why HVAC businesses must have a “Contact” page or “Schedule Services” page. These pages can be linked to all web pages on a site and can guide customers to enroll in your services.
Website content for small businesses should be straightforward and informative yet engaging. It should answer specific questions that those in your community may have about your HVAC services. Content should also cater to a specific audience, allowing them to feel included and make more personal connections with your company.
When crafting a go-to-market strategy, you should also think about search engine optimization (SEO) and other strategies to have your page reach a large portion of your target audience.
If you’re interested in starting an HVAC company but aren’t sure where to begin, turn to Sera for guidance. We offer HVAC business coaching that teaches you how to operate efficiently, manage finances effectively, and retain a team of talented techs. These strategies and more will produce sustainability and growth for your business.
Even after business coaching, Sera helps enhance efficiency and profitability with field service management software. With the convenience of a single interface, our FSM software offers HVAC companies automated scheduling, dynamic dispatching, real-time booking website widgets, an admin portal, and other reliable features.
Schedule a call with Sera today to learn more!