AHR Expo's education sessions started Day 1 with a blockbuster, as Josh Crouch and Tersh Blissett, the popular co-hosts of the 'Service Business Mastery' podcast, drew a standing-room-only crowd of roughly 150 attendees to their joint presentation. The topic?
The Digital Revolution in HVAC: AI, Automation, and the Future of Customer Service.
"How many people here are already using AI?" asked Blissett, cofounder of Small Business Automations, which he started alongside Crouch.
Roughly two-thirds of the attendees raised their hands.
That eye-opening response left no doubt that the HVACR industry's digital revolution is well underway, and likely already beyond what many would have guessed. But there were more numbers to come. Crouch noted that 43% of homebuyers today are Millennials, but that Baby Boomers still make up the majority of homeowners. So, contractors need to have the capability and tech flexibility to service those disparate groups equally well.
"Fifteen percent of all Google questions are cost-related," he noted, so contractors would do well to be forthright and upfront with clients about finances right out of the gate.
All this was part of the pair's discussion on how AI and automation are reshaping the HVAC industry. They discussed strategies for integrating 'digital coworkers' into your business, enhancing efficiency and customer service. The pair offered multiple examples of AI improving customer journeys and operations in this emerging era of smart buildings and AI-driven services.
Customized AI Assitant
Naturally, many contractors still hesitate to have automation and AI deal with their customers, for fear that they are losing control of the relationship and the clients will be able to recognize language generated by AI. But Crouch stressed how useful the technology can be for the enormously time-consuming task of dealing with online customer reviews and questions.
"You have to overcome your anxiety and see what this technology can do for you," Blissett urged the room. "Using ChatGPT or OpenAI, we can now build an AI assistant that has your tonality. It is very customizable, and it can be tweaked until it has your tone."
Otherwise, it is an enormous waste of time for small business owners to perform tasks that can now be automated and customized. And in the end, your company's responses based on prompts from the customers will even be better, Crouch noted. "AI will take out lots of things that are monotonous," he said.
First Contact: Making the Most
The pair also noted how customized technology can improve the customer experience right from the start. First contacts with new clients are enormously important, so treat them that way.
"Include a video with a welcome sequence and more videos with anticipated questions before any service call," said Blissett. Added Crouch, "This will build both trust and loyalty."
And once those two ingredients are present, you have a bona fide customer relationship. Today, AI and automation can help firms make those bonds even stronger.