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By now, a majority of HVACR contractors are using software in their business, or at least thinking about incorporating it. As the industry searches for solutions to the labor shortage, more and more industry professionals are realizing the answer may have been in front of them for quite some time: software.

Odds are, a contractor’s current software already has the ability to help combat the stress and hardships felt due to the labor shortage. Software can help the productivity of the day-to-day services provided by an HVACR technician, encourage employee retention, and organize workflow by being able to track projects and dispatch more efficiently. But before these benefits kick in, it’s up to HVACR contractors to make sure they are truly taking advantage of all the features that their software offers.

Workforce Benefits

Using software in the running of an HVAC business has several key benefits that some contractors have yet to realize.

“You’d be amazed at how many people in this industry still use paper,” said Paul Carmody, president of Successware. “It’s not that uncommon to see QuickBooks plus Excel plus paper. But there's a big trend towards digitizing the whole workflow.”

Software can help an HVAC contractor:

1. Increase productivity

Software, especially with an accompanying mobile app, streamlines the workflow of everyday tasks like presenting an invoice, taking a payment, or researching a job.

“If you make that more efficient for the technician, a technician can do more work,” said Carmody.

Software can also ensure HVACR companies are working as efficiently as possible by helping them make the most out of their labor while supporting their employees by keeping them appraised of job history, and what needs to be done when they arrive on a jobsite said Ben Hedenberg, vice president of sales at simPRO.

2. Boost employee retention

Software can set up a positive experience for technicians if it is implemented the right way and everyone is thoroughly trained on how to use it. When a tech leaves because they are unhappy, they have to be replaced. If they are happy, they stay where they are. Software that makes life easier on the technician can increase the likelihood of employee retention.

“If you have a positive experience for the tech in the field with this sort of structure or technology, they’re more likely to stay with you. And technology plays a role,” Carmody said.

3. Manage labor

Software capabilities can help HVAC contractors understand what their labor is doing and where it needs to go, helping effectively manage the labor they already have.

“People say they’re really short on labor, but they’re not tracking where their labor is and what’s going on,” Hedenberg said. “Without some sort of role and distribution, they might be driving all the way across town to pick up the part that’s sitting in their warehouse, because they just don’t realize it’s there.”

In cases like that, the time spent crisscrossing town is not leading to more profit.

“You need to know what your true job cost is so you know where you should be sending your labor — to take care of your best customers that are profitable, that are taking care of you by paying their bills,” Hedenberg continued. “[Contractors] need to make sure they know how to run their business efficiently. And so to do that, they need to make sure they’re managing their labor and managing their materials and they’re quoting appropriately.”

4. Stay organized

Software helps keep everything in one place, easily accessible.

Without software, the likelihood of wildly different numbers across similar jobs or entry errors increases.

“On a standard commercial bid, you might go through several revisions: changes to the print, change orders, draw schedules, material buyouts. If you don’t have software that keeps track of all that stuff, it’s a nightmare. And so it keeps you organized, and it provides consistency,” said Patrick Wetta, account manager for FastEST.

KNOW: Software keeps everything in one organized space so techs know what’s expected of them at each job. (Courtesy of FastEST)

Having software that automate these tasks allows employees to spend their time and effort elsewhere.

“So it's really helps to speed you up — not having to measure things out by hand, write it down, input it in Excel — it does all that for you,” said Wetta. “It keeps you consistent.”

Getting the Most Value

Good implementation in itself is perhaps the most important piece for an HVACR contractor to make the most out of the software they use.

“You can have really good software, but if you’re not set up and trained on how to use it, that’s a problem,” Hedenberg said.

It sounds simple enough, but real implementation takes effort. In the case of an HVACR contractor, it takes time learning how to use the software and all of its functional elements, ensuring employees are thoroughly trained on use of the software, having a good support system in place, and customizing the software to what that specific business needs.

Taking advantage of the support that is offered is another key part of part of the implementation process. That’s why choosing software that comes equipped with a team that offers hands-on training and implementations — where HVACR contractors can set goals and start using the software the right way — is so crucial.

“It’s useful getting some [software] ‘best practices’ either from your customer support or customer success team, or from peers in your industry who are also using software, because there’s certain ways to configure and use software that actually makes it more efficient,” Carmody said.

“I always encourage [customers] to call as much as they want, schedule as much training as they want,” Wetta added.

A lot of software offers a wide range of levels of customization for HVACR contractors in order for them to get exactly what they need out of it. Taking the time to learn and customize the software allows contractors to learn about all its untapped capabilities.

“If I were a customer, I would definitely take the time to customize [the software] to my liking. You can use it out of the box and it’ll perform for you, but it’s much better if you customize your specifications, customize your Excel reporting, material pricing,” Wetta said.

For example, most people probably use Excel quite often. But how much of what Excel offers are they using? Maybe 10% — leaving the other 90% of its capabilities untapped? Carmody compared that to how some contractors use the software they choose.

“There are modules that are specific to the [HVACR] industry. Some customers don’t take advantage of all of it. A good example is inventory management … Customers should take full advantage of all the functionality that’s available to them and understand what that functionality brings,” Carmody said.

By taking advantage of a software system’s support system, choosing a software based on the trainings offered, and taking the time to go through that training, HVACR contractors can learn how to maximize on the software they use or choose, making sure they receive all the benefits that can maximize their workforce producticity.