Industry
HVAC CRM vs General CRM: Why Industry-Specific Matters
Salesforce and HubSpot are great. Just not for HVAC. Here is why industry-specific CRM features matter for service businesses.
December 15, 2024
6 min read
The Appeal of General CRMs
Salesforce has great reporting. HubSpot has nice marketing automation. Monday.com is flexible. So why not use them for your HVAC business?
Because they are built for sales teams that close deals over email. Not service businesses that dispatch trucks.
What HVAC CRMs Need That General CRMs Lack
Property-Based Records
General CRMs track contacts. HVAC businesses track properties. A landlord might own 50 properties. A property management company might manage 200. You need to see service history by property, not just by contact name.Equipment Tracking
What is installed at 123 Main Street? When was it installed? What is the model number? When does the warranty expire? General CRMs have no concept of equipment.Service History
Every visit to a property builds history. What was done, what was found, what was recommended. This history lives with the property, even when ownership changes.Scheduling Integration
CRM and scheduling need to talk. When a customer calls, dispatchers need to see their service history while booking. General CRMs treat scheduling as an afterthought.Field Access
Your technicians need access in the field. Not the full CRM, but relevant customer info, equipment details, and service history. General CRMs are built for desktops.The Cost of Forcing a General CRM
Shops that use Salesforce or HubSpot for HVAC operations typically:When General CRMs Make Sense
If you are a large commercial HVAC company with complex sales cycles and enterprise customers, Salesforce might make sense. You have the resources to customize it and staff to maintain it.
For residential and light commercial HVAC shops, purpose-built software wins.