Service Call Etiquette Every HVAC Technician Should Know
A friend of mine told me about an unpleasant experience she had recently with a young HVAC service technician who repeatedly interrupted her, scoffed, rolled his eyes, and sighed audibly when she spoke. When he brushed past her, uninvited, into another room to access her thermostat, she decided she’d had enough and told him to leave.
The owner of the small HVAC company was able to smooth things over by sending another technician and waiving the service charge. He had come very close to losing a valuable, longtime customer due to a new hire with poor customer service skills.
Here are a few simple guidelines every HVAC technician should follow when they go out on a service call:
- Respect your customers. Be polite, professional and friendly, and don’t dress like a slob.
- Ask thoughtful questions, hear your customers out, and give clear answers.
- Be patient with customer questions and concerns. What you consider to be minor or trivial may be extremely significant or a source of great stress for the homeowner.
- Explain things in terms that are easy for a layperson to understand. Avoid throwing around HVAC trade lingo, which can be perceived as intimidating or condescending.
- Don’t enter a room, yard, or other private space without first asking permission.
- Respect your customers’ property. Wear booties over your shoes if necessary. Work neatly, and clean up when you’re done. Extra points: leave your work area cleaner than you found it.
About E.P. Homiek
E.P. Homiek Sheet Metal Fabrication & HVAC Supply, with two convenient locations in Lakewood, NJ and Union, NJ, provides one- to two-day turnaround on all residential and light commercial ductwork, as well as one- to two-hour emergency fabrication service, rapid delivery, and competitive prices. HVAC parts, supplies, and equipment lines include Goodman, Honeywell, York Commercial, Bryant, Bradford White, Crown Boiler, Daikin, Weil-McLain, York Commercial, Sea Breeze, Generac, Fantech, ZM, A.O. Smith, Hart & Cooley, Malco, Mueller, and many more.
