“How do you communicate with your customers? Email has some benefits over phone calls and postcards. Emails are written at your office staff’s convenience, and read at your customers’ convenience. And they’re inexpensive to send.”

But emails can end up in spam folders; they are of no use if your customer never sees them.  And how many of your own emails do you actually read? I bet it’s only a fraction of them. Many systems use a grading system to check emails and decide where to put them. Here’s how you can keep your HVAC email out of a customer’s spam box, and make sure it gets read.

Watch out for Trigger Words: Words like “FREE” and “Prize” can get flagged by spam filters. very often. Be careful when using these words and make sure to add context to them.

Keep it as short as possible. Keeping an email short, clear and error-free gets you more points than being flashy. No one has time for a rambling email on any subject, and sorry to say it, but HVAC matters just won’t keep the average person’s interest for long. Phrase the main message of your email in a couple of sentences up front. Add explanation as necessary, and then be done.

Choose realistic subject line. A cheesy looking, unbelievable subject line, like “Get your furnace maintained for FREE!” is more likely to end up in a spam folder.  Instead, the subject line can describe a real benefit to the customer. “Protect your investment | Maintain your furnace” or “Keep your family safe with a furnace checkup” are more likely to prompt a recipient to open the email.

Capitalize just the first word of the subject line, and avoid excessive spacing or capitalization. Don’t use strings of characters. It’s even best to avoid exclamation marks. Look at your own spam inbox for the types of subject lines to avoid.

Don’t include attachments. Put all of the information in the body of the email, and use links if you need to send readers elsewhere.

Use excellent grammar and punctuation. Poorly written emails smack of spam. You may be the best HVAC gig in town, but glaring grammar and spelling gaffes will put your credibility in question with some customers. If grammar and proofreading are not your forte, don’t be shy to ask someone to proofread. You could probably get a good edit job inexpensively from a college English major.

Ask to be added to a verified senders list: In every email make sure you ask your customer or prospect to add your email address to a verified senders list. This means that their system will always let you through.

If you find that emails work well for you, you’ll want to streamline and automate them. Next month we’ll talk about using an email service provider.

Oh and always, always, always…did I stress always get permission to email people and have a way for people to unsubscribe. Always.

Simple promotions can keep customers coming back to your company year after year. Email is a low-cost and easy way to foster loyalty in your HVAC customers. A well done email campaign delivers convenient service, timely information and savings to your customers. How do you plan a successful email campaign?

At a minimum, you should send short semi-annual emails right before the spring and fall seasons. Your objective is to encourage current customers to schedule seasonal service. Even if your office makes phone calls to schedule service, an email can help get your customers in the HVAC mood.

An early email reminder gives your regular customers the opportunity to be first in line, rather than having to wait weeks for an opening in your schedule (or find someone who can respond more quickly). Include a phone number or a link to sign up on your website for an appointment.

Add value to this reminder email by including a second piece of information – something that could save your customers money, help them choose new equipment or answer a maintenance question. Keep the content short and specific. If you don’t want to write content, it’s fine to point customers to something you think is handy – give a link to an article or video on another site you trust. Or, for example, my electric utility has great 5-minute videos on topics such as weather stripping a door and sealing leaky electrical outlets. Including a link to a public utility site like this is easy and free. Alternately, grab your camera and make your won. “Man on the street” videos are a great way to communicate new things, build recognition and show customers who you really are.

Here are a few ideas for additional content:

• Help them save money – explain your HVAC specials, alert them to rebates from manufacturers, or spell out state and federal tax credits.
• Help them control energy costs – discuss what they can do to ensure their equipment lives a full life and performs at peak levels.
• Explain a seasonal maintenance task – for example, coil cleaning, water heater maintenance, sealing leaky ductwork – or give them a link to a good YouTube video on the subject.
• Lay out their options for a new heating or cooling system. It’s something consumers rarely consider before their existing system wears out. Even if they’re not yet interested, they’ll know who to call when they’re ready.
• Discuss a new trend or technology in HVAC – or even easier, post a link to an article.
• Offer a coupon or discount for posting a review on your site or encourage your customers to review your service on Angie’s List.

A simple, well timed email campaign serves your customers by making it easy for them to maintain their heating and cooling equipment. It also educates them and ensures that you’re the one they think of first when they need service. Next month we’ll discuss how to make sure your emails get read.

It takes only seconds for a disgruntled consumer to risk your HVAC company’s reputation. Unfortunately, some companies act like ostriches. Stick their head in the ground and pretend it doesn’t exist.  However, if your business is sound, you don’t have to fear complaints. In fact, embrace them and you will be a better service provider. Here’s why:

Make sure you have an avenue for complaints. Allow an area of your web site for complaints or make sure that with every job you d, your business card is left there (or the owners card) so people know there is someone real who wants to help. If you don’t allow an avenue for complaints, they will find their way to places you can’t control.

Negative feedback may actually be less common than you think. Often, customers who feel wronged don’t address their complaints; they just take their business elsewhere. But, you want to know why a customer leaves you for a competitor. Negative feedback helps you strengthen your service and retain customers.

Complaint resolution can reassure potential customers. They can see ahead of time how you react to and solve a difficult service situation. It can put their minds to rest, knowing that if there’s a problem you’ll make things right.

You can manage negative comments on your own turf. People are already commenting on your HVAC business, whether you know it or not.  When the criticism appears on your site, it’s easier for you to monitor it and respond.

Criticism provides authenticity. Without it, your comments forum could seem like a sham.

Here are some tips for responding positively to negative reviews:

• Monitor comments regularly.
• Don’t auto post every comment. Spam will find its way to your site, and you’ll receive comments that are just plain odd. Make sure you read them all.
• Address complaints promptly. Act quickly to make the situation right for your customer and contain the damage to your reputation.
• Keep a respectful tone in every response. If a comment angers you, cool down before responding. Look past the customer’s language and consider whether he may have a point, despite his tone.
• If you’re in the wrong, apologize. It’s no fun to admit to screwing up a job, but deep down we all know we do it on occasion.
• Avoid finger-pointing and excuses. It just sounds (and is) juvenile. Address the problem, state the facts, and make things right for the customer.
• Ask satisfied customers to post positive reviews. Keep the forum genuine, but there’s nothing wrong with ensuring your praises are sung as well.
• Realize that even with stellar service you’ll have customers that God himself could not please.
• Don;t be afraid to fire your customers. Yes, I said it. If there are customers who are stopping you from providing excellent services to other customers, fire them.

I’m interested in your experience with customer reviews. How do you handle negative feedback? Has it ever changed your business for the better?

Your customers first contact you because their water heater is on the blink, or their air conditioning doesn’t seem to be cooling like it should. Maybe they’re worried their furnace is unsafe.

Your potential customer does a Google search and your site comes up. Or maybe a partnership with a real estate agent leads to your landing a new contact. This is great; your marketing is working. But marketing efforts shouldn’t stop there.

How you treat your customers, how you solve their problems, and how you maintain contact with them afterwards is also marketing. In fact, handle the call correctly, and your customer might just help do your marketing for you. It’s easy for a positive review from a customer to be read by thousands in your community.

At a restaurant or resort we expect, or at least hope, to be wowed by the service. We don’t always expect it from our HVAC guys. The wow factor is a chance to set your business apart from the other guys, and make sure clients spread the word about your company. The effort it takes is well worth the payback.

Use these tools to turn your customers into converts:

• Listen to the customer’s concerns. They may not use the right terms, but listen anyway.
• Train your techs to be courteous and friendly. I’ve had pleasant techs visit my home, as well as techs that complain or are rude. Guess who gets called back?
• Keep the customer’s house clean.
• Give stuff away. Offer tips on what the homeowner can do to prevent the problem from recurring, and how they can save money on maintenance or energy costs.
• Give a thorough recap of service and charges at the end of the call. Ask, “Is there anything else we can do for you?”
• Thank them for their business and offer an incentive for referrals.
• Follow up with a phone call to make sure the repair was effective and ask if they need anything else.
• Call with a reminder when it’s time for fall or spring service.

Clients are attracted by your product, but it’s the whole service experience that turns them into loyal customers and motivates them to recommend you to their friends. Give them a good reason, and they become part of your marketing team.

An after-word here. I don’t mention online review services like Angie’s List, or Google Places or the myriad other services out there. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on these as they can be excellent sources of great reviews….or places where a bad review can demolish your reputation. Make sure to check them out often and tackle any issues that crop up before it’s too late.

Local internet marketing is one of the leading drivers of success for local businesses. In many areas this medium is untapped for local HVAC companies. If you don’t have a website, or if you haven’t updated it in several months, now is the time to focus some attention on it.

Search engines, such as Google and Yahoo, give preference to fresh, ever evolving content among other things. So you may have a great looking site, but if you haven’t updated it in several months you’re probably losing web traffic that could turn into new business for you.

Quality content about HVAC issues, occasional discounts, and answers to questions encourage customers and prospects to turn to your website (and your company) when they need help with their HVAC systems.

Start with FAQs: What HVAC questions does your office staff answer most frequently? There are probably others who wondered the same things but didn’t bother calling. These questions give clues to what information your website lacks. Or they make a good start for an FAQ tab. Make them easy to follow, with words that people really use (as this is what they will search for) and real. Answer the questions you get everyday from your customers and don’t be afraid to give away a bit of the “secret” insider info.

Sales Plugs: To get the sale, ask for it. Briefly explain each service you offer, emphasizing the benefits to the customer. Explain how a service contract makes your customer’s life easier – your office calls to schedule appointments when needed, and prepayment keeps the cost down. Then ask web visitors to call now to set up an annual service contract. A contact form is a must that clearly states it’s a no obligation way of getting what the prospect needs, a realistic quote on how much their service will cost.

Coupons and Discounts: Be generous with your customers. Offer them a discount when they refer a new customer, sign up for a service contract, or give you their email address. Maybe you could offer a complimentary year’s service contract with the purchase of a furnace. If a customer presents an outdated coupon, honor it willingly – it sends a great message and will deliver repeat business far in excess of the coupons value. Also, make sure you measure the impact of your coupons so you know what works. 

Collect email addresses: Include a place on your site where customers can enter their address to receive updates from your company. Make sure there’s an incentive for signing up – a coupon is ideal. Just be careful to make sure that your email list is an opt-in list. This means that you’ve clearly identified you will use it for marketing purposes. A law called CAN-SPAM should be followed.

Blog: A blog doesn’t have to be lengthy or literary. Let your customers know about discounts, seasonal concerns, new services you offer, and federal and state tax credits. Introduce them to your staff, offer a product review, or expand the answer to an FAQ. A weekly paragraph or two is plenty and it’s a great way to make sure the search engines come back again and again to “crawl” your site.

Customer Education: Most of your customers are woefully ignorant about what you do as an HVAC professional – educate them! Post a home maintenance calendar. Explain maintenance basics on the systems you service. Post the checklists your technicians follow. Explain what may be wrong when equipment malfunctions. In other words, help customers understand the “basics” of their complex HVAC system so they can be better prepared when things go wrong.

Keep in mind that search engines reward original, well written content. Tap your staff’s talent for writing or outsource it, but make sure it’s good quality – keep errors to a minimum.

All of this information gives customers a reason to visit your site, and helps ensure that your site appears when customers search online for local HVAC companies.