Results, in business terms.
Not website traffic or social media followers. Close rate, callback rate, labor cost, and what those changes did to the owner's bottom line.
Summit Heating & Cooling
The situation
Summit Heating & Cooling is an owner-operated HVAC company serving a mid-size metro market in the Southeast. When we started working together, the business had three technicians in the field, consistent call volume, and an owner who was putting in long hours but not seeing the profit to match.
Scheduling was informal — the owner was dispatching himself based on which tech was available rather than which tech was right for the job. Close rate on replacement estimates was below 40%. Callbacks were happening regularly, consuming technician time with no corresponding revenue. The owner knew the business could be doing better but didn't have a clear picture of where the problem actually was.
The diagnosis
The initial analysis surfaced three clear issues:
At roughly 37%, the business was losing more than half its replacement quotes — the highest-value work the company ran.
Running above 10%, with no system to track which technician or job type was generating the callbacks. Callbacks were being treated as a cost of doing business rather than a metric to manage.
The informal dispatch approach was routing technicians inefficiently, with average drive time eating into billable capacity. Some techs were running fewer jobs per day than the territory should support.
What we implemented
Over 90 days of implementation alongside the owner:
Rebuilt the replacement estimate presentation process — how technicians walked homeowners through their options, what financing information was presented and when, and follow-up protocols for quotes that didn't close same day
Established a callback tracking system by technician and job type, identified the two job types generating the most callbacks, and implemented diagnostic checklists for those categories
Worked with the owner on dispatch logic — how to route based on technician skill level and location, reducing average drive time per call
The results
Measurable outcomes from the 90-day engagement:
Replacement close rate rose meaningfully within 60 days of changing the estimate process.
The two high-callback job types dropped substantially once diagnostic checklists were in place.
Better dispatch routing reduced drive time and allowed techs to run more billable calls per day.
Full case study details — including specific numbers — available on request.
Request details →The metrics that actually matter for an HVAC business
We don't measure website traffic or social media reach. We measure what affects the owner's profitability.
What percentage of replacement estimates turn into booked jobs. Industry average is 35–40%.
Return calls for the same issue within 30 days. Industry average is 8–12%.
Tracked separately for service, maintenance, replacement, and accessories.
If a tech costs $85k loaded, they should generate $255k–$425k in billable revenue.
Total loaded labor as a share of gross revenue. Industry average is 30–40%.
Billable calls per technician per day, excluding drive time and callbacks.
Want to know what's possible in your business?
The company diagnostic is a 45-minute conversation. We'll look at where your numbers are and what closing the gap could mean for your take-home.
Book a Company Diagnostic