Why HVAC has a worse collections problem than most trades
HVAC contractors face a unique collections challenge: the work happens in stressful moments (broken AC in July, no heat in December), and customers often feel the price was too high after the fact. This post-service buyer's remorse translates directly into slow payment.
The HVAC industry also has high average invoice amounts ($800-$5,000 for most residential service calls), which means that even a handful of unpaid invoices creates a meaningful cash flow problem. A company running $2M annually with a 3% uncollected rate is writing off $60,000 per year — often enough to fund another technician.
What the best HVAC companies do differently
The HVAC companies with the best collections track records share three practices: they send payment links immediately after job completion (via text, before the technician leaves), they follow up within 48 hours if the invoice isn't paid, and they use automated tools so this follow-up happens regardless of how busy the office is.
The on-site payment link is particularly powerful. When the customer is standing next to the technician who just fixed their HVAC system and is still grateful the problem is solved, they'll pay. Waiting three weeks to send an invoice is when you run into friction.
Setting up automated collections for your HVAC company
Surety was built with HVAC contractors as a primary use case. Connect your QuickBooks (or upload your overdue invoice list), configure your business name and phone number, and set your reminder schedule. Remi's call scripts are tuned for the HVAC context — professional, non-threatening, focused on making payment easy.
The protected list is especially useful in HVAC, where you'll have commercial clients (property managers, facilities teams) who have net-30 or net-60 terms that you don't want touched by automated reminders. Add them to the list once; they'll never be contacted.
The ROI for a typical HVAC company
A mid-size residential HVAC company running 200 invoices per month with an average of 8% overdue will have roughly 16 invoices in collections at any time, with an average value of $1,500. That's $24,000 in outstanding AR. If automated follow-up improves collection rate from 85% to 95%, the incremental recovery is $2,400/month — well above the cost of any automated tool.
The more important metric is time: how many hours per week does your office staff spend making follow-up calls? Even at 2 hours per week, that's 100 hours per year of your most expensive overhead spent on an activity that automation can handle completely.