The biggest problem for technicians in the HVAC industry is using out-of-date practices such as paper-based work orders, relying on handwritten quotes, and only offering one point of contact for customers. These outdated practices take way too much time, often lead to inaccuracies, and stopped being cost-effective decades ago.
HVAC software is the ultimate solution to this problem, offering improved customer service, increased revenue, and a much better experience for your technicians through an automated system.
Here’s the best software available today.
The Top 5 Best HVAC Software
Housecall Pro — The Best for GPS TrackingService Fusion — The Best for Streamlining WorkflowsFieldEdge — The Best for Collecting PaymentsServiceTitan — The Best for Customer SupportSmart Service — The Best for QuickBooks Integration
Those are our top picks of the best HVAC software. Let’s take a closer look at them.
#1 – Housecall Pro — The Best for GPS Tracking
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Housecall Pro has a lot to offer users with a suite of robust tools, but the GPS tracking is particularly impressive.
The GPS tracking functionality allows you to text your team job details along with directions, and they can stay in contact via an in-app team chat. You can see where your technicians are quickly and easily, and this gets presented via an interactive map showing you what routes they’ve taken and the distance required for their next job. It’s one of the most valuable features of the software.
Fancy GPS technology isn’t the only thing we recommend the software for, though. The advanced reporting capability offers real-time data that you can save to a personal dashboard. The reports provide individual metrics such as revenue and gross profit and a profit and loss breakdown per job.
There’s also one-click invoicing where you can send out invoices with a company logo through texts and emails, and you’ll be able to remind customers of past-due payments automatically. Searching for previous invoices is easy, and you can send custom estimates out in the field in a single click.
Housecall Pro comes in three tiers, as shown below:
One of the key differences here is the number of users, so for instance, the first tier is for a single user, while the second is for one to five users, and the final plan goes up to 100 users and beyond. It’s worth keeping in mind that employee GPS tracking is only available on the second tier, costing $109 per month.
There’s a free 14-day trial of the software available.
#2 – Service Fusion — The Best for Streamlining Workflows
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Streamlining workflows and serving customers better is more important than ever, especially in the competitive and fast-growing HVAC industry. Service Fusion realizes this and makes it a key part of its overall package.
With the software, you’ll be able to streamline workflows by migrating customer records into a more accessible digital format. You’ll have a centralized system for everything from invoicing to scheduling and customer management. The result is greater visibility across all operations, allowing you to provide even better service to your customers.
You can create multiple customer contacts, service locations, set customer communication preferences, their billing terms, and store documents such as images, public notes, and more. Creating and sending estimates takes just a few clicks with pre-populated product line items, and you can convert your estimates to jobs in a single click. The software also allows you to schedule on-site visits and assign jobs.
You’ll be able to send out job information to technicians through a call or text without ever changing to another platform.
Other software highlights include the service management mobile app and integration with QuickBooks for automatic synchronization of deposits, invoices, and payments. There are also contactless eSign documents to speed up agreements and provide more convenience to your customers.
Service Fusion comes in three main plans as follows:
There’s an unlimited number of users per month across all plans, so the key difference is the features between them. The second tier, costing $186 per month, includes inventory management and job costing, while only the third tier, at $339 per month, allows you to eSign documents. A customer web portal is included at no extra cost in the final plan as well.
A free demo is available on all tiers.
#3 – FieldEdge — The Best for Collecting Payments
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The need to easily collect payments from customers is essential for technicians on duty. Ideally, a simple system that gets the job done quickly is the aim of the day here, and FieldEdge offers it through its software.
The days of manually handwriting everything down are a thing of the past—FieldEdge allows technicians to receive money from customers as soon as the next day. The platform’s built-in payment processing—powered by Clearent—makes things as easy as they should be.
You and your team will be able to collect payments with a single click or tap and can invoice any customer before or after their appointment with an online bill—the choice is yours. Your team can also connect a mobile card reader to a tablet or smartphone and accept payments at service appointments, so there’s no waiting around.
On top of that, FieldEdge features detailed analytics that shows you the best technicians in the field, and you can sync to QuickBooks without fuss. A scheduling and dispatching board, where you can assign jobs and see statuses, is also available.
FieldEdge doesn’t list its prices, and you’ll need to reach out for a custom quote. You can schedule a free demo of the software right here.
#4 – ServiceTitan — The Best for Customer Support
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ServiceTitan offers a compelling package with multiple features, but we particularly liked the customer support that provides your team help when they need it.
If anything, it’s the number of customer support options available that stands out the most. ServiceTitan offers a live chat service, a toll-free helpline phone number, email support, and additional support available within the platform itself. It’s safe to say users will feel valued, and any problems are taken care of as soon as possible.
Customer support aside, there’s plenty else to like as well. A dedicated mobile app allows you to apply directly and receive approval for financing. There’s an impressive line-up of marketing tools, including trackable phone numbers showing you where leads are coming from and a contractor payroll service where staff can clock in and out with ease.
You’ll find the marketing tools available through a well-presented and straightforward dashboard. The “Marketing Scorecard,” for example, usefully ranks all your campaigns by revenue so you can adapt your strategy as necessary. You can even find out what type of jobs your ads are generating over time.
ServiceTitan prefers you reach out for a custom quote, but it allows you to apply for a software demo with just a few details.
#5 – Smart Service — The Best for QuickBooks Integration
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Some HVAC software offers the ability to integrate with QuickBooks. Smart Service not only offers that integration, but can accommodate HVAC businesses of all sizes in it—the key is its simplicity and ease of use.
The software can add scheduling and dispatching options to QuickBooks that help to streamline the entire process. If your company sends out technicians frequently, you’ll be able to schedule jobs with the dispatch software via dragging and dropping and going from there—the ease of use here is noteworthy.
Smart Service will import existing customers, employees, and product information right into QuickBooks, allowing you to finalize things across the two platforms as if they were one. You’ll be able to manage every critical area of your HVAC business from the software alone. Even better, the software can be adapted as required for those that might branch out into other business areas.
Smart Service also offers a respectable mobile app that allows you to keep track of orders wherever you are, and live chat customer support is easy to access when needed. As the software isn’t explicitly for the HVAC industry, you’ll be able to customize it further than other software on the market, although you may find some features more helpful than others.
Smart Service’s plans focus on the total concurrent user count. To see what you would need to pay, you can enter some information on their pricing calculator here. A free demo of the software is also available, so be sure to give it a go.
How To Find the Best HVAC Software
The idea of choosing a single piece of HVAC software for your business—out of all the available options—can be tough. After all, each software can vary in its features.
The good news is that HVAC software focuses on the same core functionality. The only significant differentiator is that some software was exclusively made for the HVAC industry, while the rest are general software that’s adapted for HVAC use.
The more general software offers enhanced customization, but as a result, some features probably won’t be of much help. In contrast, most HVAC software will have compelling features throughout but minor customization.
That aside, we can break things down further. Here are the key areas to look out for when deciding on the best HVAC software for you.
Customer Management
One of the most critical areas to think about is the customer management features available with the software.
Ideally, the best software will track a customer’s contact information, previous conversations, job history and will allow you to create customer profiles. The option to enable your customers to receive text messages and call alerts when a technician is close is vital.
All businesses will want to ensure they have excellent customer management features, so put this at the top of your list while searching.
Automation Features
While not quite as important as customer management, automation features are valuable and save companies time.
Automation effectively removes the need for manual data entry and helps streamline processes to improve service. Automated features include notifications for customers, receipt sending, and receiving marketing feedback so you can improve your strategy over time.
Almost all companies will benefit from having this capability. Think about which automation features would be the most useful for you and your team, and then go from there.
Mobile App
Mobile apps, done right, can completely level up a business. A good mobile app allows your technicians to work seamlessly on the go and keep you up to date in the HVAC industry.
You want to look for mobile apps that offer the ability to edit schedules, create estimates, and generate quotes. Be sure to check the feedback of the mobile app from other users, too—bugs and glitches are common in these apps, and it’s the last thing your workers in the field need.
While not quite as important as the other areas, we believe most businesses will benefit significantly from HVAC software supported by solid mobile apps.
Summary
The best HVAC software will supercharge your business. It saves you time, money, and reduces stress.
For collecting payments on the go, FieldEdge is a great choice, while ServiceTitan offers fantastic customer support.
Looking for intelligent accounting? Smart Service provides full integration with QuickBooks. Meanwhile, Housecall Pro uses sophisticated GPS tracking to keep you in the know.
Service Fusion streamlines your workflows in one location and is more than worth your consideration.
Before getting started with HVAC software, think about your company’s personal needs and be sure to try out the free demos and trials available for each.
