HVAC · Field service software
HVAC software for service calls, installs, and the day between
A no-cool call can rearrange a full install day. Keep the request, the assignment, the repair-or-replace options, and the invoice in one place, with AI helping and your dispatcher deciding.
Shop plan from $199/mo, billed monthly. Unlimited technicians. See plans
- Unlimited technicians on every plan
- AI answers calls and chat around the clock
- Dispatch recommendations your office approves
- Good, Better, Best quote options that become invoices
- QuickBooks Online
- Xero
- Google Calendar
- Google Business Profile
- Tradecraft Voice mobile app
What does HVAC dispatch software actually do?
HVAC dispatch software is the system your office uses to take a service request, decide which technician should handle it, put it on the schedule, and follow the job through to the invoice. In a heating and cooling business it has to handle two kinds of work at once: planned installs and maintenance visits that fill the calendar days ahead, and emergency no-cool or no-heat calls that arrive during the busiest weeks of the year.
Good HVAC software keeps both on one board, so the person moving jobs around can see who is on an install, who is finishing a maintenance visit, and who can take the call that just came in. AI can help by answering the phone, capturing the details, and suggesting a technician based on skills, distance, and workload. The decision to move a job still belongs to your dispatcher.
How HVAC shops use Tradecraft
Win the work
Capture the call while your crew is on an install
When two technicians are in an attic running line sets, nobody is free to answer the phone. Tradecraft's AI voice and chat agent takes the call, collects the address, the symptoms, and the customer's availability, and books against the schedule your office has set up. Your team sees the new request with the details already filled in.
- One agent across phone, website chat, and text
- Collects the details you configure, such as system type and symptoms, and when the customer is home
- Books into real availability instead of taking a message
- Every call and chat lands as a job your office can review
Who decides: You define what the agent asks and which time windows it can offer. Your office reviews every booked job before it goes to a truck.
- Inbound call
No cooling, upstairs unit
- Customer available after 3 pm
- System: split heat pump, about 12 years old
- New job
Diagnostic visit, high priority
- Address and contact captured
- Status: unassigned
- Office review
Confirm details before dispatch
- Notes visible to the whole team
- Ready for the schedule board
Run the day
See service calls and planned installs on the same board
The schedule board shows every technician's day, including the two-day changeout that cannot move and the maintenance visits that can. When an urgent call arrives, the dispatch copilot scores your active technicians by skills, distance, and current workload, then writes a recommendation with the reasons. Your dispatcher applies it, adjusts it, or picks someone else.
- Drag-and-drop schedule with crew and unassigned views
- Live map with technician and job locations
- Recommendations explain why a technician was suggested
- Assigned trucks and unit numbers on the dispatch map for Business plans with the fleet console
Who decides: The copilot recommends. It never assigns a technician on its own. Every assignment is applied by a person on your team.
- Unassigned
Diagnostic visit, 3 pm window
- High priority
- Customer notified once assigned
- Recommendation
Suggested: Maria, finishing a maintenance visit nearby
- Heat pump experience
- Closest available after 2:30 pm
- Lightest afternoon load
- Dispatcher
Apply, adjust, or choose another tech
- Install crew stays untouched
- Audit trail records who assigned the job
Finish the job
Present repair and replacement as clear options
The technician finds a failed compressor on a system near the end of its life. Instead of a single number on a notepad, build a quote with Good, Better, and Best options: the repair, a comparable replacement, and a higher-efficiency system. Line items come from your pricebook. The customer picks, and the selected option converts to an invoice without retyping.
- Three-option quotes built from your own pricebook
- Labor and materials as separate line items
- The chosen option becomes the invoice with one action
- Quotes, invoices, and job notes stay attached to the customer
Who decides: Your technician or office sets the scope and the prices. Tradecraft organizes the options; it does not size equipment or pick the system.
- Good
Compressor replacement on the existing unit
- Parts and labor itemized
- Shortest lead time
- Better
Comparable new system
- Equipment, labor, disposal
- Marked as preferred
- Invoice
Created from the selected option
- Status: pending
- Online payment link sent
Finish the job
Close out the visit before the truck leaves the driveway
Technicians use the Tradecraft Voice mobile app to add job notes and job-site photos, and the office sees them as they arrive. Documents such as agreements and completion forms can be found, generated, and sent for e-signature from the same job. Invoices go out with an online payment link, and the office can see who still owes you.
- Job notes and photos from the field, visible to the office
- Find, generate, revise, and send documents with e-signature
- Online payments through Stripe with invoice status tracking
- Customer portal for invoices and appointments on your brand
Who decides: Your team decides what gets sent and when. Payment processing fees and AI usage are separate from the platform fee; see pricing for details.
- Field
Notes and photos added from the mobile app
- Before and after photos
- Filter and refrigerant notes
- Documents
Completion form sent for signature
- Version kept with the job
- Signed copy attached
- Payment
Invoice paid online
- Status: paid
- Receipt sent to the customer
Example workflow
Example workflow: a no-cool call during an install-heavy day
A fictional Tuesday in July for a six-truck HVAC shop. Names and details are illustrative. The steps are the ones Tradecraft supports today.
The call comes in at 1:40 pm
Both install crews are mid-changeout and the office manager is on another line. The AI agent answers, learns the upstairs unit stopped cooling overnight, confirms the customer is home after 3 pm, and books a diagnostic visit.
The job appears as unassigned
The office manager sees the new high-priority job on the schedule board with the address, symptoms, and time window already filled in.
The dispatch copilot suggests a technician
A recommendation names the technician finishing a maintenance visit two neighborhoods away, with the reasons: heat pump experience, closest availability, lightest afternoon load.
The dispatcher applies it
One click assigns the job. The install crews are not touched. The customer receives a confirmation text.
The technician diagnoses a failed compressor
From the mobile app she adds photos and notes. The system is old enough that a replacement is worth discussing.
The shop presents three options
The quote shows the repair, a comparable replacement, and a higher-efficiency system, each itemized from the pricebook. The customer chooses the comparable replacement.
The selected option becomes the invoice
The install is scheduled for Thursday. The invoice is created from the chosen option and sent with an online payment link, and its status is visible to the office until it is paid.
See this HVAC workflow with your own jobs
Bring a real week from your shop. We will walk through intake, the schedule board, quotes, and invoices using your scenario.
What Tradecraft does not do for HVAC shops
Clear boundaries save you a demo you do not need. Tradecraft runs the business side of the work.
- It does not perform load calculations, size equipment, or design systems. Use your engineering and manufacturer tools for that.
- It does not track refrigerant compliance or file regulatory paperwork on your behalf.
- The dispatch copilot recommends technicians. It does not assign them automatically, and it does not promise arrival windows to customers.
- Outbound AI follow-up calls, the fleet console, and the bid desk are Business plan features, not part of the Shop plan.
- AI usage beyond the included monthly credits is billed as additional usage. The platform fee does not include every call at any volume.
How to choose HVAC software
Ask every vendor these questions, including us. The honest answers for Tradecraft are next to each one.
- Can installs and service calls live on one schedule?
- Tradecraft: Yes. One schedule board with crew and unassigned views, plus a live map.
- What happens to a call nobody can answer?
- Tradecraft: The AI agent answers, captures details, and books into your availability. Your office reviews the job.
- Does the price rise with every technician?
- Tradecraft: No. Technicians are unlimited. You pay for office seats: 3 on Shop, 10 on Business.
- How is AI usage billed?
- Tradecraft: Included credits each month, 1,000 on Shop and 5,000 on Business, with additional usage metered after that.
- Can we quote repair versus replacement without a spreadsheet?
- Tradecraft: Yes. Good, Better, Best options from your pricebook, and the chosen option converts to an invoice.
- Who controls dispatch decisions?
- Tradecraft: Your dispatcher. Recommendations explain their reasons and are applied by a person.
- Does it connect to our accounting and calendar?
- Tradecraft: QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Google Calendar are included on every plan.
- Can we see it with our own scenario before buying?
- Tradecraft: Yes. Bring your busiest week to a demo and we will walk through it.
How Tradecraft compares for HVAC shops
Most HVAC shops shortlist one of these. Each comparison page explains where the other product fits and where Tradecraft fits better.
- ServiceTitan alternativeAI OS flat fee vs enterprise per-tech quotesServiceTitan is the enterprise default for large HVAC/plumbing/electrical shops, commonly discussed with custom quotes often ranging roughly $145–$400 per user/month plus implementation fees. Choose ServiceTitan for deep multi-location enterprise modules; choose Tradecraft when you want AI-native ops without enterprise ACV and per-tech math.Read the comparison
- FieldEdge alternativeUnlimited techs vs per-tech dispatch platformsFieldEdge is commonly cited around $100–$200 per tech/month for HVAC-focused shops with strong QuickBooks Desktop sync. Choose FieldEdge for that dispatch and accounting depth; choose Tradecraft for flat unlimited-tech pricing and an AI-first stack.Read the comparison
- Housecall Pro alternativeIncluded AI stack vs marketing-led FSM tiersHousecall Pro commonly publishes tiered plans (often cited near $79–$279/mo depending on seats and features) with strong mobile and consumer marketing tools. Choose Housecall Pro for polished booking and reviews; choose Tradecraft for AI-first ops with zero per-tech fees.Read the comparison
Plans for HVAC shops
Flat platform fees billed monthly. Technicians are unlimited on every plan; you pay for office seats and get a pool of AI credits each month. AI usage beyond the pool is metered as additional usage, and card processing fees apply to online payments.
Shop
$199/mo
- Technicians
- Unlimited
- Office seats
- 3 office seats
- Included AI
- 1,000 AI credits per month
Inbound AI voice and chat agent, scheduling and dispatch recommendations, quotes, invoices, documents with e-signature, online payments, internal assistant, and team chat.
Business
$399/mo
- Technicians
- Unlimited
- Office seats
- 10 office seats
- Included AI
- 5,000 AI credits per month
Everything in Shop, plus outbound AI text and call follow-ups, the fleet console, the bid desk, advanced reports, and more integrations.
Enterprise plans have custom pricing and unlimited office seats. Full plan details and annual billing
HVAC questions, answered
Can Tradecraft handle inbound HVAC calls outside office hours?
Yes. The AI voice and chat agent runs around the clock on a business phone line and your website. It collects the details you configure, such as the symptom, the system type, and when the customer is home, and it books into the availability windows you allow. Your office sees each booked job the next morning with the notes attached and can adjust before a technician is assigned.
How does HVAC scheduling and dispatch work in Tradecraft?
Every job, planned or urgent, sits on the same schedule board with crew and unassigned views and a live map. When a job is unassigned, the dispatch copilot scores active technicians on skills, distance, and workload and writes a recommendation with its reasons. Your dispatcher applies the recommendation, changes it, or assigns someone else. Assignments are always made by a person.
Can I present repair and replacement options on one quote?
Yes. Quotes support Good, Better, and Best options with labor and materials as separate line items pulled from your pricebook. You can mark a preferred option. When the customer decides, the selected option converts to an invoice with the same line items, so nothing is retyped.
Will the AI ever assign a technician without our approval?
No. The dispatch copilot only writes recommendations. Applying an assignment is a human action from the schedule board or the internal assistant, and each assignment is recorded in an audit trail with who made it and why. If nobody acts on a recommendation, it simply expires after the window you set and the job stays unassigned until your team decides.
What does it cost as our technician count grows?
The platform fee does not change when you add technicians. Shop is $199 per month billed monthly with 3 office seats and 1,000 AI credits. Business is $399 per month billed monthly with 10 office seats and 5,000 AI credits. AI usage beyond the included credits is metered as additional usage, and payment processing fees apply to online payments. Full details are on the pricing page.
Does Tradecraft replace our load calculation or equipment design software?
No. Tradecraft runs the business side of HVAC work: calls, scheduling, dispatch, quotes, invoices, documents, and payments. Load calculations, equipment sizing, and system design stay in the manufacturer and engineering tools you already use. Once you have chosen the equipment, Tradecraft is where the options are quoted, the install is scheduled, and the invoice is sent.
How does it help during a summer surge?
The AI agent keeps answering when your office is saturated, so requests become jobs instead of voicemails. The schedule board and dispatch recommendations help you see who can absorb an extra call without breaking an install. Tradecraft does not add capacity or promise response times; it helps you see and use the capacity you have.
Other trades and more to explore
Bring your busiest HVAC week to a demo
Show us how a no-cool call lands on an install day. We will walk through intake, the schedule board, quote options, and the invoice with your scenario.
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