In today’s hustle-bustle world, where everyone is connected every minute of the day (and night), with smart-phone in hand, ready to pounce on any impulse, the consumer is Time Poor. Ironic as is may seem, all the “smart” devices that were supposed to make us more efficient have taken over, and now there’s more to do than hours in the day. What does this have to do with HVAC service? A lot, actually.
One of the top complaints from homeowners is their frustration with waiting around for a repairman to show up. People are busy; they have places to go, people to see, and too many things to do. They don’t like waiting around, wondering, stressing; in fact they hate it; we all do. After all, having an HVAC technician show up usually means they’re going to be spending money, possibly money they didn’t plan on spending.
It stands to reason, as long as they’re going to be setting aside time in their hectic schedule to deal with their HVAC system, why not deal with as much other stuff as possible at the same time. More and more consumers prefer the “one-stop-shop” approach to service. It’s trending everywhere, companies are bundling multiple services to be able to serve their customer better.
More and more consumers prefer the “one-stop-shop” approach to service. It’s trending everywhere, companies are bundling multiple services to be able to serve their customer better.
The mantra of today’s consumer is “Don’t make me think… Don’t make me work…” Making it simple & easy to take care of as many of their home services as possible at one time, accomplishes this for the homeowner. Additionally, homeowners are wary of who’s coming to their home, and when they find someone they trust, they want them to take care of as much stuff as possible.
The flip side of this compounding services coin is that is good for business too! Would you rather perform one service at four homes OR four services at one home? Staying in the home, digging deeper, and doing more, results in higher average tickets, adoption of more services, and increased loyalty & trust from the client. Technicians can be more productive, and also work with less stress compared to zig-zag call-to-call all day long. Less windshield time, less fuel, less mileage, less dispatching; it goes on & on. Also, being more integral to the home makes our company stickier, and harder from the consumer to replace with “online services” as well.
Staying in the home, digging deeper, and doing more, results in higher average tickets, adoption of more services, and increased loyalty and trust from the client.
There has been a trend towards “whole home” contracting vs HVAC-only for more than a decade. That concept has been to encompass the equipment, distribution, and envelope, instead of just looking at “boxes”. What if we extended that “whole home” concept further, to actually include the whole home in terms of compounding services? How would that impact our results? How would that create loyalty and repeat business even more?
There’s some great data to support that some of the no-brainer services to bundle include:
- Plumbing
- Drain cleaning
- Electrical
- Generators/Standby power
- Basement/crawlspace waterproofing
- Energy conservation (insulation, radiant barrier, window film, etc.)
It’s not really a question of “if” compounding services will disrupt the marketplace; it’s more a question of “when?”