Comfort Supply's Blog by Clay Blevins

More often than not, when a tech answers a service call, it will be a woman on the other side of the door. It is likely that the woman of the house will be responsible for household decisions and so you need to be prepared. Want to ensure that you’ll never hear from that customer again? Here are some tips for making women uncomfortable in their own homes.

DON’T identify yourself right away. I mean, the name of the company is on the truck, right? You’ve got a clipboard, what else do you need?

Of course handing her a business card and introducing yourself will put everyone at ease and let her know who will be in her house… but that’s not your problem, right?

DON’T be respectful. You’re the professional. She’s just a customer. She needs you way more than the other way around. Talk down to her. Let her know who’s really in charge and you’ll never have to come back there again.

Making eye contact, being polite and showing concern for the problem will only lead to repeat business and referrals. Who wants that?

DO use the hard sell. There is nothing quite like intimidation, double talk and pushing a customer to buy something that they don’t think they really need

And there’s nothing like it for killing repeat business, referrals and your professional reputation.

DO be dismissive of her input. She made the call to get you out here. Her job is done. Now step aside and let a professional tell her what the problem is.

She’s been living with this problem and her insights will make it easier to diagnose. Listening and asking questions will increase your understanding and make the fix go more quickly. But if you wanted an easy job, you wouldn’t have gotten into the HVAC business.

DON’T finish the job quickly and move on. Nothing will make her more uncomfortable than you sitting in your truck in front of her house waiting on your next service call. Hey, everyone needs a break.

Hanging around after the job is done will undermine her confidence in the work you did. Is he really done? Is there something wrong? Why is he still here? Having a stranger in your home creates stress. Having a stranger hanging out in front of your house can turn stress into anxiety.

DO burn your bridges. What do you care if you never see this person again? You’ve got your check and another service call to get to.

Cleaning up your mess, explaining to her what you did, demonstrating that the work is complete and thanking her for calling you? That’s for people looking for repeat business. You’re company is big enough already, right?

Take steps to protect yourself and your business when dealing with flood recovery.

HVAC contractors are seeing an up tick in business as homeowners look to repair or replace flood-damaged HVAC units. However, contractors should take special care not to get overexposed financially during this phase of recovery.

We’ve heard from contractors who installed a new HVAC system on the promise of an insurance settlement that never appeared, or they started an installation on a house only to find out it was going to be razed. These are just a couple of examples of how HVAC contractors may not get paid when dealing with flood recovery situations.

Contractors should work on a “payment-on-delivery” basis for the immediate future in order to protect themselves from fraud or misinformation.

Everyone is scrambling to take care of more business during the recovery. As a result, contactors may compromise with a homeowner on payment terms in order to get the job, but it is also easy to get stuck with a bill if there is something wrong with the insurance settlement. Unless you personally know and trust who you are dealing with, your best bet is payment up front.

We also recommend checking with the local code inspectors to see if homes in the area are scheduled for demolition or if the homeowner has had an inspection of the property.

Occasionally a homeowner may find out that it will cost too much to bring an older property up to code or that the damage is too extensive to rebuild. You don’t want to be in the middle of installing a new unit on a house that’s going to be razed in a few weeks.

WKRN, the local ABC affiliate, ran a segment last night on the importance of replacing flood-damaged HVAC units. The reporter interviewed Comfort Supply customer Eloy Saban of Temp Control LLC.

Check it out.

As Middle Tennessee experiences the highest floodwater in recent memory, washed out homeowners have a lot to deal with. The approaching summer will mean a very hot recovery and unfortunately, a flooded basement usually means a flooded HVAC unit. If a unit was submerged, it is likely destroyed. The electric components will have been ruined, so it will have to be replaced. Homeowners should take some precautions before leaving the property, such as turning off power and gas to the unit. Once the floodwaters recede, an HVAC technician will need to inspect the unit to confirm the damage so the insurance company can make a final determination.. Currently, the federal government is offering a $1500.00 rebate to homeowners who replace their HVAC units with high efficiency systems. This program was recently extended through December of 2010. Between a homeowner's insurance settlement, the federal rebate and consumer promotions such as the Ruud Consumer Rebate program, this is an opportune time to be replacing an HVAC unit. Also, you'll need a service technician to inspect ductwork as well. If the unit has been submerged, you most likely will have water and muck in the ducts which will have to be cleaned or replaced

RUUD'S OFFICIAL FLOOD PUBLIC STATEMENT FLOOD DAMAGED HVAC EQUIPMENT (INDOOR or OUTDOOR) Ruud Air Conditioning Division is cautioning residents of the areas impacted by recent flooding to promptly call a trained, professional contractor to inspect all heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment before resuming operation. Flooding or partial to full submersion of HVAC equipment can damage safety features within the unit and the controls. Consumers, whose units may have been subjected to flooding , are advised to immediately contact a trained professional service contractor to assess the equipment. The Ruud Air Conditioning Division recommends that any HVAC equipment subjected to flooding be replaced and scrapped to avoid any risk of injury or harm. PLEASE NOTE: IMMERSION BY FLOOD WATER COMPROMISES THE OPERATIONAL COMPONENTS OF HVAC PRODUCTS AND WILL VOID WARRANTY ON SUCH PRODUCTS. Comfort Supply looks forward to partnering with our contractors to repair Middle Tennessee. As your business helps restore our area, Comfort Supply will be here for your expanding needs. This horrific flood invaded during a stressful economic period. Homeowners now suffer the added expenses of major renovations. During this challenging time, Comfort Supply suggests collecting payment at the time you provide the service. Doing this obviously protects you. It also prevents the homeowner from acquiring debt and encourages them to prioritize the most important repairs. We wish you the best and thank you for working to rebuild our community.

This week Supply House Times posted a story about Comfort Supply's new Green Contractor recognition program. We've started a program where contractors can earn points for earth-friendly practices both on the job site and in their shops. Those who are certified will receive a decal for their trucks, patches for their uniforms and will be listed on our website, blog and Facebook page.

Comfort Supply is opening a fourth location in Clarksville. The new warehouse/showroom at 1460 New Ashland City Road will be open for business on April 12. This will be our fourth location: Nashville, Murfreesboro, Cookeville and Clarksville.

The 8,000-square-foot Clarksville location will offer everything that residential and commercial contractors need to install and service HVAC equipment. We will host an open house for contractors at the new location on Wednesday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“Clarksville is a particularly good location for Comfort Supply because the residential construction industry has fared much better here than in most other Tennessee cities during the economic downturn,” said Jimmy Shelton, sales consultant for the new store. “We see a great potential for growth in this market.”

In November of last year, CNNMoney.com ranked Clarksville fourth in the nation in terms of mid-sized cities in which to start up a new business. The article cited an influx of manufacturing jobs, including the new Hemlock Semiconductor plant, which is expected to employ up to 800 people.

We have been wanting to expand to Clarksville for a some time now, and we look forward to working with the contractors in the community and being a part of this great city.

Like Clarksville, Comfort Supply has grown at a rapid rate in recent years, expanding from one location to four within fours years. We opened the Murfreesboro store in 2006 and the Cookeville location in 2008. The company’s revenue has grown at an annual rate of approximately 15 percent for the past four years.

We are grateful to have experienced success during these challenging times. People will choose to do business with you, we believe, if you provide great service and an outstanding product at a fair price. This is what we have built our business on, and we look forward to bringing the same customer-focused approach to our Clarksville store.