My Service Builder http://www.myservicebuilder.com (515)957-1814 - Call us, ask questions. How else will you know for sure? Tue, 08 May 2012 16:01:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Any Operating System http://www.myservicebuilder.com/any-operating-system.html http://www.myservicebuilder.com/any-operating-system.html#comments Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:12:03 +0000 Mark Olinghouse http://www.myservicebuilder.com/?p=550 You can be running any Operating System (OS) from Apple to Linux. As long as you have internet access you can run our estimator.

]]> http://www.myservicebuilder.com/any-operating-system.html/feed 0 All Major Browsers http://www.myservicebuilder.com/any-browser-almost.html http://www.myservicebuilder.com/any-browser-almost.html#comments Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:09:02 +0000 Mark Olinghouse http://www.myservicebuilder.com/?p=546 Almost any browser will work. All you need is Javascript, CSS and HTML and you’re estimating with the best of em!

You can not use a text only browser.

]]> http://www.myservicebuilder.com/any-browser-almost.html/feed 0 Non-Maintainable Parts & Components http://www.myservicebuilder.com/non-maintainable-parts-components.html http://www.myservicebuilder.com/non-maintainable-parts-components.html#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:55:36 +0000 Mark Olinghouse http://www.myservicebuilder.com/?p=533 Non-maintainable parts & components include but are not limited to items such as:

Gas Valves
Heat Exchangers
Coils
Boiler Refractory Material
Insulating Material
Although HVAC Estimator/MSB offers this level of coverage we also suggest you carefully consider the situation you are going in to with this type of agreement.

]]> http://www.myservicebuilder.com/non-maintainable-parts-components.html/feed 0 Major Components & Parts http://www.myservicebuilder.com/major-components-parts.html http://www.myservicebuilder.com/major-components-parts.html#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:55:04 +0000 Mark Olinghouse http://www.myservicebuilder.com/?p=531 Major components and parts include items like compressors, motors, pumps and temperature controls.

]]> http://www.myservicebuilder.com/major-components-parts.html/feed 0 Small Parts & Components http://www.myservicebuilder.com/small-parts-components.html http://www.myservicebuilder.com/small-parts-components.html#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:54:39 +0000 Mark Olinghouse http://www.myservicebuilder.com/?p=529 Small parts consist of fractional HP motors, belts, contactors, fuses, relays, etc. Items like these are typically billed as needed.

More and more contractors are including these small parts in their service agreements. It serves 2 purposes:

Provides the client with an additional level of protection
Provide the contractor with the ability to take care of small problem before they become BIG problems
HVAC Estimator/MSB includes the cost of these items in several service agreement types. Profitable service agreements can include a wide variety of parts and components depending on the client’s need and your company’s skill set.

]]> http://www.myservicebuilder.com/small-parts-components.html/feed 0 Emergency Response Labor http://www.myservicebuilder.com/emergency-response-labor.html http://www.myservicebuilder.com/emergency-response-labor.html#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:54:13 +0000 Mark Olinghouse http://www.myservicebuilder.com/?p=527 Emergency response labor is the time required to travel to and arrive at the job site. Then to and diagnose the problem and determine a course of action to correct the problem. The labor to take the corrective action is not included in these hours. The time to effect the repair is covered in the repair & replacement labor hours.

Few software companies offer emergency service in their agreements. If they do be aware of how these hours are calculated and make sure you have the ability to make changes. Also it is very important your service agreement has terms and conditions that address some situations that can occur frequently. If your terms and conditions do not provide you with the right protections you could be facing large extra costs and/or lose a client.

HVAC Estimator/MSB has provided these kinds of hours since 1994. They are calculated and added into your estimate on an as needed basis.

]]> http://www.myservicebuilder.com/emergency-response-labor.html/feed 0 Repair & Replacement Labor http://www.myservicebuilder.com/repair-replacement-labor.html http://www.myservicebuilder.com/repair-replacement-labor.html#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:53:37 +0000 Mark Olinghouse http://www.myservicebuilder.com/?p=525 Repair and replacement labor includes the time necessary to repair or replace failing, worn or doubtful components or parts on items included in the estimate and according to the terms and conditions of the service agreement

There aren’t very many software providers that have the level of expertise we have when it comes to calculating these hours. Make sure you are able to modify these hours if you are not using HVAC Estimator/MSB.

HVAC Estimator/MSB has been providing this kind of information to contractors since 1994. We stay current with our information through extensive research.

]]> http://www.myservicebuilder.com/repair-replacement-labor.html/feed 0 Maintenance Labor http://www.myservicebuilder.com/maintenance-labor.html http://www.myservicebuilder.com/maintenance-labor.html#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:52:48 +0000 Mark Olinghouse http://www.myservicebuilder.com/?p=523 Maintenance labor includes the time necessary to perform actual maintenance for each item listed in the estimator equipment list. Included are things like:

  • Cleaning
  • Adjusting
  • Aligning
  • Tightening
  • Calibrating
  • Leak Testing

These hours are listed as Planned Hours in the estimating system.

You could say this is the meat & potatoes portion of a maintenance agreement. Skipping maintenance will cause many more problems down the line. Including maintenance labor substantially reduces breakdowns, energy consumption while increasing system reliability.

]]> http://www.myservicebuilder.com/maintenance-labor.html/feed 0 Test & Inspect Labor http://www.myservicebuilder.com/test-inspect-labor.html http://www.myservicebuilder.com/test-inspect-labor.html#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:47:43 +0000 Mark Olinghouse http://www.myservicebuilder.com/?p=520 Test & Inspect labor only covers labor to visually inspect the piece of equipment. It does not include labor to perform preventive maintenance like:

  • Cleaning
  • Ligning
  • Tightening
  • Adjusting
  • Calibrating

Test & Inspect also does not include any repair/replacement labor or parts of any kind.

A visual inspection is the fundamental first step of any maintenance program. Whether or not you stop here is determined by your sales skill and the requirements of the prospect.

]]> http://www.myservicebuilder.com/test-inspect-labor.html/feed 0 Agreement Types http://www.myservicebuilder.com/agreement-types.html http://www.myservicebuilder.com/agreement-types.html#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:34:27 +0000 Mark Olinghouse http://www.myservicebuilder.com/?p=505 Service Agreement Components Full Coverage Plus Full Coverage* Full Labor Standard PM Test & Inspect Test & Inspection Maintenance Labor Repair & Replacement Labor Emergency Labor Small Parts & Components Major Repair Parts Non-Maintainable Items * Also available as Full Coverage that eliminates the compressor coverage while keeping the other parts.

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