HVAC professionals, along with others who work in people’s homes, understand that some clients feel a level of stress and worry when engaging their services. Horror stories about home “improvement” gone wrong abound, and the emotional stakes are high when you need to live with the work that has been done.

Connecting with clients is an important route to establishing trust, building good relationships, and possibly getting regular business from members of your community. Through a few key strategies, it’s possible for you to make great connections and develop a top-class reputation.

Curious about how you can do so? Here are a few useful strategies to help you connect with clients after finishing HVAC training.

Acquire the Resources You Need to Connect With All Kinds of Clients

Professionals working in HVAC services occupy an interesting territory, in that people of all ages and walks of life could conceivably be customers — everybody likes good heating and cooling in their home. This means that in your future career, your clients might be young and tech-savvy, or they might be a bit older and less comfortable with computers and the internet. Most likely, your client roster will be a mix of both.

In order to connect with all age demographics, it’s important to acquire a few of the most common tools for communication. If you are self-employed, creating a website for yourself and your business is important, and something you should make an effort to do early on. Business cards are also critical. They can help you connect with older demographics, and are also useful for pointing younger potential clients toward your web presence.

Resources such as these are not particularly expensive to acquire, so there’s no reason not to do so after completing your HVAC technician courses. They are an investment in yourself that can quickly pay off.

Business cards are an effective tool, so be sure to get some when you start your HVAC career

When You Become an HVAC Technician, Be a Friendly & Open Communicator

One of the simplest tips for client relations is also one of the most critical: be friendly. Clients will be more receptive to you, and more likely to recommend you to friends or relatives, if they find you polite and pleasant to be around. Be quick with a smile, make sure your manners are exceptionally polished, and you will please most of the people you meet.

It is also important to be open and honest with clients. In the course of doing HVAC work, you may find that clients have questions that are difficult to answer, or that an accident – perhaps coolant is leaking – must be brought to their attention. Being direct and honest can help you establish yourself as the kind of person clients will want to deal with.

Pursuing your HVAC diploma at a school like North American Trade Schools will allow you to learn from experienced professionals who know a thing or two about client relations. Pick their brains for some insight from their years of industry work and you could get some valuable tips about the best ways to maintain open communication around difficult subjects — a valuable skill to bring to your career.

A Good HVAC Technician Responds to Compliments & Complaints Alike

It isn’t the best idea to focus on good comments and ignore the bad when working as an HVAC professional. If a client isn’t totally satisfied with their heating or air conditioning, it’s likely that they will let people know it, potentially denying you more connections and opportunities in the future. Reach out to people who are complaining, offer a quick apology, and attempt to correct the problem. This can often be enough to turn a complaint into a compliment about your exceptional customer service.

As a rule, it’s also a good idea to consider complaints and see if they point to something that you can change to improve your service going forward. Sometimes, a complaint might even result from a misunderstanding, and a quick conversation can set everything right.

Handling complaints well can help set upset customers at ease

Of course, it’s important to handle compliments properly, too. When clients offer you praise, be sure to thank them for their business, and state your interest in working with them again if ever the opportunity arises. You might consider taking this a step further and send them a written note thanking them for their business, and tell them to contact you if they have any questions or comments. This can go a long way to making clients feel extra special, and likely to recommend your services in future.

Do you want to become an HVAC technician who is well-liked and talented?

Contact North American Trade Schools to learn about our training program.

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Completing your HVAC technician training is an exciting achievement that should be celebrated! However, when the dust has settled, you will be faced with the next challenge of your up-and-coming career: landing your first job.

With a solid training program under your belt, you have the skills and knowledge you need to succeed as an HVAC technician. These interview tips will put you in an excellent position to demonstrate this fact to potential employers and get your career started!

Dress Professionally When Attending Interviews After HVAC School

As we all know, first impressions can count for a lot. One of the best ways that you can make a sharp first impression at a job interview is by dressing professionally. Generally speaking, business attire is a safe bet. Although most HVAC technicians wear casual clothes to work, being slightly overdressed is better than being underdressed, and showing that you put time and effort into your appearance will demonstrate to the interviewer that you take the job opportunity seriously.

Professional attire can help you make a positive first impression at your job interview

Prepare in Advance for Common Interview Questions

While there is no cheat sheet for a job interview and the ability to think on the spot is important, there are a few very common questions that you should prepare good answers to before being interviewed. These questions may cover topics like:

• Your professional background – previous work positions held, as well as the skills you acquired and your duties and responsibilities
• What you learned during your HVAC training
• What your career ambitions are and why you want to work for the company
• Your strengths and weaknesses, both in general and in relation to HVAC work

Having answers ready for these questions will help you make sure you don’t forget key pieces of information, and will show the interviewer that you are thoughtful and well-prepared.

Emphasize the Experience You Have Gained During Your HVAC Training

When you are just beginning your career, you may not have a lot of work experience to draw on in your interview. That is okay! Questions related to on-the-job scenarios or HVAC skills can easily be answered with the knowledge you will gain during your time at college.

The hands-on training you receive during HVAC school will allow you to discuss common job responsibilities like installing new air conditioning systems, performing scheduled preventative maintenance, and fixing specific heating and ventilation problems confidently during your interview, and show that you have the practical knowhow it takes to succeed on the job.

Highlighting the skills you learned at HVAC school can help you land a job

Have Questions for Your Interviewer to Demonstrate Your Interest

Finally, it is important to research the company or employer who is interviewing you before the big event. Not only will this allow you to be confident that the position would be a good fit for you and to anticipate what some of the interviewer’s questions might be, but it will also give you the chance to ask them good questions, too.

Having prepared questions to ask your interviewer about topics like the company culture, a typical workday, or the management structure is a great way to demonstrate that you have done your research, and that you are thinking seriously about the job and how to do it well.

Thinking about the best way to land your first HVAC job?

Contact NATS to learn more about the career services we offer on our HVAC technician courses.

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Joshua S. is an HVAC student at the London campus of North American Trade Schools. In his review, he talks about his experience at NATS, his instructors and why he decided to attend the school to study HVAC.

Transcript

“My name is Josh; I’m here at NATS studying HVAC.

I chose NATS because of the hands-on experience and the knowledge of the teachers.

The best thing I like about the campus here at NATS is the atmosphere, you’re welcomed as soon as you walk through the doors.

Since enrolling here at NATS, it’s easy to make friends because we’re all on the same page and we learn from each other.

The thing I like most about the teachers here at NATS are; they are very knowledgeable they bring a lot of experience to the school, they’re patient, and they’re hardworking.

Since I’ve enrolled here at NATS my family has been fully supportive, and they’re very proud.

In 5 years I see myself as a fully licensed gas technician, hopefully I own my own business.

I would say, if you’re undecided about attending NATS, you should probably come in and just take a look around and see the tools, the equipment they have, and talk with some of the teachers.”

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