The number 13 is traditionally viewed as unlucky. But in the world of HVAC, it can be a real benefit to you.

That’s because 13 key questions can help you, as a commercial facility manager, understand which vendor is best qualified to handle your national HVAC maintenance and repair requirements.

Life is filled with options, and HVAC is no exception. Lots of companies provide HVAC maintenance and repair. When it comes to managing HVAC at multiple locations, choosing the right HVAC vendor is one of the most crucial decisions you’ll make. The right service provider will save you time, headaches and of course, money. Lots of money. The wrong vendor? Well, the costs add up quickly.

Let’s look at each question in greater detail. We’ve broken the list of 13 questions into smaller groups, so today, we’ll consider the first four questions.

Question #1:
How long have you been in business?
For businesses of every size, scale and function, there’s so much riding on the smooth operation of your HVAC units. The company that maintains them should have a depth and breadth of experience over years – decades preferably. Someone new to the business may be able to provide adequate service. But like anything, experience in the HVAC realm matters.

Question #2:
Who are your current customers?
Potential clients like you should know about other customers served by this provider. What types of businesses do they operate? Retail? Office? Industrial? Multifamily? How many locations do those customers own? What’s the average size of their facilities? Where in the country are they located? And what specific services (e.g., preventive maintenance, repair or replacement) have these customers outsourced to this provider?

Question #3:
What services do you provide?
Ideally, that list should include every service needed to keep HVAC units running smoothly throughout the year, from comprehensive preventive maintenance (PM) planning and implementation to troubleshooting, repair and replacement. Along with services, it is important to ask what types of equipment has this service provider worked on in the past? Make sure that they have the experience to handle your portfolio of equipment. It should also include a full range of administration and support services and tools to ensure accurate, timely reporting to you. Those services and tools should be designed to help you easily track HVAC expenses so that you can stay within your budget.

As you can hopefully begin to see, specific questions should be asked of a national HVAC provider before you make a decision to outsource your HVAC maintenance and repair to them. Ask these questions, and carefully consider the answers you receive.

Next time, we’ll continue moving down our list of 13 questions to ask of national HVAC service companies. Until then, we invite you to read our other HVAC blog posts on our website, which contain lots of insight on relevant HVAC topics. To inquire about CLS’s HVAC services, or all other CLS facility services, please call us at 800-548-3542.