It’s hard to deny the birth of a child is both an exciting and stressful event. I felt these emotions just two months ago, during the birth of our first grandchild. One constant I noticed while in the hospital was the hospital staff’s teamwork. The way they communicated and worked together stood out as we anxiously awaited the delivery.

I’m one of those guys who looks at ductwork in any building I go into. Maybe you can relate. It seems to be part of having an HVAC background. So, naturally, I started looking for similarities between the hospital staff and an HVAC company. Each interaction with the staff reminded me of how great HVAC companies work with their customers on the installation of a new HVAC system.

My son and daughter-in-law were anxious and stressed because they didn’t know what to expect. This was an unfamiliar experience for them. Many of your customers feel these same emotions when they need your services. This is especially true when your responsibility is delivering a new HVAC system to them. I hope you enjoy this look through the eyes of new parents (and grandparents) to see how delivering a new HVAC system might mean more than you think.

The Check-In

Some births are an emergency, while others are planned. I’m thankful my son and daughter-in-law had their delivery scheduled so they could prepare before going to the hospital. Upon arrival, the hospital staff checked them in and let them know what to expect. They assigned them a room and gave them an outline of what should happen during their stay. This simple attention to detail gave my son and daughter-in-law confidence and helped to build trust.

Installing a new HVAC system can also be an emergency replacement or a planned upgrade. Regardless of how the situation happens, great HVAC companies work hard to remove all their customers’ anxiety and concerns. These companies understand they have a responsibility to communicate clearly to customers how the installation process will go.

Your office staff, technicians, and salespeople make the first impression on how customers perceive the check-in for new systems. Put yourself in their shoes. Will they understand each step and have confidence in your company to do the job right, or will they wonder what’s next and lose confidence before the installation begins? It’s easier to consider the issues that would cause them anxiety and address them before they become a problem.

The Delivery Team

Once the staff checked my son and his wife into their room, we gathered there to meet the delivery team. Introductions started with their names, responsibilities, and how to contact them. They reassured us their No. 1 job was to take care of my son, daughter-in-law, and their bundle of joy. This experience was a big deal for them. We knew they were the delivery team’s top priority, because they treated my son and daughter-in-law like they mattered.

How good of a job does your delivery team do when installing a new HVAC system? Do they introduce themselves and let your customers know what their roles are, what they’re responsible for, and how to reach them with any concerns or problems?

It’s easy to overlook the communication piece when delivering a new installation. It’s the first thing to get dropped in the rush to get a job done. We often get so accustomed to what we do daily that we forget this might be the customer’s first experience. They need assurance of who is in their home, what they’re doing, and how to contact them.

My son and daughter-in-law’s anxiety would have gone through the roof if they didn’t know who they were dealing with or who to contact. Your customers may respond the same way if unforeseen circumstances or questions arise. Following the example of the hospital delivery team will ensure your customers know exactly what to expect and who to expect it from.

The Delivery Itself

Several hours went by until it was finally time for the delivery. When the time came, the delivery team jumped into action. They made sure everything was in place and ready for our granddaughter to enter the world. Part of the delivery meant moving soon-to-be grandfathers out of the delivery room so they could listen from the hallway.

Each step of the delivery followed a process. To accomplish the delivery, each team member juggled multiple tasks at once and often relied on each other to help during the delivery. There was a flurry of activity in and out of the room. What seemed like an eternity only lasted 20 minutes.

Sometimes the jobs you install will seem like they’re taking an eternity to complete. Other times, they go much faster. Does your team take the time to ensure the new HVAC system they’re installing won’t break down prematurely? Do they take pride in their work and pay attention to the details, or do they rush and overlook important steps that could harm the system?

It’s easy to just focus on trying to get to the next job. Instead, why not follow the hospital delivery team’s example? Make sure everyone completes the job and focuses on one system at a time. Give it your full attention until the delivery is complete.

Lots of Tests

When I heard the first faint cry from the hallway, I broke down in tears of joy. Our granddaughter was here. As the delivery team cleaned her up, their job was only halfway through. They didn’t deliver our granddaughter, place her in a crib, and walk away. Instead, they started conducting a lot of tests to ensure the new mom and baby were both healthy. The goal was to identify any underlying conditions that needed to be addressed immediately.

Our industry has a bad habit of walking away once the delivery is done. We assume the new installation is fine and let customer callbacks gauge whether we did the job right. Unfortunately, this leads to many premature failures and easily prevented problems. Bottom line: If you follow this approach, you’re failing your customers.

Instead, you can follow the hospital delivery team’s example and use a series of tests to see how good of a job you did. Once the installed system is up and running, commission it to ensure everything is correct. Some of these tests include verifying airflow, refrigerant charge, combustion, and temperatures to ensure the system does what it’s supposed to do. How diligent are you with the variety of tests you perform on startup?

Continued Maintenance

After a few days, the hospital staff cleared our granddaughter. She was ready to go home. Even though her delivery went well and she passed all her tests, continued care would need to be done. She had weekly check-ups for a month, and then monthly check-ups. The doctors wanted to make sure she was healthy and there were no complications. The staff also wanted to stay in touch with my son and daughter-in-law to make sure they were doing well.

A properly installed and commissioned HVAC system is still a mechanical piece of equipment. It needs maintenance regardless of how good of a job you do. It’s important to stay in touch with your customers and maintain their equipment to ensure their investment continues to operate trouble-free instead of prematurely failing. Even though my son and daughter-in-law have only been to two check-up appointments, there will be many more in the future to make sure their daughter stays healthy and continues to grow.

How good are you at maintaining the systems you install? Do you think maintenance is a waste of time because you install the best systems in the world and there’s no reason for maintenance? Or do you offer maintenance agreements to your customers to protect their investment and maintain a relationship with them for years to come?

Keep on Growing

The medical profession offers a lot of parallels that the HVAC industry can learn from. I’m sure you thought of many more while you read this. Without a doubt, there’s a big difference between a newborn baby and an HVAC system. However, both have emotional connections that many people relate to. Both a newborn baby and an HVAC system require care to make sure they stay healthy and clean. Both sometimes get dirty.

I’m excited to watch our granddaughter grow up. We know she has an excellent support system, and we’ll do the best we can to ensure her continuous improvement. Just like parenting, it will take all of us doing our part to improve the HVAC industry. If we follow some simple rules like the hospital staff did, it’s going to be great to see where our industry goes. This is the only way the HVAC Industry will get past the run-to-fail mentality of swapping equipment instead of focusing on systems and how they perform. Think about that the next time you deliver a new HVAC system to your customers.