How Vogel Heating & Cooling cut costly phone calls by 50%

Nearly 90% of customers won’t answer the phone anymore. 

That’s a problem if your business relies heavily on people picking up. Even if someone does happen to answer their phone, chances are they won’t always be able to talk. 

Brian Kremmel, who supports Vogel Heating & Cooling’s Service Division, knows what a time drain this becomes.

“If you call someone and they say, “I can’t talk, I’m at work right now,” It might mean that five calls later we get them scheduled, and that takes time.”

Given that its dispatch team often has to handle a surge of calls due to extreme weather events, they needed another way to reach their most loyal customers.

We spoke with Brian to learn why he chose to text and how it’s helped the dispatch team save hundreds of hours.

Not your typical clean and check program

Most heating and cooling companies offer a clean and check program for furnaces and air conditioners.

Vogel Heating and Cooling approach it a little differently with a host of additional benefits baked into a monthly subscription that can save customers as much as 25% on systems cleanings a year.

It’s resonated so much with people that the challenge has been putting systems in place to manage the demand. 

"If you have two thousand of these members, you need to call them several times a year. It can quickly add up."

Brian Kremmel

The dispatch team identified this as a pain point, and Brian set about researching his options. That’s when he decided to invite reward members to schedule online using text messages.

Sending text messages to reward members

Getting started with SimpleTexting was as easy as importing a list of subscribers. 

Using our segments feature, Brian was able to group members by their zip code, allowing him to cluster all the appointments for a particular area into a two-week period.

He then sends out campaigns, personalizing the text with members’ first names.

The link takes customers to an online calendar where they can select a time that suits them.

Often reward members respond with questions or a preferred time frame. Since Brian can’t monitor the inbox 24/7, he’s set up an automated away message that lets customers know he’ll be in touch as soon as possible.

Customer-preferred, employee-approved

It’s hard to estimate how much time these text messages have saved the team at Vogel Heating & Cooling, but Brian says it’s eliminated about 50% of the company’s phone calls.

Plus, it’s a customer experience that better aligns with members’ preferences. 

"What we want to do is make the program a more rewarding experience, and that includes the way customers schedule their appointments."

Brian Kremmel

The result is not only countless hours saved and happier customers but also a better employee experience.

“Our dispatchers this year thanked us for putting this together. We did a post-rollout survey,  and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.” 

Looking to start your own loyalty program?

If you’re looking for new HVAC marketing ideas, consider SMS marketing. Whether you want to start a loyalty program or promote a new service, it’s a great way to reach your customers. 

You can sign up for a 14-day, risk-free trial. And, if you have questions about getting set up, email us at support@simpletexting.net.