HVACBossPro Blog — HVAC Software

HVAC Software FAQ: Straight Answers for Heating and Air Owners

These are the questions small heating and air company owners ask most often when they look at HVAC software, answered plainly. Where a question deserves more than a paragraph, the answer points to the longer guide.

Choosing Software

If you have not yet read Mistakes HVAC Owners Make When Choosing Software, it is worth a few minutes before any of the questions below.

Do I really need HVAC-specific software, or will a general scheduling app do? A general app will schedule jobs and send invoices. It will not keep the system type, brand, model, serial, tonnage, filter size and unit location on each address as real fields, and it will not bring maintenance tune-ups due on their own. For an HVAC company, those two things are most of the value.

Is HVACBossPro built for big companies or small ones? Small ones: an owner-operator with one van up to companies running several vans, mostly residential, with property managers and light commercial buildings mixed in.

Equipment and Maintenance Agreements

What equipment details can I keep? System type (Central AC + Furnace, Heat Pump, AC only, Furnace only, Mini-Split, Boiler or Package Unit), brand, model number, serial number, year installed, tonnage, filter size, unit location (attic, closet, garage, basement, crawlspace, roof or outside) and access notes such as the attic ladder, gate code, dog and thermostat location.

Do techs see the equipment in the field? Yes. It shows under the address on the tech's phone, for example “Central AC + Furnace · Trane XR14 · 3 ton · installed 2012 · filter 16x25x1,” with the serial on the next line.

How do maintenance agreements work? Each one has a minimum number of days between visits: 180 for spring and fall, 365 for yearly. When a visit comes due, it appears on the Waiting List map, colored not due yet, due now or overdue past a 7-day grace. See The Waiting List: Every HVAC Tune-Up That Has Come Due on One Map.

Techs and the Field

Do my techs need new phones or an app store download? No. The tech app runs in the browser on iPhone and Android and installs to the home screen. Techs log in with the company login and a personal PIN.

What do techs do in the app? See the day's calls in route order, tap navigation, read equipment and access notes and past notes, tap Start, Skip or Complete, take before-and-after photos, and clock in and out. Customers get on-the-way and arrived texts, and Complete creates the invoice and can charge the card on file.

Can the office see where the vans are? Yes. Crew GPS shows each van on the office map.

Customers, Texting and Billing

What can customers do? In the customer app they can watch today's route on a live map, request service, sign up for services such as a maintenance plan, update their card, see invoices, pay online, rate the visit and refer a neighbor. They choose their own alerts: the night before, when they are next, and when the tech arrives.

Can the office text customers? Yes, with two-way texting, plus automated reminders and alerts by text and email. Each plan includes a monthly allowance of 500, 1,000 or 2,000 segments, counting texts sent and received. Texting is available in the US and Canada.

How does billing work? Invoices with line items and sales tax, card on file, charges on completion or on a schedule, online payment and past-due follow-up.

Can I bill a property manager once a month? Yes. One client can have many addresses, and a client set to Monthly gets one statement covering every rental or building, each line labeled with the address.

Setup and Switching

How do I get my customers in? With a CSV import. Imported addresses are placed on the map automatically. See Moving Your Customer List Into HVAC Software With a CSV Import.

How long does setup take? Most small shops can be running real calls within the first week: service list, customers, maintenance agreements, techs and vans, then a first live day.

Does it work outside the US? HVACBossPro works in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK, and bills customers in their own currency.

Pricing and Trial

How much does it cost? Start is $59 a month, Pro is $89 and Crew is $199. Employees and customers are unlimited on every plan. The pricing page compares the plans side by side.

Is there a free trial? Yes: 14 days, no credit card. There is also a live demo you can click through without signing up.

What is the best way to use the trial? Load 20 to 30 real customers, set up a few maintenance agreements, add one tech, and run real calls from the tech app for a few days.

Still have questions? The best answer is usually to try it on your own customers. To see every feature in one place, visit the HVAC software page.