It is minus 25 at 7 a.m. Someone presses the opener, hears a bang, and the door will not move. The car is inside. They have to be at work in an hour.
They call the first garage door company that answers. If that company can come today, with the right springs on the van, it gets the job, and probably the opener replacement next year.
The short version
- Torsion springs fail most often in the first deep cold. Plan for the spike.
- Answer the phone and give a time today. Speed wins this job.
- Have the right springs and parts on every van, and know what is on each one.
- Do a safety check on every visit, and record what is next to fail.
- Get paid on the driveway, before you leave.
Plan for the cold snap
Spring failures spike in the first deep cold. When the forecast drops, you know what is coming:
- Keep flex time in each tech's day for same-day calls
- Check van stock: the common spring sizes, cables, drums, rollers
- Have the phone covered at 7 a.m., when people find out
Answer fast, give a time
The client with a stuck car is not shopping for the best price. They want someone today. The company that answers and says "We can be there by 11" wins.
- Answer every call, or have overflow covered
- Ask the right questions: is the door open or closed, is a spring visibly broken, is a cable off
- Give a window, and send a reminder with the tech's arrival time
The right parts on the right van
Nothing loses a same-day repair like "I'll have to come back with the right spring."
- Know your most common spring sizes and keep them on every van
- Track stock by van, so you know who has what before you dispatch
- Record the parts used on each job, and reorder before you run out
Make every visit count
Every repair is a chance to look at the whole door:
- Do a safety inspection: balance, auto-reverse, cables, rollers, the opener
- Photograph what you find
- Record recommendations: the other spring that is the same age, the opener that is near the end
- Offer a yearly tune-up before next winter
Get paid on the driveway
Garage door repairs are often one-off clients. Collect before the van leaves:
- Tap to pay on the phone, or a card reader
- Or an invoice with a pay link, sent while the client is standing there
How crewduo helps garage door companies
- Same-day repairs: see who is free and closest, book the emergency into the day (Crew plan for dispatch suggestions), and send the tech with the client's details and access notes.
- Springs on the van (Crew plan): stock per vehicle, parts used on each job, and purchase orders when stock runs low.
- Paid on the driveway: tap to pay or a card reader (Crew plan), or a pay link on every invoice.
- Door safety inspection form with photos, and recommendations for what is next to fail.
- Recurring contracts for yearly tune-ups and commercial overhead door service.
See crewduo for garage door companies, or read about charging a call-out fee.
Quick answers
Should we replace both springs if only one broke? Most companies recommend replacing them as a pair, since they wear together. Explain why, and quote both.
Can we handle commercial overhead doors too? Yes. Commercial clients can have several properties, recurring service contracts and their own invoicing.
How do we stop running out of springs? Track stock per van, record parts used on each job, and reorder at a minimum level.
