A mobile service application adds much-needed tools to the HVAC tech arsenal to make service more efficient and successful.
Is your refrigerator running? Well then you better go catch it! A long running joke, but for HVAC professionals the joke takes on a literal meaning as technicians spend hours catching all types of refrigeration, cooling, ventilation, and heating problems.
Considering a system failure could bring extreme consequences to any facility, anything that can make the job of the HVAC tech more effective is good news everyone. But with much to keep track of, HVAC technicians could use a little help keeping it all together.
The answer? Mobile technology has become the key component in HVAC service success. It’s imperative that techs today have a comprehensive mobile solution to boost jobsite efficiency, automate updates between back office and field, and track and record data.
HVAC Field Techs Catch More with a Mobile Service Application
According to Field Technologies’ report, Field Mobility 2014, “With today’s mobile workforce exceeding one billion, the need for mobile solutions that enable real-time decision making and access to critical enterprise applications and databases is as acute as ever.”
A mobile service app helps transform the way HVAC technicians function in the field. A few features that drastically improve service techs’ ability to do their jobs well include:
1. Get paid faster with one-day billing turnaround
A good mobile field service app allows your techs to easily record their time, parts and tasks against an equipment asset and work order, then sync that data into your billing system upon work order close-out, accelerating your service to cash cycle. Customers can even sign-off directly through the mobile app, which means less dispute and faster turnaround on payments.
2. Assign the right technician, right away with instant connectivity between scheduler and technician
Mobile apps for HVAC service technicians are automatically connected to centralized service scheduling software, so schedulers can make rapid work order scheduling decisions and assignments based on actual technician location, availability and skill set.
3. Turn tech field observations into actionable business intelligence
Mobile service apps allow you to take advantage of service technicians’ privileged position at the customer site in order to gather competitive, business development, and other intelligence that can propel your service business forward. With stakeholder portals continuously updating with incoming data, you’ll never be at a loss for valuable information to improve service efficiency and customer satisfaction.
4. Realize more profits by leaving no task untracked
The more you know about the specifics of the work your technicians need to do, the more profit you can realize with each work order. With software that tracks and segments parts of a work orders, technicians can see exactly what they’ll be working on and what parts they’ll need, and company managers gain deeper granularity so they can analyze the success of each task and determine ways to improve.
Tracking refrigerant with a mobile service app, for example, eliminates manual data logging and helps techs keep detailed accounts for each system by accessing and recording information in one central location.
The benefits for HVAC techs using a mobile service application extend beyond just these five points. Those in service must realize that the field is set to become even more mobile-centric as technology continues to advance. It’s up to HVAC contractors to become more flexible to accommodate these changes, and it’s by opening operations up to a flexible mobile service application that they’ll be able to get ahead.
A Buyer’s Guide to Mobile Field Service Software: 9 Tips for Choosing a Mobile Solution
There’s more heating going on in HVAC as pressure builds on organizations to find capable mobile solutions. Learn more important tips and to-dos in our free, educational whitepaper: “A Buyer’s Guide to Mobile Field Service Software,” and help your HVAC contractors effectively carry out your service operations.
Get the Free Guide
Josh Kasombo is a content marketing specialist for MSI.