Buyers Guide

Table of Contents

• What is HVAC Software?
• The Benefits of HVAC Software
• Typical Features of HVAC Software
• The Cost of HVAC Software
• Considerations when Purchasing HVAC Software

• Relevant HVAC Software trends

   

What is HVAC Software?

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) software is a tool built to handle the workflows and requirements of HVAC contractors. Features include management of technicians’ daily tasks, customer data, work orders, service contracts, parts inventory, billing and invoicing, as well as GPS-tracked locations of field technicians.

Most HVAC applications are accessible on mobile devices such as phones, laptops and tablets, thus, ensuring technicians can access customer details and work history, keep detailed notes, accept payments, and capture photos on-site.

The Benefits of HVAC Software

Benefits of HVAC software include:

• Optimized scheduling: HVAC software’s scheduling capabilities provide a complete view of technicians’ schedules, location, and availability as well as equipment inventory. The drag and drop calendar makes it easy to update schedules and resolve conflicts, ensuring the right techs are available at the right times. Also, as these tools are usually cloud-based, any schedule-related changes are reflected in real-time across all devices.
• Improved efficiency: HVAC software automates operational tasks such as work orders, service dispatch, invoicing, and more. By automating these processes, you ensure your team has time and resources to efficiently address customers’ requests on time. Automated processes also reduce data entry errors such as the mismatched billing amount, or customer details.

Typical Features of HVAC Software

Here are some of the most common features of HVAC software:

• Scheduling: Generate service schedules and routes based on the availability of technicians and other resources (such as parts inventory).
• Work order management: Create work orders and manage the workflow for each customer service request.
• Billing and invoicing: Allows technicians to invoice customers upon completion of service while on-site and receive payments.
• Customer database: Create a repository of customer details including service history, contact information, etc.
• Equipment tracking: Track HVAC equipment details such as make, model, serial number, warranty data, manufacturer, and more.
• Inventory management: Maintain inventory supply by tracking what items are used/sold and restocking when levels are low.

The cost of HVAC software

Most products in the market are priced on a per-user, per-month basis and can be divided into three pricing tiers based on their starting price.

Price ranges:

• $6 - $20
• $20- $35
• $35+

The above list summarizes pricing for the base plans of most products. An enterprise or premium product, which is priced higher, may include additional features such as customer portals, e-signatures, and review generation.

Considerations when Purchasing HVAC Software

Some of the parameters to consider when purchasing a HVAC software include:

• Mobile capabilities: As HVAC managers need to communicate maintenance and repair information to technicians who are mostly on the move, mobile-ready HVAC software allows them to log records and access schedules from wherever they are.
• Integration with other applications: HVAC software often integrates with field service management, accounting, and CRM solutions. These integrations help HVAC managers track their technicians, transfer invoice and billing data for tax calculation, manage customer interactions, and multi-channel marketing automation.

Relevant HVAC Software trends

Trends that will impact the HVAC industry significantly in the next few years:

• Data security: As customers are deploying smart HVAC systems such as smart meters, thermostats, and embedded sensors, HVAC software is collecting and storing more data over time. It is, therefore, important to protect the data, as any flaw or breach in the system can lead to safety and security issues.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) to drive HVAC: HVAC managers are leveraging the power of AI to optimize HVAC and make more informed decisions. AI-based data provides HVAC managers insight into processes related to predictive maintenance analysis and climatic conditions. These recommendations help managers improve HVAC maintenance schedules.