Contracting Business Handoff the Air Upgrade

Another way to improve consistency is to add Project Areas. Each area is a specified location in your shop that includes everything needed to complete an Air Upgrade project. As a project’s materials are pulled or delivered, they are placed in the designated project area. Each project area should be large enough to hold any HVAC equipment, accessories, and materials needed for that project.

Mount a dry-erase board near each area to keep these areas organized and easily recognizable. Label it with the customer’s name, project address, equipment model and serial numbers, and Air Upgrade kits used. Also, attach a physical project folder to the dry-erase board with any necessary paperwork inside.

The Installation Team Handoff

Now that everything is ready for the project, it’s time for the handoff to the installation team. This step is where you will walk through the project details and review the scope of work to ensure everything is ready to go out into the field.  

Start the day in a suitable meeting location to preview the projects for the day. Everyone should arrive five minutes before the specified time. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for the handoff and to review the project folder. Start with a review of the scope of work and discuss any photos that highlight areas of focus for the project. Then, discuss any equipment, accessories, materials, and Air Upgrade kits for the project that are included in the project folder.

Next, move from the meeting area to the appropriate project area in your shop. Review and identify any missing, incorrect, or overlooked materials. Ask the installers for questions and double-check to ensure everyone understands. Challenging projects may also need a job site meeting with the installation team to review major changes and their priority.

Once the installation team arrives on site, the project lead or salesperson should walk through the upcoming work with the customer. This is a great time to review work based on the proposal and highlight areas of importance to remember. It’s also wise to ask permission before going into certain rooms. Emphasize to your team the importance of cleaning up once the Air Upgrade project is complete.

At the end of the project, meet in the same location to review how the work went. This quick interview often reveals small ways to improve your processes even more.

Create Your Own Handoff Standards

Companies that have instituted similar air upgrade standards have seen big improvements in their results. Are these steps easy to implement? No. However, they are worth the reward once you put in the upfront effort. Starting is usually the hardest part. You will never be entirely ready for any new thing you begin, and I doubt anyone else has been.

To create your own handoff plan, look back at your most repeated failures and problems to identify needed areas of improvement. Determine how to correct them and then set deadlines for each step. Many of you may already have a system in place that works well. If so, I would love to hear what you’re doing. 

It’s rewarding to show improvements and prove your craftsmanship. In next month’s article, we’ll wrap up the Air Upgrade series and discuss how to verify an Air Upgrade works as intended. We’ll also discuss handling situations if the results are not as planned.

David Richardson serves the HVAC industry as vice president of training for National Comfort Institute, Inc. (NCI). NCI specializes in training focusing on improving, measuring, and verifying HVAC and building performance.

If you’re an HVAC contractor or technician interested in learning more about Air Upgrades, contact David at ncilink.com/ContactMe. NCI’s website, www.nationalcomfortinstitute.com, is full of free information to help you improve your professionalism and strengthen your company.