Who is Apple Aire?
Apple Aire Heating and Cooling has been serving the greater Denver area since 1988. Despite their relatively small team, they deliver service that rivals larger companies by strategically embracing technology. "We're a small company in terms of people, but we're outputting at a medium-sized level," said Dennis Garza, the company's Sales and Marketing Director — highlighting their focus on efficiency.
Why did you start using Hatch?
Dennis was on the lookout for an automation tool to streamline lead management and improve their follow-up process. "We live in an instant gratification world where customers want to know, and they want to know now. We needed a way to deliver the kind of service expected of us without expanding a ton of office-based positions," he said.
After researching options like Chiirp, Think Unlimited, and Podium, Dennis chose Hatch for several reasons:
- Automation + AI in one platform. "I didn't just want a standalone AI chatbot. I wanted an AI that integrated with our automations."
- Centralized lead management. "I was looking for a centralized dashboard to manage all of our leads, from all of our different sources, that I could control. And Hatch offered that."
- Pre-sale focus. "There was a selling component to Hatch that we liked. The other options weren't really focused on closing the sale or getting the appointment booked."
What was most appealing to you about Hatch AI?
When Dennis and his team started using Hatch automation without AI, they were able to reach out to more contacts and thus get more responses. But keeping up with those responses was a new challenge.
"I thought shoot, if my sales reps miss a response because they're out in the field or it's after hours, there's gotta be a way for AI to pick up that conversation so that it creates a seamless experience."
That's when he searched on the Hatch website and learned about AI CSRs.
How do you use Hatch?
Apple Aire has Hatch integrated with their CRM (ServiceTitan) as well as their marketing and lead vendors (Scorpion, Angi, Homepro, Double X Digital, and Systemized Media to name a few).
This allows them to create automated outreach campaigns across the customer journey, including:
- Speed to lead: Instant outreach to new leads
- Estimate follow-up: Re-engaging leads after appointments
- Aged lead nurture: Resuscitating older leads
- Memberships and promotions: Renewals, specials, and seasonal offers
When a contact replies, their Hatch AI bots act as first responders, taking care of the initial qualifying questions before handing the contact off to a human rep to take the interaction through the finish line.
Every lead and customer gets personalized messages from individual sales reps, ensuring no opportunity slips through the cracks. "Each sales rep has their own campaign with customized messaging, and I've programmed each bot to sound like the rep it's working on behalf of," said Dennis. "Eric, for instance, has a voicemail drop on day three with his voice, and I've tailored the AI to match his personality," Dennis described.
Here's a sample of a real conversation between Terry and a lead from a speed-to-lead campaign. Terry gathers all of the necessary information and collects it into a summary card so that Apple Aire's human reps have the context they need to finish off the conversation.
What results and benefits have you seen with Hatch?
Triage effect. With AI handling repetitive qualifying conversations, Dennis's reps only engage with the most qualified leads. "It's like a triage effect, helping our reps know where to spend their attention to make the biggest impact," he explained.
AI handles low-ticket, reps focus on installs. Letting the AI and automation handle smaller-ticket jobs like duct cleaning and maintenance specials frees reps to focus on big-ticket installations.
Peace of mind. "I can rest easy knowing every single sales opportunity is followed up on," Dennis said. The AI ensures leads are engaged multiple times across various channels, making it easy for sales reps to step in only when necessary.
"I can rest easy knowing every single sales opportunity is followed up on."
Resuscitated customers. "We've also resuscitated customers through nurture campaigns," he added, sharing examples of closed jobs for services like indoor air quality improvements and duct cleaning.
750X faster response time. Average first response time improved from 70 minutes to 5.6 seconds — that's 750 times faster.
What are your thoughts on AI?
Dennis is a strong advocate for AI, seeing it as a necessity in today's instant-gratification world. "People need answers quickly, and if you don't provide them, they'll go to a competitor," he explained.
He's also realistic about the challenges, acknowledging that setting up AI isn't a one-and-done process. "It's not intuitive, and you have to be somewhat technologically savvy to get it right," he shared. Still, Dennis believes the investment is worth it, especially for companies that want to stay ahead. "Hatch has given us a safety net and has kept our follow-up game strong, even when our salespeople are juggling multiple roles."
"Hatch has given us a safety net and has kept our follow-up game strong, even when our salespeople are juggling multiple roles."
