The air conditioning and refrigeration companies, responsible for the installation of heating systems, air conditioning, or air conditioning, are having a paradigm shift in the management of their businesses.
It is obvious that the business world in general is constantly changing, but the time has come when certain sectors, such as technical assistance services, are joining this transformation in order to survive in the market. We are talking about digitalization.
In the great digital age, it is not new that air conditioning companies have lagged behind other groups, being victims of forced digitalization that forces them to hire unreliable, non-specialized and sometimes unnecessary services for their business model.
In this article we analyze, in depth, what is the reason why technical assistance companies have not achieved the necessary digitization to meet the new requirements demanded by their customers.
Table of Contents
1. Too many administrative procedures and not enough time for training.
“Only 2% of SMEs “1 are concerned about digitalization and, not surprisingly, their main concern is to comply with the bureaucracy involved in administrative procedures (possession of authorizations, licenses and permits, bookkeeping and presentation of accounts, statements, manuals …), necessary to manage the company.
Those who are part of this sector, as a minimum, must do at least 36 administrative procedure. All these administrative processes delay the self-employed and SMEs in learning new tools for adapting to the digital world in which we find ourselves.
| Nº | Nº Examples of administrative procedures |
| 1 | Permit and license updates. |
| 2 | Notification of data disparity to the administration. |
| 3 | Additions, changes and removals from the register. |
| 4 | Preparation of invoice books and presentation of documentation. |
| 5 | Payment of taxes, duties and fees. |
| 6 | Inspections and controls by different Public Administrations. |
| 7 | Presentation of invoices. |
| 8 | Management of insurance, guarantees and other security measures. |
| 9 | Presentation of invoices to the administration and third parties. |
| 10 | Formulation of complaints. |
| 11 | Request for claims and appeals. |
A company’s power to adapt to a changing reality depends on the knowledge of its own resources to make them available to the current situation.
2. Adaptation to new technologies for air conditioning and refrigeration companies.
Don’t change what you do, but how you do it.
In the times we are living in, and which include an uncertain future, it is necessary to use everything we know how to do, but, more importantly, not to stop learning what we lack, is essential if we want to boost our business in the digital world.
The way air conditioning and refrigeration companies make their living is completely different from when they were born. New technologies have created both different ways of working and new services within the same business.
Sales processes have been improved and optimised. The customer experience is now above the product. Our users are much more connected to each other and word of mouth has never been faster, for better or for worse.
Customers need speed, effectiveness and personal attention from companies.
Customers are demanding companies with a powerful fingerprint and it is evidenced by the fact that, the commercials that are on the Internet, sell 78% more.
This does not mean that to enter the business digitalization, it is enough to have a web page, a company email and the use of instant messaging applications. It is true that if you are not on the Internet you do not exist, but you must also optimize your business with the technological tools that have turned the world economy around.
We are talking about Internet and the cloud: the keys to grow and stay afloat in any circumstance.
3. Enter the digital age to create a more competitive business future.
You have to work on your company’s brand to become the option of choice among your customers, improving direct communication with them and increasing value in the market.
We live in a hyperconnected world, which means that it is very important to make your resources available to others in order to be more competitive and innovative than the competition.
If you stay away from the digital world, your company depends on luck and on a bad day, it pushes you to the end of the competition.
What skills must you acquire to survive this situation?
3.1. Connectivity.
Connecting all the technicians together is a competitive advantage. Having real time information on the activities of your employees allows you to improve decision-making, increase the operational efficiency of your air conditioning company’s human and material resources and, therefore, offer a better service to your customers.
3.2. Analysis.
The analysis of your sales and purchases allows you to optimize the strategies you will follow in the future. It is the way to profile knowledge and improve learning to ensure the steps your company takes.
Being able to know the profitability of a client, a team or the productivity of a worker, in real time and through commercial reports or incidents made by your technicians, increases the speed of decision making and avoids losses. In turn, the analysis improves, exponentially, customer service.
The idea is to anticipate and position yourself in the market before your client needs your services and/or products. In this way, the day it requires them, your company will be the first and best option.
It is not about creating a need in the consumers, it is about being able to satisfy their needs at the right time.
3.3. Digitalization.
The applications of mobile devices, transform your workplace.
Having all the information of your company, from any place and device, gives you absolute mobility and work freedom, that is, total flexibility.
This freedom is acquired in the cloud, since it allows you to collect all the data you need from any device connected to the network. The cloud is a system that offers us centralized services and execution of tasks in real time.
Find out how STEL Order helps your company and improves the management of your air conditioning and refrigeration business. Request an online demonstration with one of our consultants, we will show you the most useful features for your sector. In addition, we help you to implement STEL Order: the best rated ERP in App Store and Google Play with which you can digitize your business easily and simply.
4. References.
1- El País. Así avanza la digitalización en España. Abril 2019.
Article translated by Carol Navarro
