ChatGPT for HVAC: 10 Use Cases for Contractors

1. Generate HVAC Checklists

HVAC contractors can use ChatGPT to generate checklists for tasks such as: 

• Seasonal inspections

• Preventive maintenance

• Safety audits

• Equipment installations

This ensures technicians follow consistent procedures, adhere to safety protocols, and troubleshoot issues more systematically.

To create a checklist, provide ChatGPT with a prompt explaining the task or job type. 

Once generated, the checklists can be used as: 

• Field reference for technicians: Technicians can print or save the checklist on their mobile devices for easy access during service calls.

• Standardized internal workflow: Your company can use the generated checklist as part of its official standard operating procedures (SOPs) for HVAC repairs. 

• Digital checklist in field service software: The checklist can be integrated into your company's field service management software.

• Quality control & technician auditing: Supervisors can review completed checklists regularly to monitor service quality.

Example prompt: ‘Create a detailed HVAC troubleshooting checklist for technicians. The checklist should be tailored to residential systems and explain how to diagnose common issues such as no cooling/heating, poor airflow, unusual noises, refrigerant leaks, and thermostat malfunctions. Organize the checklist by system components (for example, thermostat, air handler, condenser, and ductwork) and include safety checks, required tools, and documentation steps.’  

This is the prompt output:

What to keep in mind: ChatGPT doesn't have access to your specific processes, equipment, or unique challenges. Always provide more details in your prompt (like we did in the sample prompt) to get the best checklist.

2. Generate HVAC Job Descriptions

HVAC contractors can use ChatGPT to generate detailed HVAC Job descriptions that attract the right talent. 

This can be used for any role within your company, whether you’re hiring installers, dispatchers, or office managers.

Just feed ChatGPT details of the job role, including the job title, key duties, required skills, and qualifications. Then, ChatGPT will generate a job description you can post directly on your website or job boards.

Beyond using the job description for advertising roles, you can also use it to prepare interview questions and assign responsibilities.

Example prompt: If you want to hire an installer, you could ask, ‘What are the specific details I need to add in a job description for an HVAC installer?’

Below is the prompt output:

Next, prompt ChatGPT to ‘create a job description for an HVAC installer using the details you mentioned.’ Here’s a sample of the result you’ll get:

What to keep in mind: If you don't get your desired output from ChatGPT, feel free to tweak your prompt or instruct the tool to revise its output based on specific criteria.

3. Summarize Documents

ChatGPT efficiently summarizes dense or complex documents, like user manuals, inspection reports, manufacturer's instructions, and building codes. 

All you need to do is copy and paste the text of a document (or upload the document as a PDF or even a screenshot) into ChatGPT and ask for a simplified summary. 

Example prompt: We used the prompt, ‘Write a summary of this AC inspection report,’ to direct ChatGPT to produce a simplified summary of an air conditioning system inspection report we uploaded. Here’s the result:

What to keep in mind: Before using a summary report from ChatGPT, ensure the key details are accurate and align with the original document. If the initial summary isn't clear enough, you can provide more context.

4. Get Data Insights

ChatGPT can help you analyze large amounts of written information, such as customer reviews, technicians' notes from past jobs, and financial documents, to identify patterns.

Example prompt: Let's say you want to gain data insight from customer reviews. You can provide ChatGPT with reviews from your website, Google, or Trustpilot.

First, input customer reviews for your HVAC business and prompt ChatGPT to analyze them and summarize key trends. You can use a prompt like:

‘Here are some reviews from my customers. What are the three most common complaints? What's the general sentiment most customers express (positive, negative, or neutral)? What areas can I improve based on this feedback?’

It will then produce a report like this:

What to keep in mind:

After analyzing reviews, you might find some negative ones. In such cases, you want to respond with a tailored response.

Why?

When a customer leaves a review, especially a negative one, it's a direct signal that they expect to be heard. Ignoring these comments or providing generic, templated responses can do more harm than good, signaling to customers that you're not engaged.

However, crafting these personalized responses for every review can be time-consuming.

This is where ServiceTitan’s Titan Intelligence can help.

Instead of manual drafting, Titan Intelligence swiftly analyzes the sentiment by picking up specific keywords and phrases in the customer's review. It then generates personalized response options, which you or your team can review and edit before posting.

This means:

• Speed: It produces personalized review responses in seconds, freeing up valuable time for your team to focus on their primary responsibilities.

• Personalization at scale: Even with a high volume of reviews, Titan Intelligence can still produce genuinely tailored responses.

Beyond generating personalized review responses, Titan Intelligence also helps you interpret massive amounts of data via features such as:

• Price insights: Analyzes pricing data from your local market, helping you to set competitive and profitable prices for your services. This ensures you're not underpricing your work, leaving money on the table, or overpricing and losing out to competitors. Its price suggestions also consider what you’ve charged for previous jobs.

• Benchmark reports: Compares your performance metrics like average job value, conversion rates, and even technician efficiency, against those of similar businesses, both nationally and regionally. This allows you to identify areas where you excel and where there might be room for improvement.

• Risky driver detection: The HVAC platform monitors the technician's driving behavior and provides alerts for risky actions like distracted driving or cell phone use. This allows you to improve safety and reduce potential liabilities.

5. Get Marketing Ideas

You can use ChatGPT to generate marketing content and strategies for your HVAC business. It can create:

• Ad copy

• Blog post topics and outlines

• Social media posts

• Video script ideas for YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok

• Email subject lines

Here are a few tips to get the best output: 

• Provide a campaign objective: Be as specific and detailed as possible. Instead of typing ‘generate HVAC marketing ideas,’ use ‘suggest relatable promotional content for a free AC inspection this spring.’ 

• Specify the platform and content type: Different marketing channels require different formats and tones. ChatGPT will tailor the content appropriately when you specify the social media platform. 

• Describe your audience or customer persona: The more details you give ChatGPT, the better the content it generates.

Example prompt: You want to develop an email marketing campaign. You could use this prompt: ‘Write an email reminding customers to schedule spring HVAC maintenance before it gets hot.’

Below is an example of a ChatGPT-generated email:

What to keep in mind: Simply generating ideas isn’t enough. You still need to track the performance of that content so you know what's working and what isn't.

That's where ServiceTitan’s Home Service Marketing tool comes in. 

Unlike generic marketing tools that only track clicks or calls, Marketing Pro goes further by linking marketing efforts directly to revenue. This allows you to see:

• Which email, direct mail, and paid ad campaigns generated booked jobs, and the total revenue from those jobs.

• The geographical areas where your ads are generating the most revenue.

Marketing Pro also lets you easily create unique, trackable phone numbers for each marketing campaign. When a customer calls one of these numbers, ServiceTitan automatically attributes the incoming call and subsequent booked jobs and revenue to that specific campaign.

Within Marketing Pro, you can also build hyper-targeted audiences for email and direct mail campaigns based on a wealth of data already in ServiceTitan, such as:

• Unsold estimates

• Expiring memberships

• Aging equipment

6. Improve CSR Performance

ChatGPT can help customer service reps (CSRs) in HVAC businesses navigate customer conversations effectively. 

It can provide clear and empathetic suggestions to handle dissatisfied customers in a way that eases tension and doesn’t escalate the situation.

When a customer asks a technical question, CSRs can use ChatGPT to provide detailed answers that help them sound informed and professional. 

Additionally, CSRs can input customer conversations (chat logs or written summaries) and ask ChatGPT to analyze the dialogue, identify key issues and tone, and suggest ways to improve the response for subsequent conversations.

Example prompt: ‘Analyze the dialogue, identify key issues and tone, and suggest how to improve the response for subsequent conversations.’

What to keep in mind: Just as a perfectly crafted message can make a difference, equipping your CSRs with the right information is crucial.

Think of it this way: a CSR without customer details is like a technician showing up to a job without their tools; they're starting at a disadvantage.

ServiceTitan centralizes all customer details, so CSRs can find any information they need to answer customer queries and personalize interactions.

Even better, whenever a returning customer calls, ServiceTitan's Call Booking software automatically searches for their details and displays them on the screen. This enables CSRs to start conversations on a good note, greeting customers by name and offering tailored service. 

Also, ServiceTitan offers a Contact Center Pro feature that organizes all customer calls (irrespective of the office they come through) in a central platform. This is useful if your business operates across multiple locations or branches and needs a centralized tool for managing customers.

Ready to bid farewell to missed bookings due to unanswered calls? Give ServiceTitan's AI Voice Agent a try. 

The AI Voice Agent takes calls when your team is too busy or unavailable, and books new jobs, reschedules, or confirms appointments. 

If the customer request gets too complex, the AI system immediately hands the call off to a live agent. 

This ensures customers with emergency issues receive a quick response, regardless of the day or time.

7. Draft Proposals and Quotes

HVAC contractors spend countless hours drafting proposals and quotes for clients, but ChatGPT can easily handle this in minutes. 

Guide ChatGPT with your key project details, such as pricing, timeline, and project scope, and the AI will produce well-structured proposals that include pricing, timelines, scope of work, and terms and conditions.

This generated proposal could be: 

• Imported into your CRM or quoting software

• Printed and emailed to prospects after onsite inspections

• Used as a guide for developing proposals for other HVAC jobs

Example prompt: ‘Draft a proposal for replacing a 3-ton central AC unit in a 2,000-square-foot home. Include a cost breakdown, scope of work, and estimated timeline.’

Here’s the result you’ll get:

Other prompts you can use for creating proposals and quotes include:

• ‘Create a quote for replacing an old AC unit in a residential property.’

• ‘Draft a detailed proposal for a commercial installation.’

• ‘Write a maintenance service plan quote for a 5-building apartment.’

What to keep in mind: Double-check all figures. ChatGPT can only make estimates based on general information available online, so the prices may not be accurate. Update the pricing and labor rates according to your local market. 

Also, ChatGPT isn't an expert and may get the overall structure, details to include, and technical specifications wrong. It's best used as a starting point.

To create accurate proposals and quotes, it's advisable to use an AI program trained on data related to your industry and business operations, like Titan Intelligence.

Creating an estimate with Titan Intelligence automatically populates prices directly from your pricebook. And since the pricebook regularly updates itself with the latest prices, each quote and proposal is accurate and current.

Titan Intelligence also generates multiple proposal options for you to present to your clients. This means you can show them two or more proposals so they can select the one that best suits their budget.

8. Create SOPs

You can use ChatGPT to draft clear, step-by-step SOPs tailored to your business. Describe the task, and ChatGPT will create a professional SOP you can use when onboarding new technicians, for example, or to maintain service standards.  

Example prompt: ‘Create a standard operating procedure for annual HVAC system maintenance.’

This is the result you’ll get:

You can print and laminate SOPs for field techs or upload them to an internal knowledge base for easy access.

What to keep in mind: Review ChatGPT-generated SOPs for accuracy and tailor them to your procedures and local codes. 

9. Create Customer Satisfaction Questionnaires

ChatGPT can generate survey questions that match your tone, service type, and customer segment. This could be a three-question rating form or a detailed survey with open-ended feedback. 

You can specify formats and build follow-up questions based on customer satisfaction levels.

After generating the questionnaire, you can save it to Google Drive and send it to clients after each service visit.

Example prompt: ‘Create a 5-question satisfaction survey for customers who just had an HVAC system installed. Include a mix of rating and open-ended questions.’

Here’s the result:

What to keep in mind: Providing a customer experience that enhances satisfaction is difficult if your business still runs on manual systems. Relying on paper forms or random spreadsheets to track customer feedback, appointment bookings, and cancellations inevitably leads to errors, delays, and lost opportunities. 

That's where ServiceTitan comes in. 

ServiceTitan’s Customer Experience platform can help you effectively manage your customers. 

Customers can book an appointment on your website without calling the office. They can conveniently pick a time and explain their issue in detail using just their smartphones. 

Even if a customer prefers to call, ServiceTitan’s Customer Experience platform enhances their experience. 

As CSRs engage with the customer, dynamic drop-down menus appear, pre-populated with context-specific options for capturing information. This allows CSRs to focus on actively listening to the customer rather than fumbling with keyboards.

ServiceTitan automatically records and uploads the call to the CRM.

These call recordings can be used to train other employees to provide an exceptional customer experience. Supervisors can also review calls to address missteps, like rude responses or missed questions, before they become a habit and damage the company's reputation.

When the day comes for their appointment, customers receive a notification to remind them, so they don’t forget it. 

They also get a detailed description of the technician assigned to fix their issue, alongside their ETA.

10. Ask ChatGPT for More Ways to Use It for HVAC

The examples we've explored barely scratch the surface of what ChatGPT can do for your HVAC business. You can use it in a myriad of other ways, such as:

• Creating a regimen for training new hires

• Brainstorming business strategies

• Generating descriptions for new HVAC products

• Troubleshooting common HVAC issues

To discover these use cases, use the prompt below to prompt ChatGPT to surface other valuable ways you can use it to grow your HVAC business.

Example prompt: ‘Share 10 ways you can help my HVAC business operate more efficiently.’

Here’s the outcome:

What to keep in mind: ChatGPT provides fast responses to your questions, but if an answer doesn't fit your desired response, you could say, ‘Expand on the output,’ ‘make the output shorter,’ or, ‘rewrite this for more clarity.’

Also, it's important to note that ChatGPT isn't a standalone tool and works better when paired with industry experience.

What Are Some ChatGPT Alternatives HVAC Contractors Should Know?

Aside from ChatGPT, other powerful AI tools can help improve your HVAC business.

Below are the top ChatGPT alternatives you could consider:

• Google Gemini: Gemini works as an AI assistant in Google Workspace. Gemini is a great ChatGPT alternative for your operations if you already use Google tools like Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Sheets for your communication or documentation.

• Claude: Claude is an AI chatbot created by Anthropic. It excels at summarizing documents and generating content. 

• Mistral: Mistral is an open-source technical AI tool that can be modified to suit your work process. It's great for automating tasks and creating AI agents.

How Is AI Used in HVAC?

AI can help HVAC businesses automate business processes, reducing costs and improving customer service. 

Here are some other AI use cases in the HVAC industry:

• Smart scheduling and dispatch: AI can ensure the right technician is sent to the right job at the right time.

• Performance tracking: AI gives managers insight into technician productivity, customer satisfaction, and job profitability.

• Smart marketing: Instead of relying on guesswork, AI analyzes customer behavior, service history, and weather patterns to suggest when and how best to reach your customers.

• GPS-enabled timesheets: AI enables HVAC companies to track their technicians’ work hours using GPS. Rather than manually filling out timesheets, the system uses the technicians' location to update them in real time.

You should know, however, that although AI tools are great, they are only as good as the information they are trained on.

While incredibly powerful for general tasks, AI tools like ChatGPT have limited utility since they are only trained on publicly available HVAC data. As such, they will likely offer generalized advice that’s not actionable or practical.

This is precisely where ServiceTitan's purpose-built AI, Titan Intelligence, distinguishes itself. Unlike general AI models, Titan Intelligence isn't trained on generic internet data. 

Instead, it learns from the massive, proprietary dataset of thousands of successful home service businesses that use the ServiceTitan platform daily, including your data. Without breaching anyone’s privacy, of course.

It understands the unique characteristics of the HVAC industry, such as:

• Process workflows

• Pricing strategies

• Customer behaviors and operational challenges

Ready to take advantage of the Titan Intelligence on ServiceTitan? Click here to book a demo.

ServiceTitan is a comprehensive software platform designed to help home service companies increase revenue, enhance operations, and drive business growth.

Our all-in-one, cloud-based solution is widely adopted by thousands of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and garage door companies across the country.