The Highest Quality Telephone Answering Service in the United States

Centratel

Telephone Answering Service

A well-equipped HVAC tools bag as a good practice reminder together with a good answering service

HVAC Tool List: Get Your Fleet Ready for Summer

April 11, 2019
HVAC
By Centratel

Summer is coming, but are your technicians equipped with the necessary tools to perform top of the line service? Here are the most important tools that HVAC technicians need to perform their jobs successfully during those hot months.

Reciprocating Saw Blades

Frequently referred to by the brand name Sawzall, reciprocating saw blades is an essential tool for HVAC technicians because it can cut through pretty much anything. The technician can purchase a long-lasting, durable saw while you can provide the blades they will need to get the job done right.

Vacuum Pump

One important thing to keep in mind: A job can’t be done right without an effective vacuum pump, so you’ll want to urge your technicians to add this tool to their arsenal. One of the purposes of a vacuum pump is to suck air and moisture from air conditioning lines. Technicians should use the vacuum pump to perform this task before charging the system with refrigerant this summer.

Mobile HVAC Software

Mobile HVAC software is needed to assist technicians with providing accurate estimates, performing the job in a timely manner, and communicating quickly and effectively with coworkers and customers. In order to offer your customers top of the line service, insist that your technicians use mobile HVAC software.

Refrigerant Scale

A refrigerant scale can help technicians determine the right amount of refrigerant to effectively charge an air conditioning system. There are many different refrigerant scales that exist, but it’s a great idea to encourage your technicians to choose one of the three most popular ones.

Cordless Drill

A cordless drill can make most HVAC situations easier for technicians. So, why not encourage your technicians to equip themselves with a cordless drill of 18 volts or more. In addition, technicians should carry a set of arbors, Phillips, hole saws, and hex. Give your technicians two batteries to ensure that the cordless drill lasts the entire day.

Screwdrivers

Several screwdrivers with insulated handles will prepare your technicians for virtually any job. The set should include hex screwdrivers, a handy flathead, and many different types of Phillips screwdrivers. When your technicians have these screwdrivers on hand, they will be prepared to handle the variety of bolts and screws found on HVAC systems, and the durable screwdrivers can serve multiple uses like pulling apart venting.

Pipe Wrenches And Pliers

A set of wrenches and pliers can be a secret weapon for HVAC technicians as it enables them to work on systems that consists of plumbing connections and natural gas lines. The set should definitely contain open-face, needle-nose, linesman, wire strippers, and channel lock pliers as well as durable pipe wrenches. Make sure that your technicians use pipe wrenches and pliers that feature insulated handles to avoid electrical shock.

Tin Snips And Shears

Tin snips and shears are necessary HVAC tools for effectively manipulating sheet metal. Encourage your technicians to carry these important tools to every job: extremely durable steel shears along with lefts, rights, and straight aviators tin snips.

Multi-Meter And Voltage Tester

HVAC technicians should strive to avoid electrical mishaps as much as possible. One of the ways to ensure that your technicians stay safe in the field is to equip them with a multi-meter and voltage tester. These electrical testers are designed to measure voltage and resistance, determine the presence of live wires, and perform other electrical tests on the job.

Obtaining A Great Telephone Answering Service Should Also Be A Priority This Summer

Now that you know what tools your technicians should carry to HVAC jobs this summer, it’s time to ensure that your after-hours calls are handled appropriately. Fortunately, our company can help! We pride ourselves on providing exceptional telephone answering services to HVAC clients countrywide.

A Telephone Answering Service Representative taking calls at Centratel

Centratel is an elite national telephone answering service headquartered in Bend, Oregon. Centratel’s HVAC Answering Service assists hundreds of heating, ventilation and air conditioning businesses, during and after-hours. By a variety of statistics, Centratel is the highest quality answering service available anywhere.

Taking the Next Step

For more specifics on cost, to start the onboarding process, or if you have questions, fill out this form with your basic information and if it’s during regular working hours (M-F 8am to 8pm EST or 5am to 5pm PST), we’ll get back to you within minutes. Or, during the above hours, you can simply call us at 800-664-7159 or send us an email to inquiry@centratel.com.

(And note: for a quick orientation on how we operate, take a moment to review one or more of the key points listed below.)

For more specifics on cost, to start the onboarding process, or to just talk to us, fill out this form with your basic information and if it’s during regular working hours (M-F 8am to 8pm EST or 5am to 5pm PST), we’ll get back to you within minutes. Or, during the above hours, you can simply call us at 800-664-7159 or send us an email to inquiry@centratel.com.

(And note: for a quick orientation on how we operate, take a moment to review one or more of the key points listed on the right.)

 
Terms of Service

Why Choose Centratel

BY SAM CARPENTER
December 1, 2024

1.CENTRATEL’S UNIQUE 30-DAY FREE TRIAL

Why is this important? Because it will provide you a truly accurate estimate of cost (we bill monthly), it will demonstrate our quality, and it gives both sides of this equation—you and Centratel—the necessary time to refine and perfect operational details.

Here’s a testimonial from a new medical client that had just finished their 30-day trial: “Of course, I love the cost as it is close to the amount I was allowed by the president of the company. I told him that if we did not continue with Centratel, I would resign as the Director of Customer Service, and I meant it. It’s a great fit. We have had NOT ONE complaint from a patient or in-house which, as you know, we received daily with our former answering service. I love you, Centratel, and the price. I’m ready to sign whatever documents you require. Thanks for the great service, and the free month! To a great partnership! -KB, Phoenix“

2.STATISTICALLY, THE BEST IN THE U.S.?

Answering service quality is 100% dependent on human action and reaction, and in the course of a single day a multitude of human decisions are made by the people who process the calls: Telephone Service Representatives, or TSRs. (Some answering services refer to them as “agents.” Others, “operators.”)

Like any other answering service, at Centratel we’re dealing with real live human beings and so human errors occur. But within this labor intensive service industry that is historically known for marginal quality, Centratel’s error rate is light years ahead of established standards. Our most recent Customer Reported Error Rate (July through September, 2024) was 1 customer-reported error for every 6,077 message transactions processed. That statistic is unmatched.

There’s no artificial intelligence manipulation, we do not offshore calls, and we were founded and have always operated within the United States. (Note that since early 2020, the COVID six-foot social distancing mandate drove thousands of small-to-medium sized answering services out of business. Large, foreign-owned multi-nationals, often disguised by the name of the local answering services they acquired, now thoroughly dominate the industry. Hence, an even further decline in general service quality. See this analysis.)

3.CUSTOMER SERVICE EXTRAORDINAIRE

Your concerns and requests will be instantly acted upon. It’s a work ethic that stands out in stark contrast from the general quality decline in human-to-human business-customer communications. You’ve seen it yourself, all around. At Centratel you will know the customer service people you’re working with by name, appreciating their special listening abilities as well as their take-action-now comportments i.e. see the testimonial in point #1 above. ‘Nuff said!

4.GETTING STARTED: IT’S SIMPLE AND FAST

Getting your new Centratel answering service 30-day free trial started is accomplished within 24-48 hours. From the start, your “onboarding” customer service representative will be with you every step of the way, listening carefully to your concerns, answering questions, and offering suggestions.

5.NEW TO USING AN ANSWERING SERVICE?

A majority of our current answering service accounts switched to us from another service because of quality problems. However, if you have not used a service before, you are not familiar with the options, benefits, and pitfalls. As noted, our 30-day free trial provides you—and us—plenty of time to precisely refine your desired message-taking and delivery protocols; to get things exactly the way you want them to be without any financial risk, undue pressure, or obligation. 

6.PRICING

Starting at $89 per month, our rates rank in the mid-range of the industry. For call processing, we charge by the “transaction unit” rather than the duration of time spent handling calls. Large “mega-services” operating in the U.S. prefer time billing because it ensures the company is compensated for lower-paid/high-turnover — and thus slower — agents. No matter the quality or how long they keep your callers on hold, they still make a profit. And yes, it can get expensive.

In any answering service, it takes a long time for a new agent to become fast, efficient, and stable. At Centratel, we pamper and reward experienced agents (via higher pay and great benefits) and therefore have extremely low staff turnover. Needless to say, experienced agents make fewer errors than trainees who learn on-the-job.

7.ACCURATELY COMPARING ANSWERING SERVICE PRICING IS COMPLICATED

It’s apples and oranges. There isn’t an industry standard for billing, and each answering service has its own formula. Also, as noted above, some services charge by agent “time” while others charge by “work units.” Some others combine the two. At Centratel, we charge for the work we do, not by the time we spend. The raw truth is that the only reliable way to determine monthly cost for a new service is to use that service for a solid month. Most answering services offer a 7-day free trial or no trial at all.

8.BEWARE: MONTHLY OR 28-DAY BILLING?

Important! At Centratel, we use a “monthly” billing cycle in which invoices are compiled from the first day of a month to the last day of that month. When soliciting quotes from other services, be sure to ask if the base-rate charges are billed monthly or on a “28-day billing cycle.” There is no good reason for a 28-day billing cycle! It’s bait-and-switch: customers billed on a 28-day cycle actually receive thirteen billings per year and therefore the overall cost is higher.

9.NO CONTRACT AND SIMPLE TERMS OF SERVICE

We do not require a yearly contract for service because we believe you should have the opportunity to evaluate us real-time, without restraint. Our terms of service are simple and straight-forward.

10.VALUABLE FREE GIFT FOR CONTACTING US

If you take the time to discuss answering service with us, on the same day we will ship you a hardcover copy of Sam Carpenter’s bestselling book, Work The System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less, now in its 5th edition. We’ll send you a copy just for contacting us. (Sam is the founder and President of Centratel. December 1st 2024 marks his fortieth year of ownership.)