5 Reasons to Work with a Commercial HVAC REP

Professional life has changed significantly over the last 20 years.  Where we once picked up a phone, we now click keys on a keyboard.  Shelves of binders and books used to be the norm for accessing information and now bookmarked tabs on a browser or the ever-prevalent Google search.  Additionally, technology is now changing at more rapid pace than ever before.  For example, in the early 1990s, very few people carried a mobile phone.  Today, most people have severed land lines in favor of cell phones which are virtually computers with high-functioning cameras carried in pockets. 

The commercial HVAC world is no different. Manufacturers are releasing equipment that include smartphone apps for greater insight and control, and they are focusing more on developing equipment with smaller footprints and greater efficiency.  But there are a variety of manufacturers offering equipment for every application.  How do design engineers, building owners and contractors sort through the vast quantities of information available to select the equipment that best suits the application?

There are at least five reasons you may want to contact a manufacturer’s rep as you begin any HVAC system design or retrofit.

1. Product knowledge. Commercial HVAC equipment is increasingly complex and rapidly evolving.  What was innovative five years ago may have been surpassed by equipment which is more energy efficient or requires less maintenance.  Reps have access to in-depth product information direct from the manufacturer.  Additionally, they have a thorough understanding of how compatible equipment can work together to increase system efficiency and/or lower life cycle costs.  If there are space restraints, a manufacturer’s rep can help you maximize performance with the right equipment.  Or, they can help troubleshoot problems after installation.   
   
   
2. Experience.  With more than 70 years in the marketplace, Hoffman & Hoffman has been involved in thousands of HVAC system design projects.  Typically, manufacturer reps are entrenched in the marketplace and have technical sales consultants who hone their product knowledge and skills for years.  Individually, they spend hundreds of hours working with design engineers, contractors and building owners to select, install, and commission equipment.  Cumulatively, the experience amounts to many thousands of hours.  Essentially, they’ve seen it all.  
   
   
3. Relationships. A manufacturer’s rep works with the manufacturer, architects, HVAC design engineers, contractors, and building owners.  From project beginning to end, a rep can encounter a wide variety of industry experts and buyers.  Working with a rep can help you leverage those relationships to get your projects done expertly.  And, with a hotline to the manufacturer, reps can help should any problems arise on-site during the project or even years after installation.
   
   
4. Customer service. A rep exists simply to serve the customer.  Phone calls get answered.  Emails are returned.  A good rep surpasses expectations and shows you how important your projects…and you…are to their business.
   
   
5. Territory coverage. Many HVAC design engineers and commercial developers work on commercial building projects across a wide range of cities and states.  Working with a rep who has a broad territory can help you maintain consistency across projects.

These are just a few of the reasons why working with manufacturer reps can help you increase efficiency, maximize performance, and maybe even lower equipment life cycle costs.