How to get more HVAC customers all year, not just in a heat wave

Be on the map when the AC dies

For searches like “AC repair near me”, Google usually shows nearby businesses on a map first. A Business Profile is free. If you go to customers, Google’s guidelines say to hide your address and set a service area: up to 20 areas by city, postal code or region, within about two hours of driving from your base.

Keep your hours honest, list your real services (AC repair, furnace repair, heat pumps, installations, maintenance), and add photos of your vans, team and work. The business name stays exactly as on your sign: “Lee Heating & Air”, not “Lee Heating & Air AC Repair 24/7”.

Show that you are qualified

People letting a technician into their home want proof. On your website and profile, show:

• Your license number where your state requires one.
• That your technicians are certified under EPA Section 608, which requires technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release ozone-depleting refrigerants to be certified.
• Your insurance, the warranties you honor, and the brands you install and service.
• Photos and first names of the technicians who will show up.

A website that books service calls

On a phone, the first screen needs what you fix, where you work, a tap-to-call button and an easy way to request service. Then explain each service in plain words, your service-call or diagnostic fee and what it covers, and what happens after someone contacts you.

For installations, explain what affects the price (the size of the home, the type of system, ductwork) and offer a written estimate rather than a vague “call for pricing”.

Answer every call, especially in peak season

On the hottest day of the year, a missed call goes to the next company on the list. Plan for the calls you can’t take: a voicemail with a callback time, a text back to missed callers, or an answering service. In peak weeks, an honest “our next available appointment is Thursday” beats silence.

Fill the slow months with maintenance

ENERGY STAR recommends annual pre-season check-ups by a contractor: the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall. That gives you two natural reasons to contact every customer each year.

• Offer a simple maintenance plan with a spring visit and a fall visit.
• Send reminders before each season, by text or email, to customers who agreed to receive them.
• Leave a sticker with your number on the unit, and remind customers that ENERGY STAR suggests checking air filters every month.

Ask every customer for a review

Text your review link right after the visit. Google lets you create a review link or QR code from your profile. Ask everyone the same way: Google’s policy forbids asking only happy customers and forbids offering anything in exchange for a review. Reply to every review briefly, without details about the customer’s home.

Consider Google’s Local Services Ads

HVAC is one of the categories eligible for Local Services Ads in the US. You pay only when a customer gets in touch from your ad, and businesses that pass Google’s screening show the Google Verified badge. For HVAC, Google’s screening lists an owner check, a check on each service professional, a state-level business license where local law requires one, and general and professional liability insurance.

Judge the ads by the cost of each booked job, and remember that these leads arrive as calls and messages, so the missed-call plan matters even more.

Partners who send repeat work

Steady referrals often come from people who see HVAC problems before you do:

• Real estate agents and home inspectors.
• Property managers and landlords.
• Builders and remodelers.
• Plumbers and electricians you trust, for referrals both ways.

A pre-season reminder you can adapt

For a hypothetical HVAC company, sent only to customers who agreed to receive reminders.