Here's the HVAC reality: a homeowner's AC dies at 9pm on a Friday. They text three contractors. The first one to respond gets the job. Most HVAC owners are asleep at 9pm. Their AI agent doesn't sleep.

This post covers the three automations every HVAC business should have running — with the prompts to set them up. These are shortened versions. The full guide includes complete setup instructions, skills lists, and troubleshooting.

Automation 1: After-Hours Lead Response

The most valuable automation for any HVAC shop. When someone fills out your contact form or sends a text after hours, your agent responds instantly, captures their information, and schedules a follow-up for the morning.

// Copy-paste prompt (abbreviated)

You are my HVAC business assistant. When a new lead comes in after 6pm or before 7am, immediately send them a text: "Hi [name], thanks for reaching out to [Business Name]. We received your message and will call you first thing tomorrow morning. For emergencies, call [emergency number]. — [Your name]" Then add their details to my contacts with tag "after-hours-lead" and create a follow-up reminder for 7:30am the next business day.

In the full guide, this prompt is expanded with emergency detection logic, CRM integration, and escalation rules for true emergencies.

Automation 2: Maintenance Renewal Campaign

Your maintenance agreement customers are your most valuable. This automation tracks renewal dates and reaches out automatically — before they forget to renew, and before a competitor calls them first.

// Copy-paste prompt (abbreviated)

Every Monday morning, check my customer list for maintenance agreements expiring in the next 45 days. For each one, draft a personalized renewal reminder and add it to my email drafts folder for review. Include their equipment type, last service date, and renewal price. Flag any customers who haven't responded to a previous reminder.

Automation 3: Seasonal Dispatch Briefing

Every morning during peak season, your agent pulls your schedule, checks the weather forecast, and sends each technician a personalized briefing with their jobs for the day — including any weather-related notes.

// Copy-paste prompt (abbreviated)

Every weekday at 6:15am during May through September and December through February, pull today's job schedule. Check the weather forecast for each job location. Send each technician a text with: their jobs in order, addresses, customer names, job type, and any weather notes (heat index over 100°F, rain, etc.). End with "Reply DONE when you're wrapped up."

What These Three Automations Are Worth

Let's do conservative math. If the after-hours automation catches just one extra job per week at an average ticket of $400, that's $1,600/month. The maintenance renewal campaign recovering two agreements per month at $200 each is $400/month. The dispatch briefing saving 30 minutes of your morning coordination time across 20 working days is 10 hours — at whatever your time is worth.

The agent costs about $15/month to run.

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Also worth reading: What Is an AI Agent for Contractors? and AI for Plumbing Business.