Austin Air Companie Blog : Archive for February, 2015

AC Repair Katy Texas

Monday, February 2nd, 2015

How to choose an HVAC repair service Katy Texas?

[Video embedded below]

Maybe you are at the point of doing just that… you’re trying to decide which Air Conditioning company in Katy, Texas you are going to let into your home to service, repair or install a new air conditioning system. My HVAC company is different and this blog post is designed to show what sets me apart in order to help you reach an educated decision without a bunch of gimmicks. I feel you are smarter than all of that nonsense.

This air conditioning blog post is designed to clear up a few myths first that many people have about air conditioning companies in general. Everyone has seen the low teaser rates for air conditioning check ups for 69, 59, 49, 39, 29, Free or whatever the price is. Many times the customer is lead to believe this is all they have to spend… all you need is a check up they say. You will find out pretty quick this is rarely ever the case once the company shows up to service your air conditioner or furnace.

If you’ve ever watched that popular show on TV named after a certain breed of fish tank, you know that one of the most important questions of any business is:

“What does it cost you to acquire a customer?”

This figure can be figured many different ways… the cost is typically derived from over head costs that include all expenses, like advertising, rent, tools, service vehicles and in some cases salaries of office staff, managers etc. I can assure you that customer acquisition cost for any HVAC company is no where near even the $69 figure.

So what does this mean?

It means if I run a new customer service call I am risking that I will lose a significant amount on that call if all I collect is a service fee or check up fee. Realize I said “New Customer”.

I can’t tell you specifically what that customer acquisition number is for HVAC companies because it varies based on the management decisions of the company and how it’s run and what it’s over head expenses are as well as debt levels.

This business is highly competitive and pricing structure as well as technical know how significantly influence whether a business will flourish or flounder. There is a constant flow of new HVAC businesses that start every year that think they can do it cheaper than everyone else. They pull it off for a time and then fade into the sunset.

There is nearly a 50% chance that incompetence of the technician, company or both will affect you in some way. Nearly all HVAC companies are set up this way. The problem with this is that there is no standard as to the experience level of the technician you are paying for and you’re left to repeat this procedure of choosing a comfort provider either through means of previous comfort service provider failure or a lack of that provider giving you the comfort service you deserve or a suspicion of incompetence.

It’s never cut and dry, because every HVAC contractor has his own opinion of what you should do as well as any technician that works for him. If a technician works under that contractor, they have in most cases very little in the way of say. It’s very political to say the least. I was once a technician so I know all to well what goes on.

Differences from one HVAC company to another more or less fall along the following factors:

1. Air Conditioning Knowledge & Experience.
2. Air Conditioning Service Availability.
3. Proper Air Conditioning Diagnosis & Repair.
4. Proper Air Conditioning Installation & Equipment Registration.

I am a licensed HVAC contractor and I don’t use technicians or subs. That is another difference worth mentioning.

Notice from the list above that price is no where to be found in those examples and for very good reason… prices fluctuate and companies go out of business due to those prices. If the job is done wrong what good did that low price do for you if you have to do the job again? You may not find this out for a few days, weeks or a year or more later.

HVAC is a hard business with many challenges that are unique unto itself in such that it’s a seasonal business on top of all these other challenges. During peak demands a HVAC contractor has to work in uncomfortable conditions. In many cases we are going into “the oven” more or less. Because of this there is also high turnover rates with in this business. No one calls me to tell me their AC unit is cooling perfectly. I can only assume that it is.

The challenges to me and my HVAC company are probably not what you would expect, so with that said, I encourage you to watch the video embedded below where I describe some of these challenges unique to the HVAC industry in even more detail as well as talk about my own personal challenges in starting Austin Air Companie from nothing to where I am today. I think you may find this very interesting.

A company only stays in business by repeat business or growth in new customers. A properly working air conditioner can work for years without too much fuss in most cases provided that the system was installed properly and maintenance recommendations are followed. I have served hundreds over the years… if they called me back regularly with problems I wouldn’t be pleading my case with you right now.

I use my own company statistics because I know that the more I do for my customers the less likely it is I will hear from them for additional service. So if my customers use my services once in 5 years or less because I installed a new system for that customer 5 years ago that is running problem free… well how hard is it to see that I have to keep acquiring new customers in order to survive? Hard to believe this is currently my biggest problem right?

The truth of the matter is I currently spend more time working on blogs, maintaining my personal website, making videos than I spend actually working on and repairing or installing air conditioning and heating systems. Yes, this is a bit shocking isn’t it? How can one man do all of this?

The reason behind that is none other than experience. I know what I am doing and I follow a strict work ethic that works. You may not always like what I have to say, but you don’t want me to dilute the truth do you? Reference: See gimmick definition.

Thank You! for visiting with me today. I hope this blog post and video helps you make a wise decision about your own home comfort needs in Katy, Texas, even if you decide not to use my HVAC services.

About the author of this blog:
My name is Ray Austin. I am the owner and operator of Austin Air Companie, a HVAC Service Company serving Katy, Texas | Cypress, Texas and some surrounding areas. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC Contractor with over 20 years experience in Air Conditioning and Heating Systems. I hold an AOS degree in HVAC/R, EPA universally certified to handle any refrigerant and NATE certified in HVAC installations and repairs.

Austin Air Companie
832.475.6895
“Your home comfort from A to Z”
Air Conditioning | Controls | Heating | Zoning

For more information you can always visit me on my main website @
www.austinairco.com

Better Stuff. Done Right. On Time. Guaranteed.