HVACBossPro Blog — Dispatch & Scheduling

Arrival Windows and Call-Aheads: Setting Expectations on HVAC Service Calls

“What time will the tech be here?” is the question every HVAC office hears most. It is also the one that causes the most trouble when answered badly. Promise 9am and show up at 1, and the customer is angry before the tech has opened a panel. Promise “sometime Tuesday” and the customer may book someone else who will give a time. Arrival windows and call-aheads are how HVAC companies split the difference.

Every Scheduled Job Raises the Question

Whether a job came from a phone call or from From Approved Estimate to Scheduled HVAC Job Without Retyping Anything, the customer will want to know when to expect the van. How you answer is your company's policy. This guide covers common practice among HVAC owners, and where software can take over part of the job.

Common Ways to Give a Time

HVAC companies tend to use one of a few approaches:

• The day only. “We'll be there Tuesday, and you'll get a text when the tech is on the way.” Simple, flexible, but some customers need more.
• Half-day windows. Morning or afternoon. The most common approach, because it gives the customer something to plan around without pinning the route.
• Narrower windows. Two to four hours. Customers like them, but they constrain the route and are easy to miss on a busy day.
• First call of the day. Some companies offer a fixed first-call time for customers who must leave for work, since the first stop is the one you can predict.

Whatever you choose, apply it consistently. If one person on the phone offers two-hour windows and another offers half days, the board fills with promises nobody can keep.

Promise What the Board Can Deliver

Before you promise a window, look at the van's day. A morning slot on a van that already has six morning stops is not really a morning slot. Place the job on the board while the customer is on the phone, see where it lands in the route, and promise accordingly.

If you promise a window, set the route order to match. A customer told “morning” should be in the first half of the van's route, and if you re-run auto-routing later, check that they stayed there.

The Old Call-Ahead

For years, the standard was a phone call from the tech, about thirty minutes out: “Hi, this is Dan from ABC Heating, I'm on my way.” It works, but it costs time. A tech calling from the truck is not driving safely, and a tech who forgets to call leaves the customer guessing. If the customer does not pick up, the tech may arrive to a locked house.

Let Texts Do the Call-Ahead

HVACBossPro sends the call-ahead automatically. When the tech taps Start on the next job, the customer gets an on-the-way text. When the tech arrives, an arrived text. Customers can also choose a reminder the night before and a text when they are next. The tech never has to pick up the phone, and the customer always gets the heads-up. The texts themselves are covered in On-the-Way and Arrived Texts: HVAC Dispatch Updates the Office Doesn't Have to Send.

The customer app adds a live route map showing their place in line, so a customer who wants to know exactly how close the van is can check without calling.

This changes what you need to promise on the phone. With automatic texts and a live map, a half-day window is usually enough. The customer can go about their morning and know they will get a text before the van arrives.

When You Are Going to Miss a Window

It happens. A diagnostic turns into a three-hour repair, and the next customer's window is about to close. The worst response is silence. The best is a quick two-way text from the office as soon as you know: “Our tech is running about an hour behind on an earlier repair. Still coming today, you'll get a text when he's on the way.” Most customers forgive late. Few forgive late without a word.

If a window cannot be met at all, offer a new day and move the job on the board while the customer is still on the line or replying by text.

Simple Rules That Hold Up

A written policy, a consistent window, a route that matches what was promised, and automatic texts on the day. That combination keeps most customers informed without anyone in the office spending the afternoon on the phone. For how this fits with the board and routing, see the HVACBossPro HVAC dispatch software page.