OSS vs. VSS: Which Is The Best System For Your Business?
Are you facing sales objections more often than you’d care to admit? Are you spending more on marketing due to COVID-19? If you’re a business owner in the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry, these questions should for better or worse sound somewhat familiar. According to Contracting Business (CB), the pandemic has done more to disrupt HVAC business operations than any other event that ever came before it.
We are fully aware that this is a difficult time for you and other HVAC dealers. After all we’ve been getting solid sales and marketing results for over 470 HVAC companies for several years in a row and we do this on a monthly basis! Some otherwise would-be customers now don’t want you in their household. Added to this, you face issues while trying to provide the actual service with a physical presence. What do you do? What can you do? Thankfully, we’ve got all the answers so you better keep on reading.
Going Virtual, The Right Way
One way to remain relevant under the current circumstances is to move part of the company’s business online. You may already know this. In fact, you may already have a decent website. However you may not still be aware of the one system that can quickly make a TON of difference in your business under the current climate. It doesn’t cost a fortune and it can make or break your sales process.
Closing the biggest percentage of your business online requires several things, sure. We outline everything in our 12 Step Roadmap. But for the most part, if you already have a website, you’re good to go. You definitely do not need a new one. If you do, get a RAD site set up within days. You also do not need to invest more in a complete marketing package. All you need is a sales and service system add-on. Two popular sales and service system options for hvac digital marketing owners are the Online Scheduling System (OSS)and theVirtual Sales and Service System (VSS).
We’ll be comparing both systems so you can make an informed decision if you do decide you need to have a virtual sales environment in place that will keep your business running during these difficult times.
Ease of Use
As far as ease of use is concerned, both systems score very high. We can have the system installed on your website in a matter of a day or two, and with just one quick training session of about 15 to 30 minutes, your staff will have either system running in no time. For a system that can perform so many different functions, VSS is surprisingly easy to use. If both systems were boxers rather than plug-ins, I would say, as they say in boxing circles, the best boxer pound for pound is the VSS.
Customer Support
With its virtual diagnostic features, the VSS can help you diagnose your customer’s HVAC systems from a distance. With virtual inspection, VSS lets you show your customers that repairs will not be an issue, and that you will be in and out in no time. Its virtual inspection platform enables you to know what to do beforehand. You therefore won’t spend much time in their homes. The OSS, on the other hand, while getting leads, documents, and holding meetings online, still requires your physical presence at your client’s home before even the diagnosis can usually be made. Apart from the health risks involved, this also adds to the overhead expenses from driving back and forth.
Cost
The OSS costs $99 monthly but has been decreased to $50 monthly. That adds up to $600 per annum. The VSS, on the other hand, costs $499 monthly but has seen a reduction to $299 monthly and $3,588 annually. If cost is your only parameter for deciding which add-on solution will get you more sales during these trying times, then OSS is probably your winner. However, with the VSS known to close sales faster, the difference in cost will be covered up within a relatively short period.
With the complete Virtual Sales and Service System you can help your customers save money with straightforward financing options, specials, promotions, and discounts. These are all included in every package.
It is worth noting that without a comprehensive system like the VSS, you will have to spend a bigger sum on marketing to get sales. You may end up spending more on marketing than you’ve ever done while getting fewer sales than you did before the crisis.
Safety
The pandemic has made safety a big issue for most of your customers. It is imperative that you give preference to a system that reduces the contact time between your staff and customers. While your staff can make online discussions and zoom meetings with your clients using the OSS, the actual service requires that your technicians be physically present to diagnose and manage problems. This may result in outright rejections or customer dissatisfaction. Not exactly what your business needs right now.
With a VSS, you’ll reduce the time for job completion. You’ll also minimize the risk of possible Coronavirus exposure for both your customer and your staff. Repairs are usually not an issue due to the virtual inspection carried out beforehand.
Customer Satisfaction
With the OSS, a lot can go wrong as you try to fix HVAC systems in person without having a clue on what to expect. From sending the wrong technician to not sending the right tools or equipment, you just get it wrong sometimes. A diagnostic tool like the VSS, on the other hand, provides you ample information beforehand. You already have all or most of the information you need. With the aid of virtual inspection, you already know what to do. You’re, therefore, in and out of their homes in no time.
Which of these two scenarios will actually guarantee greater customer satisfaction?
Online Scheduling
Both the OSS and the VSS provide online scheduling platforms for your website visitors. With this, customers and prospects can schedule appointments and meetings and confirm them with ease.
With any of these systems, you will leave behind the days when your customers and prospects had to call, sometimes several times, and stay on hold waiting to book an appointment.
They both pretty much excel in this area.
Online Payments
But then, if you’re looking to go beyond scheduling and you really want to be able to receive payments online, the VSS is your partner for the next couple of years (technology moves fast!). It has a secure payment platform that will make your clients happy and enable you to close sales faster. It is safe, easy to use, fast, and convenient.
Payment platforms are known to increase your customer base and they also improve your business’ overall performance. It’s all about trust.
Conclusion
Both OSS and VSS have many cool features. For instance, they both can be used to share documents online. They can both
also be used by clients and prospective clients to schedule and confirm appointments. Zoom meetings are also available
on both systems.
However, the VSS has many more features than the OSS. The former can easily take payments online and help you diagnose
your customers’ systems. It also has Team Communication, Chatbots for your website, Facebook, and HVAC Troubleshooting.
Added to these, the VSS also provides a Virtual Sales Website and a Filter Subscription System, which can easily help
you make money while you sleep by selling filters throughout your service areas.
Are the extra features on the VSS worth the $200 monthly difference in price? I would say they are. Under the current circumstances, your clients will most likely appreciate the ease, speed, and social distancing that these extra features
bring to the table. This will undoubtedly lead to benefits from word of mouth for your impressive and cutting-edge home services solutions.
And when things do return to normal, as we hope they will within months, this will be an added stream of revenue. Here at hvac marketing company, we specialize in solutions that sell your services the right way and get you paid from a distance. Contact us today for more information on how smart HVAC contractors like you can get more sales during these challenging times.
I’ll begin by looking at the pros and cons of each system. I’ll then enumerate the main features, before discussing the solutions in greater detail. Finally, I’ll tell you which of them has the edge over the other.
HVAC Conversion Systems
General Features
OSS
- Client Portal Page
- Web Conversion Forms
- Online Lead Capture Widget
- Online Document Sharing
- Online Scheduling
- Automated Appointment Reminders
- Virtual Zoom Meetings
- Email Campaigns
- 250 Text Campaign Credits
VSS
- Online scheduling
- Virtual zoom meetings
- Online doc sharing
- Email and text marketing sys
- Taking payments online
- AI chatbot for website
- AI Chatbot for Facebook
- Chatbot HVAC troubleshooting
- Recurring subscription
- Merchant account integration
- Virtual sales website
- Maintenance subscription system
- One time product sale
- Filter subscription system
- Filter give away promotion
- Virtual sales center
