Call-intake checklist · Often high priority in heat — by your written rules
No-cooling (AC not cooling) call checklist
A caller says the air conditioning is running but not cooling, or has stopped. In a heat wave these calls arrive faster than anyone can take them, so consistency matters more than speed alone.
What this call usually looks like
Cooling calls peak with the first hot week of the year and stay heavy through every heat wave. Many callers have the same complaint in slightly different words — "blowing warm", "not keeping up", "stopped overnight" — and many are calling several companies at once. Offices that do well in these weeks are not the ones that talk fastest; they are the ones that capture the same details on every call and tell callers the truth about when someone can come.
Vendor material reflects this. Goodcall's HVAC buyer article describes flagging 'no heat' or 'AC outage' calls from caller language, and Avoca's HVAC pages show a Saturday 'AC not cooling' call booked for Monday morning — an example of an office rule deciding the outcome, not the call-taker.
Rules to decide before the phone rings
Cooling-season rules decide whether your board stays usable in July. Write them before the first heat wave.
- When is a cooling call urgent enough for same-day or after-hours service — never, always, or under conditions you name (heat advisories, occupant circumstances, plan members)?
- How many same-day slots are held back for urgent cooling calls, and who can release them?
- What does the caller hear when the next opening is days away? Script it, including whether a waitlist or cancellation list exists.
- Which fees must be disclosed for weekend or after-hours cooling visits?
- Do you accept new customers during peak weeks, or prioritise existing and plan customers?
What to capture on every no-cooling call
| Capture | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Name and confirmed callback number | Peak weeks mean more callbacks; a wrong number is a lost job. |
| Service address and property type | Routing and service area. |
| What the system is doing, in the caller's words | "Running but warm air" and "completely off" may be scheduled differently by your rules. |
| When it started | Helps dispatch sort a long queue. |
| Cooling equipment as described (central AC, heat pump, ductless, not sure) | Technician preparation; never guess. |
| Occupant circumstances your policy asks about | Only if your urgency rules use them. |
| Existing customer or plan member | Many offices prioritise plan members in peak weeks. |
| Any burning smell, smoke, or electrical concern mentioned | Switches to your safety-sensitive procedure. |
| Availability and access notes | More flexible customers can fill cancellations. |
| What the caller was told about timing | Prevents conflicting promises when the office calls back. |
Sample questions (adapt to your own script)
Ask: "Is the system running and blowing warm air, or has it stopped completely?"
Ask: "When did you first notice it wasn't cooling?"
Ask: "Have you noticed any burning smell or anything that worries you about safety?"
Ask: "Our next opening is [time you can see]. Would you like that, and shall I add you to our cancellation list for anything sooner?"
What not to promise on this call
- Same-day promises in weeks when the board is full.
- Guidance on adjusting, resetting or cleaning equipment unless your company has approved it for call-takers.
- Guesses about the cause ("probably just needs refrigerant").
- Price quotes for repairs.
Where the call goes next
Cooling calls become job requests on the dispatch board with the symptom in the caller's words, timing, plan status and any priority conditions your rules use. In peak weeks, dispatch — not the call-taker — decides the order of the queue. If your rules make a call urgent after hours, it follows the on-call path.
Handoff templates: Dispatch board job-request handoff · On-call technician handoff template
After hours
Evening cooling calls during a heat wave are where written rules pay off. If after-hours cooling service is only offered under certain conditions, the caller should hear that clearly and be offered the earliest real daytime option.
How the HVAC Reception concept would handle it
Proposed · not available
In the proposed HVAC Reception design, cooling calls would be captured the same way on the thousandth call of a heat wave as on the first, with your priority rules applied and a realistic answer about timing drawn only from availability you share. It would not advise callers on equipment. This is a proposed design, not a working product.
Common ways this call goes wrong
| What goes wrong | What prevents it |
|---|---|
| Every cooling call marked urgent | Define urgency conditions; urgency that applies to everything sorts nothing. |
| Callers promised same day, then rescheduled | Only offer openings dispatch has released. |
| Duplicate jobs from repeat callers | Search by phone and address before creating a new job. |
| Cancellation openings go unused | Keep a list of flexible callers with confirmed numbers. |
Frequently asked questions
Should AC-not-cooling calls be treated as emergencies?
That depends on your company. Some offices treat cooling loss as urgent only under conditions such as heat advisories or particular occupant circumstances; others book everything in order. The call-taker, human or software, should apply your written rule. Deciding case by case on the phone produces inconsistent promises.
How do we keep the board usable during a heat wave?
Hold a defined number of same-day slots for urgent calls, push routine maintenance further out, and keep a cancellation list. Avoca describes similar mechanisms — priority tiers and buffer days — in its own busy-season post. The tool matters less than having the rule.
Is it okay to tell a caller the next opening is several days away?
Yes, if it is true. Callers generally prefer an honest time and a cancellation-list offer to a same-day promise that is broken later. Script the wording so everyone says it the same way.
What should an answering service record on a cooling call?
The caller's own description of the problem, when it started, equipment as described, plan status, any safety mention, availability, and exactly what timing the caller was told. Those let dispatch sort the queue without calling back.