The Benefits Of Using Wearable Technology In Field Service
AC Repair On Air, At Las Vegas Air Conditioning
For the past few years, we have been conducting field studies on wearable technology in the HVAC industry. We have been sending our technicians out into the field to perform Live AC Repair in Las Vegas, NV. They are wearing Google Glass and a few other wearable tech pieces. We’ve tested the response from homeowners, response from technicians and ultimately noticed some very unexpected benefits. Some benefits were clear and some more hidden but the benefits were huge. In this piece, I’ll illustrate all the benefits I’ve seen or learned possibly from what we have done. I attended and spoke at the #EWTS15 Enterprise Wearable Technology Summit hosted by Brain Exchange and tried many products like the Vizix and tried software like XOEYE and Steve or Ubimax or even the Google Glass partner APX. With all these emerging software’s options are almost unlimited.
I’m Stephen Gamst of Las Vegas Air Conditioning; we’ve been servicing homeowners for all air conditioning and heating repair needs since 1969. We have an almost perfect record and no bad reviews in all the years but still, we needed to be better. Wearable technology is our answer. Since implementing wearable Tech we have tripled in size and our website has jumped in ranking so fast we could barely handle all the extra work. But, there are worse problems to have, so we manage. We have been written and talked about time and time again and recently were listed as #46 in Top 50 Businesses In America For Customer Service and Technology. Simply amazing is our thought and a wearable tech is a mandatory tool now, that we just can’t imagine going without. And, all that just because we use wearables to provide a better customer experience, don’t know if we deserve it but we won’t argue.
The Benefits!
- Efficiency: Productivity and Efficiency can be increased by giving field technicians a tool, that would allow managers or senior technicians to log in and view what the technician is doing. The senior technician could sit in the office, watching an entire team of lesser field workers and give advice when needed. That senio
r technician could actually grab a part, for instance a contractor, which is a regular part in an air conditioner. He could place the contactor in front of the screen, scan the part and it would upload onto the tec
hnicians display or pad using the HP My Room. The senior tech could then draw on the screen illustrating to the newer technician how to wire the part in the field. If a company had a process like this in place imagine every repair is done right - Customer Service: Imagine a mechanic, a plumber or an air conditioning repairman that knocks on your door in that dreaded time when something breaks. He hands you an I-Pad and says “Ok here’s your live feed, you will be able to watch as we troubleshoot, diagnose and repair your air conditioner or heater. That has proven to be valuable in basically all homeowner’s eyes as they already don’t trust service men, so why not give them a live feed as that’s hard to argue. That’s customer service that’s through the roof. Now imagine that you tell a wife that she needs to perform a $1000 repair. She say’s my husband is not home, can you come back later and show him. We can do one better, we can send him the transmission and he can watch from wherever he is.
- Safety: How many new Technicians get hurt due to inexperience or bad practice? Well with the wearable tech we can watch and guide the technician through the entire service call and in a sense he’s acting like a veteran and all he has to do is follow direction.
- Marketing: In 2015 Online marketing is very important and with all the companies out there doing it wrong and trying too hard to be at the top of search engines, competition is tuff. But I’m here to share one unexpected but very welcome benefit to wearable tech is that you are collecting data that can be used for your marketing purpose both online and off. The most important thing to Google is fresh and original contentment and with the digital era going more pictures and video how do you see the easiest way to collect video, wearable tech is it. With the ability to capture your work and stream straight to Google+ or YouTube or any other place you like, you are collecting great and original content. That content can be used for your website and give you some original content that you will be rewarded for, were proof.
- ROI: Ok, Wearable Tech cost money so is it worth it. Yes is the answer if you ask me, what’s it worth to get the right man to the job. What if a junior technician goes to a job and leaves only fixing the first problem he finds, he turns on the machine but unknowingly leaves another root problem the fails tomorrow or in 1 hour even. You have to drive back and that customer is pissed plus try telling them they need to spend more money and see what they think of you. So what’s the other options? You could send out only journeymen but let’s face it they are hard to find these days and when you do they can be expensive to have all journeymen. Or, you could have just a few journeymen at the office enjoying the col air and watching all you junior technicians work chiming in before any mistakes are made. So, you get to have “twice the manpower for the same rate or the same manpower for half the rate but still, the repairs get done right because someone is always watching them.” says David Tanner of https://electricsontap.com/.
That is the future of field service and if you don’t do it soon, you’ll be the only one who isn’t and get left behind.
Stephen Gamst
Las Vegas Air Conditioning Inc
6220 Kimberly Ave unit 13
Las Vegas, NV 89122
702-437-1888
Real Live Search and Rescue Mission by Las Vegas Air Conditioning
Today we got a call from a homeowner that stated “I think there are kittens inside of my air conditioners ductwork, who can I call to have them removed”? Well our office that is apparently over sympathetic for kittens (JACKIE) sent Stephen, John and Tom to rescue these kittens. So, during a busy Las Vegas summer day we took the time to use our Google glass to record ourselves live during a real search and rescue mission.
So we arrive on scene prepared with way more cat cages than we needed, but remember we didn’t know how many kittens we’d find. This was destined to be a fun service call and rather rewarding.
Watch it here from Google Glass Search and Rescue Mission, Operation Cat Hole
So since the complaint was kittens in the ductwork I thought it best to search for their entry point into the ductwork, probably up on the roof since it was a package gas air conditioning unit on the roof. Upon reaching the roof I caught a glimpse of a furry thing is the best I could tell at this time but it vanished into what appeared to be the ductwork.
I then decided to go inside of the attic and try to locate the kittens and cut open ductwork to remove them. But upon entering the attic I realized that the area I saw the kitten run to wasn’t the attic at all it was an access to the attic that wasn’t sealed. So I searched high and low, under insulation, under ductwork. I stuck my arms into places I don’t want to repeat looking for any sign of hair to no avail. I then wondered if I really saw any fur move earlier so I double checked the supposed kitten’s steps and found that the area I was seeing also had a path to under the air conditioner itself.
We now had a second option so we relocated back up to the roof and started our search there and with luck were able to locate a kitten as it came screeching out of the whole a barreled for the ledge two stories up.
The kitten plants 2 front feet on the ledge, he bends his 2 rear legs and launches his 2 front feet become air born and snatch the lifesaving hand of Stephen Gamst pulls the kitten from his impending doom.
After a few more minutes of searching we found only one more kitten and after we were sure we had retrieved all the kittens we sealed up the ladies hole to the attic free of charge because some things you do for reasons other than money.
After it was all done and said we had retrieved two kittens that our team adopted and took home to love.
By Stephen Gamst
Las Vegas Air Conditioning Inc.
6220 Kimberly Ave. #13
Las Vegas, NV 89122
The Repair Matrix is one tool that could basically “Save Your Life This Summer”. And, it’s free…
We Las Vegas residents typically don’t like calling air conditioning men to our home. They are looked at as being liars or overcharging but, with this new tool “The AC Repair Matrix” you will be able to diagnose and fix your own air conditioner simply safely and just like a pro would. And best of all, “It’s Free”.
The repair Matrix was just patented and released march 13th, 2014. It is a step by step easy to follow tutorial that will walk any homeowner or professional through diagnosing and repairing a central home air conditioner. This tool has been produced into an App for your phone but, is free to use online at https://lasvegasair.net/repair-matrix/. This process has been held secret by air conditioning companies forever in order to mystify and wow the residents or homeowners into spending big bucks. Now there’s a tool you can use that you can trust to be accurate and true.
You can use The Matrix to verify, yourself that your air conditioning repairman is telling you the truth or maybe you just want to fix the whole thing yourself. This summer is going to be cruel so remember this tool next time your ac unit poops out, maybe you can get your system blowing cool air for your dogs or children while you wait for the professional to arrive.
Either way I know this tool will amaze you. Try it out free…
Did You Check The Big 6 Yet? …..The Heat Approaches.
Routine maintenance for your air conditioner could stop the BIG 6.
The Fire rises above the mountain crest, getting closer and closer by the day. It brings the light and the much anticipated relief from the cold winter. It is summer, and it is coming. In Las Vegas, NV our summers are beyond hot. I have personally recorded temperatures of around 129 degrees 1 foot away from an air conditioner that is rated to operate in a 95 degree ambient temperature by the manufacturer.
Wow, so are air conditioners not rated to work in Las Vegas, NV or other hot parts of the country.
It’s unfortunate for us but yes air conditioners are built and designed to operate in temperatures up to 95 
degrees and may have trouble cooling the home down below 75 degrees if outdoor temperatures rise above 95 degrees. But in the hottest parts of the world we take these air conditioning systems and we install them in 110+ environments all the time. And we wonder why they break all the time. ”Max 95 degrees but its 117 out today huh”
Just Like Car’s, Air Conditioners need maintenance too.
There are numerous benefits to keeping up on your cooling system, but there a 6 Big Ones, I like to call “The big 6”…..
Here I will tell you what your big 6 worst hvac nightmares could be and how you can prevent them from becoming your reality.
1. Your ceiling caves in from water….
Your air conditioning coil is in the attic and it produces water. That water normally drains out your drain lines to the side of your home, but those drains can clog and when they do water can rise and flow over the edge of your drain pan. This water can destroy your ceiling and produce mold.
Answer. This is a huge problem but can be completely avoided by simply blowing out your drain lines yearly. Blowing out drain lines is as easy as blowing compressed gas through the drain lines to dislodge any clog or debris.
2. A Rust monster destroys your ceiling…
Your drain pan in your attic collects the water and allows it to run down into the drain lines. But, your drain pan is normally made of metal so it slowly rusts. After years of rusting it can produce a hole right in the bottom. This hole allows water to once again destroy your home and cause mold.
Answer. Again it’s avoidable during maintenance whether by you or by us it is necessary to inspect the drain pan for rust. It’s much better to catch the rust fix the problem now before you end up repairing that problem and getting a new ceiling and a mold remediation company out there.
3. Electrical monsters will eat your parts…
Your contactor closes and bridges 230 volts of power across itself every time the machine turns on. This electricity slowly burns the points of the contactor until they become rough, pitted and no longer smooth with a clean surface for contact. A damaged contactor will hurt your compressor by sending it power un-evenly. This you do not want, a compressor costs over $1200 and up to $3500 depending on size, contactors are $185.00. Now, wouldn’t you rather replace a contactor than wait and change a contactor…. and a compressor. Trust me you’re going to have to replace the contactor eventually it has roughly a 5-8 year life expectancy depending on wear and use.
Answer. Take a look at the contactor points during a routine maintenance, you will see plain as day whether they are still gold or are they turning black with burn. If they are turning black just replace it now and save yourself some future trouble.
4. The Heart could have trouble starting…
Your air conditioner has a heart too, and it likes a clean supply of fresh refrigerant in the vapor form to breathe and keep pumping. A unit that is low on Freon does not have enough vapors to properly keep the compressor cool. Outside of the fact that low on Freon makes the machine less efficient and blow warmer air it is damaging the compressor slowly. A compressor that has too much Freon will slug or pump liquid, damaging the compressor slowly.
Answer. During a routine maintenance, check the super heat and the sub cooling of the Freon levels. A machine with a perfectly charged system will last many more years. The difference in a machine that is charged close like most people have and a machine that is charged to perfection is 10 years. That means having your air conditioner charged to perfection can extend its life by as much as 10 years.
5. Burning Wires…
As the electricity flows through all the wires inside your air conditioner it slowly damages them. The more electricity or the thinner the wire, the faster the wire will burn. Also a loose connection, screw or lug can cause burning. A wire that is starting to burn will still work and you won’t know there is a problem until the wire burns off and the machine no longer works. If this happens just hope that when the wire burnt and the other wires still had power, that your machine didn’t take more expensive damage. This may or may not happen but, there is a risk.
Answer. During maintenance inspect all the wires, look closer than yes there here. Touch them and make sure they are not becoming brittle or cracking. Make sure none of the wires are turning brown or black. It is very easy to replace a slightly burning wire and tighten all the connections now. But if you don’t catch it now when the wire burns off you may be doing a lot more then changing a wire.
6. Don’t Breath Your Dirty Attic Air…
Your homes duct system was probably installed by the new construction company who eh’ probably didn’t do the best job. So we usually find small leaky where installers used duct tape instead of silicone to seal ducts. Now 3 maybe even 10 years later that tape doesn’t stick and you have a bunch of little places where dirty attic air is being pulled in and circulated throughout the home for you to breath.
Answer. During a proper inspection take a look in the attic and verify that you don’t have any duct leakage. Simply crawl through the attic and visually inspect all the duct runs you can access. Look close because even a small millimeter leak is pulling in a lot of hot air and dust. Take a bucket of silicone and a paint brush and paint every single joint in the attic. When the silicone dries your duct system will never leak again, perfect seal.
All the information in on this page can be double checked and verified at energy star :https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?
Conclusion… There are a lot of reasons to have your air conditioner or heater looked at yearly. It can be redundant but that one time you prevent a catastrophe makes it all worth it. On top of that a properly working air conditioner will run 20% more efficiently than a poor operating system and that alone will pay the service man’s bill. Just simply having your ducts painted with duct sealant can lower the energy bill by as much as 25% according to the U.S. Department of energy and energy star, visit our site at https://lasvegasair.net/ac-heating-system-maintenance/ for those links and much more information. And for a more in depth step by step tutorial on not only how to do a maintenance but also a complete guide on fixing your own air conditioner. Our patented process “The Repair Matrix” a step by step, easy to follow tutorial that anyone can follow. Check it out this link https://lasvegasair.net/repair-matrix/ here it’s free, its real and it works.
By Stephen Gamst
If you have learned something from this post sharing it with your friends and family is more that appreciated. Give us a call if you’re seeking for a trusted HVAC contractor in Las Vegas.