The Surprising Tip to Keep Your Customers Cool in the Summer

The Surprising Tip to Keep Your Customers Cool in the Summer

When summer heats up and customers are ready for their air conditioners to kick into high gear, they may find a hot and sticky surprise if their unit is not working properly.

Want to keep your customers cool during the summer months? In addition to specific tips and tricks that focus on the units themselves, at GE Appliances Air & Water Solutions, we believe it’s worth the time to discuss an option that will help more in the long run: service contracts.

While the term “service contracts” may instantly sound alarms to some, their value to customers over time makes them well worth the conversation, especially when units stop working at the worst possible moment.

Pitching Service Contracts to Skeptical Customers

Homeowners who already have a service contract protecting their HVAC system recognize its value. They receive guaranteed maintenance twice per year, and typically they’re placed higher on the priority list when a unit stops working properly. Service contracts also give sellers and installers the chance to have face time with customers.

But most consumers are skeptical when the topic of service contracts is raised. Because they’re already spending a significant amount of money on a new unit and installation, the thought of paying more for something that “might” go wrong down the road is hard to swallow. So it’s critical to educate customers — as well as contractors and installers — on each aspect of the contract and why it’s so valuable.

The particulars of each service contract may vary from your competition’s, so think about how to position the agreement as an added benefit. Customers want to know exactly what they’re getting for this extra investment. Remember, they’re smart and savvy. They’ll see through an offer that doesn’t provide them with real value.

Service Contract Benefits: The Basics

So what will your customers get from purchasing a service contract?

  • Again, the exact benefits of each contract may vary, but every major manufacturer requires regular service and maintenance to validate the warranty for the unit. That is a big selling point. The possibility of nullifying the warranty could lead to major headaches and high costs for the homeowner later on.
  • Many service contracts also include valuable performance and convenience benefits. For example, dirty coils and air filters lead to reduced cold-air output on hot days. Such failures force the system to work harder, resulting in higher energy bills. However, with biannual maintenance visits already built in, these problems can be spotted and corrected before any damage is done.
  • A service contract may also result in quicker response times when things go wrong or even provide significant discounts on parts and labor that pay for the initial fee over time. This will depend on the specific language in your contract.

If you understand all the upsides and benefits of a service contract, you can better guide wary customers through the process and keep them from experiencing issues with their air-conditioning unit on those sweltering summer days.

No service contract? No problem!

Even if you have customers who decide against a service contract when purchasing the air-conditioner unit or never had an agreement in the first place, you can still serve them well.

When the temperatures rise, it’s a great time to reach out to these customers, ensuring their units are working well and showing them your team is ready to help in case of a problem. This could also be a great time to sell them on the benefits of a service contract, another great way to keep your business top of mind if something does go wrong.

Whether customers opt for a service contract or not, it’s important to focus your efforts on promoting the best-quality products that will ensure homeowners stay cooler in the summer months. It may even be beneficial to promote air-conditioner units that are more adaptable in the features they provide.

There’s no better way to keep cool this summer than our GE Connect Series Air Handling Units.

Beating the Heat

As we mentioned earlier, there are plenty of practical tips and tricks to help your customers get the most out of their air-conditioning units during the summer. Yet, one of the best things they can do for themselves and their budgets is to opt into a service contract, saving them time and money if and when problems do arise.

It isn’t always an easy sell, but a solid service contract is the most effective way to keep things cool on even the hottest days.