hvac-marketing-skills/skills/hvac-lead-ops/SKILL.md

name	description	metadata
hvac-lead-ops	When the user wants help with HVAC lead management, dispatch operations, pipeline management, or the intake-to-job funnel. Also use when the user mentions 'lead ops,' 'dispatch management,' 'lead lifecycle,' 'lead scoring,' 'lead routing,' 'pipeline stages,' 'CRM,' 'intake process,' 'lead qualification,' 'job booking,' 'close rate,' 'customer follow-up,' or 'we're losing leads somewhere.' Use this for anything involving the systems and processes that connect marketing to booked jobs and revenue.	version compendium 2.0.0 mode tools enhanced search analyze

HVAC Lead Operations

You are an expert in HVAC lead operations and dispatch management. Your goal is to help design and optimize the systems that connect leads from marketing into booked jobs and happy customers.

Before Starting

Check for product marketing context first: If .agents/hvac-marketing-context.md exists (or .claude/hvac-marketing-context.md in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

1. Business model — Residential service, commercial, equipment sales, or mixed?
2. Current lead sources — Google Ads, GBP, referrals, contractors, distributors?
3. Lead volume — How many leads per month?
4. Current process — How do leads currently flow from initial contact to booked job?
5. Pain points — Where are leads getting lost or stuck?
6. Current tools — CRM? Phone system? Dispatch software?
7. Goals — Increase booking rate? Reduce response time? Track sources?

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Core Principles

Single Source of Truth

One system of record for every lead. If data lives in multiple places (CRM, spreadsheet, dispatch app, email), it will conflict and you'll lose leads.

Define Before Automate

Get stage definitions and routing logic right on paper BEFORE building workflows. Automating broken processes creates broken results faster.

Measure Every Handoff

Every handoff is a leak:

• Marketing → Dispatch: Are leads getting assigned?
• Dispatch → Technician: Is technician seeing the job details?
• Technician → Customer: Is customer being contacted promptly?
• Estimate → Booked Job: Is estimate being converted?

Each needs an SLA and tracking.

Speed Kills Competitors

Response time is the single biggest factor in lead conversion:

• Contact within 15 minutes = 50% more likely to book
• After 1 hour, conversion drops 25%
• After 24 hours, lead is cold

Every minute matters.

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The HVAC Lead Lifecycle

Stage Definitions

Stage	Entry Criteria	Exit Criteria	Owner	SLA
Inquiry	Form submit, phone call, message	Dispatch assigns technician	Dispatch	Within 15 min
Scheduled	Technician assigned, time/date confirmed	Technician arrives	Technician	Confirmed 24h before
Estimate (Service/Repair)	Technician diagnoses, quotes customer	Customer accepts or declines	Technician	Same day or within 24h
Estimate (Replacement)	Technician assesses need for new system	Equipment quote provided	Sales rep	Within 48h
Booked Job	Customer confirms estimate and date	Job completion date	Technician	Within 7-30 days
Completed	Technician finishes work	Payment collected, review requested	Technician	Same day
Follow-up	Job completed	Customer advocates or churns	Marketing	Within 7 days

Service Call Example Flow

Lead Inquiry (phone, form, text)
     ↓
Dispatch qualifies: service area, emergency vs. routine, payment
     ↓
Technician assigned (by geography, specialty, availability)
     ↓
Customer confirmed (date, time, brief description)
     ↓
Technician onsite, diagnoses, quotes repair
     ↓
Customer accepts → Book job date
     ↓
Technician completes, collects payment
     ↓
Request review on Google, follow-up email sent

Equipment Replacement Flow

Service call (technician diagnoses aging/failing system)
     ↓
Dispatch flags for sales follow-up
     ↓
Sales rep calls within 48h with equipment options
     ↓
In-home assessment or phone consultation
     ↓
Proposal with 3 options (Good/Better/Best)
     ↓
Customer chooses option, schedules install
     ↓
Installation scheduled with installation team
     ↓
Install completed, system tested, warranty registered
     ↓
Follow-up: satisfaction survey, maintenance agreement offer

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Lead Sources & Qualification

Primary HVAC Lead Sources

Source	Lead Quality	Conversion Rate	Cost Per Lead	Volume
Google Ads	High (intent-driven)	15-25%	$50-150	Medium-High
Google Business Profile (GBP)	High (local, organic)	20-30%	$0-30	High
Referrals	Very High (trust-based)	40-60%	$0-100	Medium
Contractor Referrals	High (professional)	30-40%	$100-300	Medium
LSA (Local Services Ads)	High (Google-vetted)	20-30%	15-25% of job	Medium
Website/Organic	Medium (awareness)	10-20%	$0	Low-Medium
Distributor/Supplier	Medium (transactional)	15-25%	Margin-based	Low
Repeat/Maintenance	Very High (existing)	50-70%	$0	Medium

Lead Scoring for Service

For home service, qualification is simple:

• Service area match: In your geographic service area? YES/NO (disqualify if no)
• Payment capability: Homeowner? Commercial? Good standing? (qualify quality)
• Urgency: Emergency, repair, or maintenance? (route priority)

Example scoring:

• In service area: 10 points
• Emergency (high-value service call): 5 points
• Equipment replacement indicators (age, issues mentioned): 5 points
• Maintenance agreement candidate (willing to sign contract): 5 points

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Dispatch & Scheduling

Dispatch Rules

Route leads based on:

1. Geography — Assign to technician closest to customer or in same territory
2. Specialty — Commercial jobs to commercial technician, residential to residential
3. Availability — Technician schedule, not already overbooked
4. Seniority — Complex diagnostics to experienced tech, routine to junior
5. Emergency priority — Emergency calls get first available tech, routine gets next open slot

Scheduling SLA

Lead Type	Target Response	Target Booking
Emergency	15 minutes	Same day (within 4 hours)
High-priority repair	30 minutes	Same/next day
Routine repair	1 hour	Within 3-5 days
Maintenance	2-4 hours	Within 1-2 weeks
Equipment replacement	24 hours	Within 1 week (sales call)

Speed-to-Lead Impact

• Within 15 minutes: 50% more likely to book
• 30-60 minutes: 30% likely to book
• 1-2 hours: 20% likely to book
• 2-4 hours: 10% likely to book
• Next day: 5% likely to book

Bottom line: First responder wins. Every 15 minutes costs you bookings.

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Estimate-to-Booked-Job Conversion

Service/Repair Estimates

Conversion target: 70-80% (if estimate is properly scoped)

Why estimates don't convert:

• Customer got another quote (price comparison)
• Customer decided to wait (status-quo bias)
• Price shock (unexpected cost)
• Technician didn't explain value (communication)

Improvement tactics:

• Confidence: Show HVAC certifications, warranty, guarantees
• Comparison: Show cost of NOT fixing (risk, future cost)
• Financing: Offer payment plan to reduce sticker shock
• Urgency: Note seasonal timing ("If this fails in August, emergency calls cost 50% more")
• Follow-up: Call customer within 24h if not accepted

Equipment Replacement Estimates

Conversion target: 40-60% (longer sales cycle, bigger decision)

Why estimates don't convert:

• Customer waiting for quotes from competitors
• Sticker shock (equipment is expensive)
• Decision paralysis (Good/Better/Best options)
• Credit/financing issues

Improvement tactics:

• Value framing: Show ROI and energy savings
• Comparison: Good/Better/Best framework (make middle tier obvious)
• Financing: Multiple payment options reduce barrier
• Scarcity: "Seasonal installation slots fill up" creates urgency
• Follow-up: Sales rep calls at 24h, 3-day, 7-day marks
• Incentive: "Book this week, get $200 off" creates urgency

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CRM & Pipeline Management

Essential CRM Fields

Contact:

• Name, phone, email, address, zip code
• Service area (automated, based on zip)
• Preferred contact method

Lead:

• Lead source (Google Ads, GBP, referral, etc.)
• Lead quality score
• Current stage (Inquiry, Scheduled, Estimate, Booked, Completed)
• Assigned to (dispatch, technician, sales rep)

Job/Opportunity:

• Service type (repair, maintenance, replacement)
• Estimated value ($500 repair vs. $3500 replacement)
• Timeline (same day, within week, 2+ weeks)
• Current stage in pipeline
• Equipment details (if replacement)
• Estimate provided (date, amount)
• Follow-up task (call customer, send proposal, schedule install)

Pipeline Stages

Stage	Required Fields	Next Step
Inquiry	Contact info, service area, service type	Dispatch assigns
Scheduled	Date/time confirmed, address confirmed	Technician arrives
On-Site	Service address, customer notes	Provide estimate/quote
Estimate Sent	Quote amount, payment options	Customer decides
Booked	Job date confirmed, deposit received	Technician performs work
Completed	Work completed, payment collected	Request review
Lost	Loss reason logged	Archive or follow-up nurture

Stage Hygiene Practices

• Don't move stages without confirmation: Leads can't be "booked" without customer confirmation
• Flag old leads: If a lead sits in "Estimate Sent" for >7 days, create follow-up task
• Close lost deals: If customer chooses competitor, mark as lost with reason ("Chose someone cheaper," "Decided to wait")
• Separate track maintenance: Customers on maintenance agreements (repeat customers) should have different pipeline

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Response & Follow-Up Automation

Critical Automations

On inquiry received:

1. Send auto-reply: "Thanks for contacting [Company]. Dispatch will call you within 15 minutes."
2. Create task: Assign to dispatch manager, set 15-minute SLA alert
3. Log source: Tag with "Google Ads," "GBP," etc. for tracking

On appointment scheduled:

1. Send confirmation: "Your appointment is [date/time]. Technician will arrive within 1-hour window."
2. Send reminder: 24 hours before, send text/email with technician name and phone
3. Create task: Technician sees appointment in morning briefing

On estimate sent:

1. Send to customer: Email with estimate details, financing options, next steps
2. Create follow-up task: Remind sales rep to call at 24h and 3-day mark
3. Flag for close: If not booked within 7 days, mark for follow-up

On job completed:

1. Send thank you: "Thanks for choosing us! How was your experience?"
2. Create review request: Link to Google, Yelp, other review sites
3. Offer upsell: Maintenance agreement (if not already signed), other services

Email Sequence Examples

24-Hour Response Reminder:

Subject: Ready to book your [Service] appointment?

Hi [Name],

We quoted you [Service] at $[Amount] on [Date].

A few customers ask:
- "Can I pay in installments?" — Yes, we offer [financing options]
- "Why this price?" — We're recommending [Equipment/Service] because [value prop]
- "Can I see another option?" — Absolutely, call [number] to discuss

Ready to move forward? Reply to this email or click below:
[Book Now]

Questions? Call [number].

Thanks,
[Company]

7-Day Follow-Up (for lost deals):

Subject: One more option for your [Service] — [Company]

Hi [Name],

Didn't hear back on your estimate from last week. Two quick thoughts:

1. If price is a concern, we have financing options that make it affordable ($X/month)
2. If you're getting other quotes, that's smart — just make sure you're comparing apples to apples (warranty, efficiency rating, installation quality)

Either way, we're here if you want to revisit it.

Call [number] or reply here.

Thanks,
[Company]

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Metrics & Tracking

Key Metrics by Stage

Metric	Formula	Target	Why It Matters
Lead volume	Total leads per month	Track trend	Know demand
Cost per lead	Total marketing spend / leads	By source	Know acquisition cost
Lead-to-scheduled	Scheduled jobs / total leads	50-70%	Dispatch efficiency
Scheduled-to-completed	Completed jobs / scheduled	90-95%	Cancellation rate
Service-to-estimate rate	Estimates sent / service calls	80-90%	Technician quality
Estimate-to-booked rate	Booked jobs / estimates sent	70-80% (service), 40-60% (replacement)	Closing rate
Job-to-repeat rate	Customers booking 2+ jobs	30-50%	Retention
Review rate	Reviews submitted / jobs	15-30%	Social proof generation
Average job value	Total revenue / jobs	Track by type	Unit economics
Time-to-response	Minutes from lead to dispatch	<15 minutes	Lead quality

Dashboard Structure

Dispatch view (daily operations):

• Incoming leads count
• Pending assignments (unassigned leads)
• Technician schedule (who's booked today)
• Outstanding estimates (sent but not booked)

Sales view (weekly):

• Leads by source (Google Ads, GBP, etc.)
• Lead-to-booked conversion by source
• Average job value by source
• Top-performing campaigns

Executive view (monthly):

• Total revenue
• Revenue by source
• CAC by source
• LTV by customer type
• Forecast (pipeline value)

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Sample HVAC Intake Process

Phone Inquiry (Most Common)

Customer calls dispatch
     ↓
"Hi, how can we help?" (friendly greeting)
     ↓
"What service do you need? (AC repair, furnace service, new system, emergency?)"
     ↓
"What's your address? (Confirm in service area)"
     ↓
"What's the issue?" (Brief description)
     ↓
"Is this an emergency? (Immediate vs. scheduled)"
     ↓
Dispatch determines:
  - Emergency → Technician sent same day (within 4h)
  - Repair → Next available slot (1-3 days)
  - Maintenance → Schedule at customer's convenience (next 1-2 weeks)
  - Replacement → Sales call to discuss options (within 24h)
     ↓
"We'll send [Technician Name] on [Date] at [Time Window]. Confirm?
     ↓
Dispatch creates job in CRM, technician sees it in app
     ↓
Reminder text sent to customer 24h before
     ↓
Technician arrives, handles service

Online Estimate Request (From Website/GBP)

Customer submits form: Name, Phone, Service Type, Address
     ↓
Form auto-reply: "Thanks! Dispatch will call within 15 min"
     ↓
CRM notification to dispatch (high priority alert)
     ↓
Dispatch calls within 15 minutes
     ↓
[Same phone inquiry flow above]

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Task-Specific Questions

1. What's your current lead volume and where do they come from?
2. What's your current booking rate (% of leads that become jobs)?
3. Where are you losing leads (response time? pricing? customer indecision)?
4. What's your current CRM/dispatch tool?
5. What's your average job value and service cycle time?
6. How many technicians/dispatch staff do you have?

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Compendium Integration

Use Compendium to support HVAC lead operations:

• Lead analysis: Track lead sources and conversion rates via database
• Competitive analysis: Understand competitor response times and lead capture tactics
• Market insights: Seasonal demand patterns to forecast pipeline

Tool tiers: Search, database, analysis

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Related Skills

• marketing-ideas: For lead generation tactics and campaigns
• pricing-strategy: For pricing estimates and financing options
• sales-enablement: For technician training and estimate scripts
• hvac-estimate-popups: For online estimate request capture
• referral-program: For turning customers into referral sources
• email-sequence: For lead nurture and follow-up sequences