This tech tip was inspired by a Facebook post by Jason Julian in the HVAC School Group. Jason is the owner of his own HVAC business, Julian Heat & Air, and was part of the 2024 HVACR Training Symposium's Small Business Roundtable. Thanks, Jason!

HVAC work is NOT easy. Some installs (and even service calls) can turn into pretty complex projects. On an install, you could end up routing copper tubing and drain piping, and you might even do a duct upgrade or install a dehumidifier. Even if we just do a simple like-for-like changeout, we still use many different skills all at once. It’s a lot to expect one person to handle on their own.

Those of us who are fortunate enough to lead or work with a good team know the value of teamwork—of not handling everything alone. Teamwork ensures that complex projects are completed efficiently and effectively, and it can bring out the best in every individual on the team. 

Here are some reasons why teamwork is important in HVAC:

1. Safety

Safety is the top concern for our customers, and it should be the top concern among technicians as well. 

There’s no shortage of hazards in HVAC work. HVAC School already has several tech tips about these. (They aren’t official OSHA training materials, but these articles cover the many eye, hand, electrical, and respiratory hazards, not to mention fall risks when we have to get onto ladders.) 

But at this time of year, hydration is also a serious concern. It’s all too easy for someone to be hard at work installing a new unit or ductwork in an unconditioned attic and think, “I’ll power through this—I’ll be fine,” and then end up suffering from heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

Having a team that you can count on will bring safety in numbers; with more people on-site to see a dangerous situation, it’s more likely someone will speak up and prevent a serious injury or illness. But it also helps to have buddies who can remind you to drink water, wear gloves while handling sharp or hot objects, and promote safer practices in general. 

2. Efficient problem-solving

It’s unlikely that your team will consist of people with the exact same background and years of experience. You may have an odd squad with a few old-timers who have been in the trade for over 30 years, some young guns fresh out of trade school, some mid-career folks, or even people from different trades who wanted a change of pace. Each one brings a unique perspective to the table. 

People who have worked on HVAC systems for decades know the systems inside and out—they’ve been there, done that. Younger people grew up with smartphones, and using software like measureQuick or Conduit Tech might be second nature to them. Those are two very different but useful skills to have on your team, and techs can learn them from each other.

With a solid team, you can combine strengths and tackle a problem or task from several angles, not just one. Collaboration reduces the margin for error (i.e., fewer callbacks) and saves time that might otherwise have been spent trying to reach out to tech support.

Problems also don’t just happen at the equipment; customer communication requires a unique skill set, and situations like misunderstandings can cause problems. 

3. Improved customer service 

Soft skills are just as important as hard skills in residential HVAC. You’re in customers’ homes and sometimes having difficult financial discussions with them. We all have our own communication styles, and some of your team members will be naturally better at positive yet honest communication than others. 

Since soft skills can be developed like any other skill, you can roleplay with team members to prepare for calls and hone your skills. It’s one thing to take a class or have a meeting about customer communication; it’s another to practice what you’ve learned in a controlled environment where you can get feedback from team members.

Practicing a range of scenarios with your peers ahead of time can help you handle just about any call with confidence. That way, you’re not caught off guard when you come across a difficult situation with a customer. (No matter how great of a tech you may be, it happens to the best of us!)

4. Knowledge sharing 

As with soft skills, technicians can also learn hard skills from each other—as well as more efficient ways of doing things on the job site.

Some people bring knowledge about niche services and technologies with them, like building performance or dehumidification. Being on a team allows them to share their knowledge with everyone, not just keep it to themselves and not offer those services to customers. 

Your teammates can also share resources like the many free webinars on HVACR Learning Network, the YouTube channels of trades educators like Craig Migliaccio (AC Service Tech) and Ty Branaman (love2hvac), and HVAC School. 

Mentorship is also a huge part of the trade. Many of us started out in a van with a senior tech and learned the basics of the trade from them. While we could study the RACT manual with monklike devoutness, we obtain most of our field knowledge by watching others and lending a hand (or having them offer to help us).

5. Accountability 

It’s easy to let standards slip unintentionally if no one is watching. However, it’s a lot harder when you have other people on the job site. 

Your teammates can remind you to wear those safety glasses if you pick up a brazing torch without putting them on, or they can let you know when that “good enough” duct sealing job could be better. Sometimes, a shortcut seems like a good idea—after all, you may believe that you’ve handled a torch enough times that you won’t burn yourself or hurt your eyes. However, when someone says, “Hey, put your gloves and safety glasses on,” they reduce your risk of injury (and it’s nice to know that someone has your back).

When you’re doing install jobs that take several hours, your teammates can also remind each other of the tasks they’re supposed to be doing and where they can help bring a project over the finish line in time. It can be tempting to open Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok while you’re waiting for a decay test, but if someone needs you to help clean up parts of the job site or check their work on the duct system, that’s a better use of time.

6. Enhanced creativity 

Collaborative problem-solving can lead to innovative solutions and more effective system designs.

There isn’t nearly as much energy in a one-on-one conversation with your boss as there is in a meeting with all the people on your team. While the adage “two heads are better than one” is definitely true, “the more the merrier” is even truer. When you have meetings with a team, you can apply more minds to the problems you’re all facing in the field.

Sometimes, these issues are related to the way houses were built in specific neighborhoods (e.g., with space constraints or issues with the building envelope), and techs can share their ways of dealing with these issues. The hope is that the entire team can share ways to work smarter, not harder, and solve problems that everyone comes across. How can we make the most of tight spaces? What are your teammates doing to keep themselves from getting hurt (or at least sore) in less-than-ideal crawl space or closet installation tasks?

At Julian Heat & Air, the team has weekly roundtable meetings for that very purpose. A roundtable is a great idea for people to bounce ideas off of each other.

When leadership is also involved, team members feel like their contributions and concerns are being heard. When everyone can comment on an issue, leadership can understand the true scope of the situation and be held accountable for making changes that benefit everyone.

7. Better work distribution

Workload management is key to maintaining a low callback rate. Callbacks especially happen when techs or installers have too much to do and feel rushed. While service calls are a bit more random, installation and maintenance procedures can benefit from thoughtful scheduling. How can we divide labor-intensive tasks among team members?

Delegating tasks among team members allows you to be clear about what needs to be done and the timeline of completion. Everyone should know what their role is without the burden of the entire install or PM on their shoulders.

Then, instead of spending eight hours on an installation and leaving it all to one person, can we cut that down to five or six hours with thorough commissioning? Delegating tasks allows people to work on different tasks at the same time, cutting down the time it takes to do each task individually. The leftover time can be spent optimizing the system, and customers are usually happy when you finish ahead of schedule anyway. (That is, as long as you don’t finish early because of carelessness!) Having more hands involved in the project adds the accountability layer, which makes callbacks far less likely. 

Not to mention, technicians who have less on their plate are less likely to make mistakes due to the high-stress nature of HVAC work. 

8. Professional growth

At the end of the day, we’re all in this trade together. There are trade communities everywhere—whether you frequent the HVAC-Talk forum, r/HVAC on Reddit, or the HVAC School Facebook group, there’s something for everyone.

We can find that community online, but isn’t it nice to have that camaraderie and support in person every single day?

Working together gives you a natural support system with people who understand what it’s like to be a tradesperson. While a spouse or friend in a different line of work can be a source of motivation and support, they won’t be able to provide the same professional support that your HVAC brethren can. Has someone tried a different niche in HVAC that you want to get into? Talk to them about it! Want to go to a trade event like the AHR Expo or HVAC Excellence but don’t feel comfortable going alone? There’s surely someone on your team who’d like to join you!  

For a lot of people, working with their brothers and sisters in the trade is much better than feeling like the responsibility of a tradesperson is theirs to carry alone. 

Teamwork is an often overlooked aspect of the industry, but it can elevate businesses and individual HVAC professionals alike. By prioritizing teamwork, HVAC companies like Julian Heat & Air provide exceptional service and develop their talent all at once. When everyone on a team is committed to doing the best work possible, teamwork is one of those things that creates a win-win-win situation that benefits the HVAC professionals, the customers, and the business.