Get More from The Data

Over time, we find that we have so much data collected that we want to find ways to do more with it.

For example, we can go through every maintenance job we’ve done and have access to all the measurements (as well as the notes we took on each home system). Then we can start seeing trends and use them for further lead generation and service follow-up.

Using data in this way allows us to be more proactive.

Furthermore, because we provide four options on every job we quote, we can go back and see what they chose to do and then follow up with them about the next steps.

Doing this provides an excellent source for future lead generation.

We can also see the history of static pressure measurements and track improvements as we do service and maintenance work.

The Communications Part of the Punbar Equation

When it comes to explaining our measurements, our diagnostics, and the information that appears in our reports, it comes down to making real-world comparisons that most people understand and relate to. Like blood pressure. Like heart issues.

For Punbar, we operate in an area of Houston known as the energy corridor. Most of the people who live in this area are highly educated. Many are career engineers. They work in the oil and gas industry. They understand data and love it when we talk about static pressures, temperature rise, airflow, and such when it comes to redesign and renovation work.

We have a scientific or engineering approach. I show customers what is happening based on measuring and testing. That is the best tool for selling. Facts. Data.

If the customer is a mechanical or chemical engineer, I can compare our measurements to the type of fluids they are familiar with. They get it right away.

When customers are not educated or knowledgeable about our technical terms, we use comparisons to the human body to explain things.

Such communication and customer education require constant training for our field guys. That training includes formal classwork, hands-on training, and lessons learned from our techs as they deal with the customers.

We also capture customer comments, questions, and concerns during routine maintenance calls. These are relevant issues, and by flagging them, we can be sure to fix them and avoid callbacks.

This process requires having strong listening skills. We have to listen to the customer and pay attention to what they are saying. Let them speak. Then communicate to them clearly, and in a way that they can understand easily.

So, we provide customers with a quote for the whole package, but we also offer them other options. No matter what they choose, they will see significant improvements and benefits to how the system runs, their comfort, and their energy savings.

The Secret Sauce

Though Punbar is different in that we started the company as a High-Performance Contracting™ business, our secret sauce applies to all HVAC companies – especially those on the performance path. The secret is training.

Training is not a one-and-done thing. It is continual technical training on how to measure, test, and diagnose system airflow issues. Training means putting processes and a culture in place to encourage and reward this approach. It also means finding creative ways to hold your team accountable. But it also means the team must understand why you do things the high-performance way and how that benefits the customers, the techs themselves, and the company overall.

Your team must understand High- Performance concepts clearly. They should know what each measurement means, what to look for as they survey the house, and what clues to discover based on what the customers tell them.

Duct renovations are the core of our business. Our approach is to improve customers’ lives. Even if we only work on one or two duct runs and replace a filter, we make customers happy. They become customers for life.

As a result, Punbar has the first opportunity to be called in for a quote when the customer suffers an equipment failure. That opens the door for maintenance, solving indoor air quality issues, for service. In other words, duct redesign and renovation work bring you everything else.

And that is the core of performance for Punbar. It could be for you too.

Ronald Amaya and his friend and business partner Diego Guerrero emigrated from Venezuela and started Punbar LLC in 2015. Their mission was and remains to solve poor airflow delivery issues in Houston-area homes. They practice High-Performance HVAC contracting from top to bottom. Learn more at ncilink.com/PunbarSL. Ronald can be reached at ncilink.com/ContactMe.