The AI Episode Featuring: The Duchess of Ductless Michelle LaFrance
Featuring:
- AJ of Broccoli AI
- Logan Marshall of Bluon
- Brandon Don Rabovsky of Volca
- Tersch David Blissett and Josh Crouch of Service Business Mastery
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The video “The AI Episode – Full Episode: Masters of HVAC Marketing – Duchess of Ductless” discusses how HVAC contractors can adapt to significant marketplace shifts, particularly with Google’s AI Overview and the rapid advancement of AI technology. This event was designed as an “AI for the Trades” “show and tell,” featuring live demos and contractor testimonials, and focuses on providing actionable solutions.
Key Areas and Solutions Presented
Google AI Overview – Diversified Marketing
Michelle, Duchess of Ductless: With Google’s AI Overview SGE pushing websites down, the old marketing approach is insufficient. Contractors must diversify their online footprint with offsite assets like press releases, YouTube videos, and specialized directories (e.g., Ductless Directory) to differentiate themselves and potentially dominate search results. Contractor Corey Johnson validated this, noting significant ranking improvements and becoming the “go-to guys in town” for relevant searches, particularly through video content.
AI Voice Agents for Lead Management
AJ from Broccoli – Marcel Flowers: Traditional answering services are inefficient, leading to lost calls and low booking rates. Broccoli offers a 24/7 AI voice agent that provides empathy, follows custom scripts, and integrates with CRM/FSM software like Service Titan to automatically book appointments and dispatch technicians. Marcel Flowers, an early adopter, experienced a dramatic increase in booked weekend calls, revealing previously lost opportunities due to inefficient human answering services.
AI for Technician Efficiency
Logan from BluOn – Joe: Technicians’ billability is often low due to time spent waiting for information or support. The BluOn mobile app provides real-time data, model plate scanning, and a brand-agnostic resource for manuals. Its AI tech support “Master Mechanic,” built from over 150,000 live tech calls, offers an infinite knowledge library allowing hands-free voice commands. It also aids parts procurement and generates professional job summaries, saving internal team members from constant interruptions and increasing billable hours.
Automating & Streamlining Referrals
Don from Vulca – Nathan: Old referral methods are clunky, hard to track, and often neglect the most valuable lead source—happy customers. Vulca provides a white-labeled referral hotline that automates customer and B2B referrals via text/QR code tracking leads, integrating with Service Titan and offering flexible, fast payment options (Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, etc.). Nathan’s company, Schaefer Heating and Cooling, generated over $160,000 in additional sales in a few months, with 1,074 advocates ensuring integrity in payouts and providing instant gratification for technicians.
Tying It All Together with Automation
Josh Crouch from Trade Automation Pros: Contractors are overwhelmed by disparate technologies, leading to manual data entry and slow responses. Josh emphasizes the importance of automating processes to connect tech stacks, eliminate manual data entry, and streamline operations. Examples include automated speed-to-lead for all incoming leads (as 78% of buyers purchase from the first company to respond), custom GPTs for SOP creation, automated email nurturing, AI-powered review replies, task management, and maintenance reminders. Josh’s team saved 19 standard 8-hour workdays in one quarter through automation, enhancing communication and management.
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Overall, the video emphasizes the critical need for HVAC businesses to embrace AI and automation across marketing, lead management, technical support, and customer relationship management to improve efficiency, customer experience, and profitability in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Additional Resources
To find a ductless heat pump contractor near you, visit: Ductless Directory