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Ever Wonder Where Did the Money Go?

A couple of months ago I had a replacement furnace and central air conditioner installed in my house.  The experience was such an adventure that I thought I'd share it with you.  I will present the process from the consumer's standpoint to reemphasize the need to reevaluate your sales processes and training on a regular basis. 

The Bottom Line
Looking back on the entire process, the thing that stands out is how stressful and confusing it was.  The unit is quiet, the house is cool, and my latest bill was about the same as last year in a much hotter summer.  In all, we're happy with the installation.

The equipment is really a technical marvel.  The multi-speed furnace is quiet and moves a lot of air.  The outside condenser is large, but it is the quietest unit I have ever heard.  It does not disturb our conversation on our deck about 25 feet away.  My neighbor's unit over 200 feet away is louder.

During the estimate process, three companies did not win my business.  Poor phone and scheduling procedures hurt some.  One lost out due to a proposal for equipment we did not want probably due to a pressing golf game.  One company had an excellent flat rate presentation, but their flat rate book pricing did not make any sense.  They priced themselves out of the job.

The company that won the job combined good equipment, a good reputation, and a reasonable price (not the lowest).  Unfortunately, their performance was somewhat disappointing.  Here are some of the lowlights:

• The handwritten proposal was hard to read and hard to understand if it really covered a complete working installation.  It was simply a list of included items.
• The technicians arrived late and had their coffee break in front of my house before they started working.
• Although they tried to do things right, implementation was a bit disappointing. Covering my floors with a mat was a good idea.  Oil stains and falling debris from the mat reduced the benefit.
• Being technically unprepared to install the equipment.  They wasted a good deal of time discussing how to vent the high-efficiency furnace and calling the office for technical help when the manual spells out many of the answers they needed.

The list could go on, but as I stated above, we are happy with the outcome of the installation.  The technicians obviously had a good technical knowledge of the business, but they fumbled so many things that I have no faith that the unit was actually installed properly. 

On the other hand, inspectors from the local power company and the town both commented on what a professional looking installation it was.  So, who am I to complain?

The problem for the installing company is that my perception of their lack of training and/or proper implementation makes me reluctant to recommend them to my neighbors.  We have already had a neighbor remark that they need the do the same upgrade that we did. 

Should I recommend this company despite my concerns?  If you have an opinion on what I should do, email me at nspginfo@nspgweb.com.  I'll publish some of your responses in a future newsletter.

The bottom line for all of the companies involved in this exercise is that they need to improve their training and be sure that their employees follow the training procedures.  The company that did the work and their employees are the highest quality I have encountered in recent years.  They seem to know what they're doing and they seem to care about the quality of their work.  Unfortunately, the execution is lacking.

I have offered three times to talk with the managers of the company to review exactly how the entire process went.  Each time I was told that they would be interested in that kind of detailed feedback, but they have not followed up with me yet.  If we don't meet, I'll simply fill out the response card.  Hopefully they will at least enter the information into our Score Card software and learn some general information about the experience.

I'd like to end this series with a final bit of concrete advice.  When they left after the job was done, They left stickers on both the inside and outside equipment. They handed me three separate manuals for different parts of the system, and an illegible invoice/receipt.

Here's my advice.  Invest a dollar in a white cover binder, print out a cover sheet with your company details, contact information, logo, and slogan.  Three hole punch the manuals and put them in the binder.  Loose manuals from the manufacturer do not impart the idea of a professional organization.

Include a few flyers for your services, so I know exactly what else I can buy from you.  Also, include order forms for the furnace filters and any other consumable items I might need for the installed equipment. An order form - even one without any pricing -  will improve your odds of a call to purchase the filter.  While I'm on the phone you can try to sell me a service agreement or anything else.  It's a natural way to improve your follow up income from me,  Otherwise, you may not hear from me for 10 or 15 years when I have a problem with the installation.

This article has focused on the problems that I encountered in this process.  It is not meant as a negative comment on the companies involved.  The object was to lend a view from the consumer side of the business.  I hope that you have found this perspective a useful tool to help you improve your business performance particularly your training and implementation.
Let me know what you think: nspginfo@nspgweb.com

You can see the previous articles in this series here:
Price Quotes
Estimates
Installation