Guide
What should an HVAC company do about missed calls?
Last updated By Ryan Watson, founder of Scout
Who this is for: HVAC owners and office managers whose calls go to voicemail after hours or while techs are on jobs.
Short answer
Find out when your calls get missed, then get those calls answered and booked. Voicemail and missed-call text back are backstops, not fixes.
Why do HVAC calls get missed?
Calls go to voicemail after hours and on weekends, while the person who answers is on a roof or in a crawl space, in the first hot or cold week when everyone calls at once, and at lunch or shift changes.
Look at your call log for a couple of weeks and note when the misses happen. The fix for calls after you close is different from the fix for a busy Monday morning.
What is missed-call text back?
Missed-call text back sends an automatic text to a caller you couldn't answer, so they can reply instead of trying the next shop. It's a backstop: the job still isn't booked until someone answers the reply, and an urgent problem still needs a person.
Is voicemail enough for an HVAC shop?
Usually not. Someone with no heat may call the next shop instead of leaving a message, and a message still has to be returned, often while the caller is already talking to someone else.
What about calls after you close?
Nights, weekends and holidays leave the office empty. Decide which calls are urgent, who covers them at night, and how routine calls get booked instead of waiting for the morning.
Where Scout fits
Scout answers calls around the clock, books and reschedules jobs directly in ServiceTitan or Housecall Pro, texts the customer, screens out sales calls, and hands urgent calls to you during business hours.
Questions owners ask
Should I call back or text a missed call?
Call first if it may be urgent, then text with a way to book.
