NATE and technicians are successfully partnering to communicate the importance of certification to consumers. Helping in the effort will be a national advertising campaign from March-April 2007.

Making purchases used to be a simple matter. Whatever the store offered, that’s what consumers bought. Special orders and specific demands weren’t a priority and if it didn’t work, the customer had to deal with it. Over the years, things have changed drastically and now consumers find themselves in the driver’s seat. They ask for what they want and they get it, or they go somewhere else. When it comes to qualified technicians, however, consumers don’t always know what to ask for. That’s where North American Technician Excellence’s (NATE’s) marketing strategies step in.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

When asked if they wanted a dependable, skilled technician to service their home comfort system, 87 percent of customers replied, “Yes.” One tool that NATE offers contractors and customers to meet this need is its Consumer Contractor Connection page on the Website. This free-service page allows contractors who have 25 percent or more of their technicians NATE certified to list their company. It also gives consumers direct access to contractors with NATE certified technicians. Once on the site, consumers are greeted with an explanation of NATE certification and given the ability to search an area by zip code, within a certain distance of their home.

“I’ve gotten a couple of sales from customers who found me listed on the NATE Website,” said Bob Boldt, owner of Bob Boldt HVAC. “I even had to turn a few away who were not in my service area.”

GETTING THE WORD OUT

But how do technicians drive customers to the site? How do they convince consumers that they need to request NATE certified technicians all the time? A new survey from Service Roundtable reported that NATE certified technicians have fewer callbacks than technicians who aren’t NATE certified. The survey also showed lower warranty expenses and higher billing efficiency rates, translating into more profit and financial stability for the contractor and more reliability and greater convenience for the consumer. This is proof that can be shared with consumers along with multiple other strategies.

“We put NATE logo ads in the local paper, logos on service vehicles, our Website, and employee bios, and we wear all our chevrons on our uniform shirts,” said Christopher Van Dyke, service department manager, JR Putman Inc. “Some customers know about NATE and others ask what the patches represent.”

Brennan’s Heating & A/C Service also includes NATE information on all of its advertising. The company has recently begun to distribute a brochure on NATE certification to all of its customers.

“We have had a few customers request NATE certified technicians only,” said Donald Brennan, president, Brennan’s Heating & A/C Service.

Another contractor uses a different strategy.

“We advertise on our vans and in the newspaper and Yellow Pages,” said small town contractor, Paul Pippin, technical controls specialist, Carwile Mechanical Contractors Inc. “NATE allows the customer to choose a technician based on a certain set of minimum standards, and being from a small town, there is a lot of trust placed in word of mouth.” NATE is catching on.

MESSAGE INCOMPLETE

Unfortunately, many consumers don’t know to request NATE technicians. In fact, many don’t know what a NATE certified technician is.

“Most of the customers do not have a clue what NATE is,” said Eric Brown, service manager, Mann Refrigeration Inc. “We include, in all of our advertising, that we employ NATE certified technicians, but are only receiving approximately a 1 percent response rate.”

“Customers like the idea, but none of them have heard of it before,” said Jason Ellington, vice president, Duron Smith A/C & Heat Inc. “We all ask every customer we see, however, the only ones who have heard of NATE is someone we have recently serviced.”

NATE is successfully reaching the industry, and the industry in turn is reaching out to the consumer community. The message hasn’t saturated the market yet.

“I am not aware of anyone saying they chose us because of our certified techs, but I do view it as another tool in our toolbox,” said Scott Robinson, president, Apple Heating & Cooling. Robinson’s company currently wears NATE patches on its uniforms, has the logo on its Website and Yellow Pages ads, and mentions it in its hold messages.

“We use it in our sales presentations as a way to differentiate ourselves from our competition and build value,” noted Robinson. “When given a choice, customers prefer a certified technician. It provides them with some peace of mind.”

COMMUNICATION TAKES TIME

As time goes on, NATE and contractors are successfully partnering to communicate the importance of certification to consumers.

“Consumers are getting more educated before purchasing equipment and services,” said Rick Kincel, technical instructor and instructional designer for HVAC Learning Solutions, Service Experts. “The Internet has given them a medium for research unheard of in the past. I have had customers find my information on the Internet and call me from across the country to gather information to make a more educated buying decision or to offer advice in making decisions on repair. NATE has given me, a regular HVAC technician, credibility in the customer’s eye.”

NATE is helping in the effort by launching national advertisements on public television stations from March-April 2007. A NATE spot will appear on airport and hospital channels in the same time period. According to NATE, over 85 million homeowners will be exposed to a NATE spot on MSNBC.

“Once the general public knows more about NATE, it will increase the demand for certified technicians,” said Sarah Brink, owner, Kettle Moraine Heating & Air Conditioning LLC. “We will definitely keep informing our prospective customers about NATE — it is a pretty cool thing.”