ElectricalBossPro Blog — Generator & Maintenance Plans

Pricing a Yearly Generator Maintenance Plan Customers Will Actually Sign Up For

A generator maintenance plan only works if people say yes to it. Price it too high and the customer who just paid for an install decides to “think about it” forever. Price it too low and the visit eats a half day of a van for very little. The right number is your call, based on your market, your costs and your drive times. What the software can do is make the plan easy to offer, easy to understand and easy to pay for.

Where Pricing Fits in the Bigger Picture

If you have not read the overview yet, Generator Maintenance Software: The Complete Guide to Selling and Running Yearly Plans walks through the whole year of a plan, from sign-up to the paid invoice. This guide zooms in on the price itself and how it is set up.

In ElectricalBossPro, a maintenance plan is a service on your service list with a price and a minimum number of days between visits. For a yearly generator plan, that is 365 days. You decide what the price is and what the visit includes. The software uses that price on estimates, sign-ups, the job and the invoice, so the number the customer agreed to is the number they are charged.

Start From Your Cost of a Visit

Every contractor prices differently, but most start from the same place: what does one visit cost the company? That usually means the tech's time on site, the drive, any materials you include, and a share of the van and the office. Some contractors also price by generator size or fuel type, because a larger unit or a diesel unit may take longer.

Because each generator is saved on the house with its kW rating and fuel, you can see at a glance what kind of unit each customer has. That makes it practical to set up two or three versions of the plan on your service list, for example:

• Standard residential generator plan — one yearly visit, say $189.
• Larger residential or diesel plan — one yearly visit at a higher price you set.
• Generator plus safety inspection — the generator visit and a full electrical safety inspection on the same trip.

Those are example prices for your own services. Use whatever fits your shop.

Make the Plan Easy to Understand

Customers sign up for things they understand. A plan called “Annual Generator Care — one visit per year, inspection report included, priority scheduling after storms” is easier to say yes to than “GEN-MAINT-1.” Write the name and description the way you would explain it at the kitchen table.

The name and description on your service list are what show up on estimates and in the customer app. If you promise something in the description, such as a written report or a reminder before the visit, make sure it is something your team actually does every time. The printed Electrical Safety Inspection report is a good thing to mention, because it is something the homeowner can hold in their hands.

Offer It Where the Customer Already Is

Price matters less when the offer arrives at the right moment. The best moments are usually:

• On the install estimate. Add the yearly plan as a line on the generator install estimate, so the customer sees it next to the install price.
• In the customer app. Customers can sign up for services and pricing you choose to offer, including the yearly generator plan, and the card on file is already there.
• On the website. The sign-up form captures a card and drops the request into Form Responses. One click turns it into a client.

The install moment gets its own guide in Offering the Maintenance Plan at the Generator Install.

Charge It the Same Way Every Year

A plan price is easier to accept when paying it takes no effort. With a card on file, the visit can be charged automatically when the tech taps Complete on the job, or on a schedule you set. The invoice goes out with line items and sales tax, and the customer can see it in the customer app. Nobody has to chase a check for a $189 visit.

If you raise the price next year, update the service on your service list. Talk to existing plan customers about it first, with a text or email from the office, so the new number on the invoice is not a surprise.

Test, Adjust and Keep It Simple

The first price you pick does not have to be the final one. Offer the plan for a season, watch how many install customers say yes, and listen to what they ask about. If people hesitate, it is often the description, not the number. If everyone signs up without blinking, you may have room to add something to the visit.

Keep the plan list short. Two or three clear options are easier for customers to choose from, easier for the office to explain, and easier for techs to deliver the same way at every house. For the rest of the plan setup, from records on the house to the Waiting List map, head back to the ElectricalBossPro generator maintenance software page.