“I knew that the key ingredient to earning a customer for life was to exceed all their expectations and it fascinated me.”

Tex-Perts Cooling and Heating is an award winning AC and Heating company based in Austin, TX. Four years straight, the company has been awarded in the top 1% of the businesses in San Antonio for an incredible customer experience. Tex-Perts also is one of the only businesses to win “Contractor of the Year Award” twice from Angies List.

MO: What inspired you to launch your business?

Craig: I knew that the key ingredient to earning a customer for life was to exceed all their expectations and it fascinated me. It was fun and rewarding, and it just made sense to put customer service first before everything else. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like any of the companies I worked for made the customer experience a priority quite like I did. From the moment you answer the phone, the customer experience begins – not just that small window of time that you are trying to sell your services. My standards were so high, I knew I would never be happy working for someone other than myself.

MO: Do you have any recent success stories that you’d like to share with our readers?

Craig: We’ve been in business four years now, and every single year since we opened we’ve been honored with the Angie’s List Super Service Award. Only five percent of service providers are eligible to win this award and it’s given by having excellent customer feedback in all areas from customers.

This year we also won the Contractor of the Year Award for San Antonio, which is one of the most prestigious awards available from Angie’s List. Less than 1% of businesses receive high enough rankings from customers to receive this award.

We also recently completed several projects where we added central air conditioning to homes that have never had central air. Some of the homes were over 75 years old and the updates we were able to make will make a tremendous difference in the lives of the homeowners, especially living in the hot temperatures in central Texas. Having a successful company feels fantastic, but it doesn’t compare to the satisfaction of using your business to leave a positive mark on the world. I feel like we’re doing that.

MO: What issue does your core product help solve and how so?

Craig: I already knew that there was a need for air conditioning services being that I live in central Texas. But I felt the level of customer service I was dedicated to delivering would give me an advantage over my competitors, even if I would be a little guy starting out. As a business owner, you have to perform so well that it ruins it for your competitors. You have to remind your customers every time they do business with you that they are happy they chose you over your competitor. I was eager to give people that kind of experience and on the level that I knew could be achieved, and that’s how I got started.

MO: What has been your biggest challenge as a business owner and how have you met that challenge?

Craig: As within any small business, the key to making a profit is to keep your overhead low and to bring in new revenue with the same lean staff and same limited supplies. You can’t grow too quickly or you’ll sacrifice your quality and reputation, which can be a major source of leads when you’re still a young company. You have to learn how to motivate and reward your employees well during growing pains because they work harder with the same amount of resources but serve more customers. It’s a tricky balancing act when growing. You have to build your business slowly and strategically so that you can handle the extra revenue without sacrificing profit.

MO: What’s the most exciting thing on the horizon for you/your Company?

Craig: As our company continues to grow, I envision us doubling our staff in the next 5 years. We could grow much faster than we are now, but I want to make sure that we don’t outgrow our commitment to high involvement customer service. Our ability to consistently perform incredible customer service is what will build our company and reputation for the long term. And if you aren’t building your business for the long term, you won’t survive in the competitive world of business we live in.