Your tech is at a house for a tune-up. While they are there, they notice the water heater is 14 years old and weeping at the base. They mention it to the homeowner, who says, "Good to know, we'll keep an eye on it."
Eight months later the tank fails. The homeowner googles "water heater replacement" and calls someone else.
That job was yours. Your tech found it first. Nobody followed it up.
The short version
- Your techs find future work on almost every visit. Most of it is mentioned once and lost.
- Record it on the visit: what, where, how urgent, with a photo.
- Follow it up at the right time: a quote now for urgent work, a reminder later for the rest.
- Let clients say "remind me later" or "no thanks", so it never feels like pressure.
Why recommendations matter
The best leads you will ever get are not from ads. They are from inside your clients' homes, found by your own techs, for clients who already trust you.
A recommendation is different from a cold sale:
- The client has seen the problem, often with the tech pointing at it
- There is no competition yet; nobody else knows
- The client already likes your service
- The work is planned, not an emergency, so it fits your quiet weeks
What to record
A recommendation is only useful if someone can act on it later. On every one, record:
- What: "Water heater, 14 years old, weeping at the base"
- Where: which property, which unit
- How urgent: now, within a year, keep an eye on it
- A photo: the rust, the crack, the worn part
- A rough price, if the tech knows it
A note in the tech's head is not a recommendation. A note on a sticky pad is barely better. It needs to live on the property's record, where the office and the next tech can see it.
How to follow up without being pushy
Urgent work: send a quote the same day, with the photo. "Here's the quote for the heater Mike mentioned today. The photo shows the corrosion at the base."
Soon, but not urgent: a reminder before the season it matters. A furnace part before winter, a sump pump before the spring thaw.
Keep an eye on it: mention it at the next visit, with the photo from last time. "Here's how it looked last year, and here's today."
And let the client decide. A simple "Remind me later" or "No thanks" keeps the relationship good, and tells you who to follow up and who to leave alone.
Make it part of every visit
- Add an "anything else you noticed?" step to every visit checklist
- Give techs a quick way to log it on the phone, with a photo, in under a minute
- Have the office review new recommendations daily or weekly, and send quotes
- Track which recommendations turn into jobs, and celebrate the techs who find them
How crewduo handles recommendations
- Recommendations (from Van): techs log work a property needs on the phone, with photos, while they are there.
- Follow them up and turn them into quotes in a tap.
- Clients see recommendations in their portal and can choose Remind me later or No thanks.
- Equipment and maintenance due (Crew plan): what is installed at each property, and when it next needs service.
- A follow-up board keeps open follow-ups visible until they are done.
See how winning work works, or read about maintenance plans that bring you back every year.
Quick answers
Will clients feel sold to? Not if it is honest and they can say no. A photo and a clear explanation feel like good service, not a sales pitch.
Should techs earn commission on recommendations? Many shops pay a small commission when a recommendation becomes a job. It rewards looking, as long as the recommendations stay honest.
What if the client gets it done elsewhere? Sometimes they will. But the client who hears about it from you first, with a photo and a quote, usually comes back to you.
