The annual service is key to a heating appliance’s performance and longevity, but many homeowners only choose to book their service when peak heating season is already upon us. Ian Trott, Training Manager at Baxi, explains the opportunity installers have to encourage servicing outside of the industry’s peak period, creating a win-win for themselves and their customers in the process.
Out of sight, out of mind. Unfortunately, this is the approach of many homeowners when it comes to servicing their heating appliances – unless a problem arises, that is. According to Google search data, searches for ‘boiler service’ spiked significantly in October last year, which marked the continuation of a longstanding tradition.
Typically, a service will be booked just ahead of the heating season when customers are preparing to turn on their heating for the first time in several months. Some might even choose to delay even further to the point when the system is back up and running and showing signs of a fault. But as we know, leaving servicing to the autumn, one of the busiest periods of the year for heating engineers, could leave householders having to wait weeks for an appointment.
Win-win
There is, however, a simple win-win solution that will make it easier for customers to book a slot while allowing installers to better balance their workload across the year: actively encouraging a service during the industry’s ‘off-peak’ period of spring and summer.
The benefits to customers of a spring or summer service are clear. First and foremost, ensuring that the heating system operates safely and efficiently before the start of the heating season gives the homeowner welcome peace of mind of trouble-free service in the colder months ahead. In contrast, by ignoring the heating system completely throughout the warmer months they put themselves at risk of underperformance or a breakdown just when reliable, efficient performance is most vital. We are all familiar with instances where a customer requests a service when in fact the boiler has actually broken down. And as we know, when it reaches this point, the cost of a repair is likely to be much higher than that of an annual service.
Installers too will benefit from encouraging a service during those earlier months of the year as it will avoid the current bottleneck in September and October and allow them to spread their workload more evenly.
Baxi’s ASHP Training
Customer loyalty
So how to buck the current trend and encourage the switch to a service before the industry’s busiest period? A simple way to do this is to send service reminders to customers, a tactic which in turn helps build relationships and ensure business for today and tomorrow.
Showing value for money from a service can also help to build customer loyalty. One way of achieving this might be to leave a checklist upon completion of the service, a form of physical certificate that underlines the value of having the service. Another would be to provide details of any parts replaced as a result of an issue identified during the service and confirmation that the replacement parts are genuine. Genuine parts serve the best interests of both the homeowner and the installer so play an important role in maintaining those levels of loyalty and trust.
The service can also open up an opportunity to give customers advice on how and where they can save money. This could be as simple as recommending the control settings that are best for them or how to add the latest energy-saving measures.
Developing relationships like this with customers not only ensures ongoing business through building trust but makes householders better informed about opportunities to improve the energy efficiency of their system and legislative changes.
Make yourself marketable
Many installers are already thriving using these methods and understand the value that lifelong loyalty brings to customers and the business alike. And as acknowledgment of this, industry provides an ever-growing toolkit to encourage and support customer engagement.
The Benchmark Checklist remains a means of meeting the commissioning requirements within Part L of the Building Regulations, and Digital Benchmark now makes recording servicing, commissioning data and installation even easier. Importantly, a homeowner version of the app is now available to help build greater transparency between heating engineers and homeowners.
Digital Benchmark is integrated with the Baxi Toolbelt app and the Baxi Works loyalty scheme, where engineers can register newly installed systems and set up reminders for customers while accessing rewards through the platform. This makes it even easier to remind homeowners of servicing with regular service intervals being planned through the app, ensuring appliances remain within warranty and that heating systems are performing at their most efficient levels.
The annual service represents so much more than a simple box-ticking exercise, giving installers ample opportunity to consult with their customers around heating efficiency. As such, heating engineers have an opportunity to ensure annual servicing is both a consistent revenue stream for them and a layer of protection against an unexpected breakdown for their customer. By promoting annual servicing over the spring and summer, there is huge potential for both parties to reap the benefits.
For more information on Baxi’s Toolbelt app and Baxi Works, please click here.
