1.1 Purpose

This Field Operations Manual establishes the minimum standards for how Klein Cooling personnel shall conduct themselves and perform work while representing the company.

It governs, among other things:

• Customer interactions.
• Professional conduct.
• Residential sales procedures.
• Service and diagnostic practices.
• Repair recommendations.
• Maintenance procedures.
• Installation practices.
• Pricing and authorization.
• Documentation.
• Customer property.
• Mistakes and callbacks.
• Apprentices.
• Pets.
• Other situations nobody anticipated would require a written company policy.

This manual does not attempt to teach HVAC.

That would require a significantly larger manual.

It establishes how we expect HVAC work to be performed and how we expect people to be treated while we’re doing it.

1.2 Scope

This manual applies to all employees performing or assisting with field operations on behalf of Klein Cooling, including:

• Service technicians.
• Maintenance technicians.
• Installers.
• Sales personnel.
• Apprentices.
• Helpers.
• Supervisors performing field work.
• Owners performing field work.
• Anyone else wearing a Klein Cooling shirt who has somehow found themselves standing in a customer’s attic.

Position, experience, seniority, sales numbers, and number of tools owned do not exempt an employee from this manual.

Employees temporarily wearing another company’s shirt because laundry was not completed are still subject to this manual.

They are also subject to a separate conversation regarding why they are wearing another company’s shirt.

1.2.1 Apprentice Applicability

Apprentices are subject to the same standards of professional conduct as experienced technicians.

Technical knowledge takes time.

Professionalism does not.

An apprentice may not know what subcooling is yet.

He can still close the gate.

1.3 Authority

The standards contained in this manual represent Klein Cooling’s expectations for field operations.

Employees shall follow these standards unless:

1. Doing so would create an unsafe condition;
2. Applicable law or code requires otherwise;
3. Manufacturer requirements require otherwise;
4. A supervisor provides different direction based on circumstances in the field; or
5. The situation involves an escaped dog, in which case employees shall immediately proceed to Section 5.1.1 — Escaped Dog Procedure.

Section 5.1.1 begins with the word:

TREAT.

This information is provided here because time may be important.

1.4 Why This Manual Exists

HVAC technicians work with a remarkable amount of independence.

Most of our work happens without anyone from Klein Cooling management standing beside the technician.

The technician may be:

• Inside someone’s home.
• In an attic.
• On a roof.
• Behind an air handler.
• Inside an electrical panel.
• Diagnosing equipment the homeowner does not understand.
• Recommending a repair costing hundreds or thousands of dollars.
• Helping a customer decide whether to replace one of the most expensive mechanical systems in their home.

That requires trust.

A company cannot write a procedure for every possible situation a technician will encounter.

We are nevertheless going to make a surprisingly ambitious attempt.

There are apparently enough recurring situations to justify several sections.

Some of them are remarkably specific.

There is a reason for that.

1.5 The Purpose of a Standard

A standard exists so the quality of our work and conduct does not depend entirely upon:

• Which technician arrives.
• What day of the week it is.
• How hot it is.
• How difficult the previous call was.
• Whether the technician skipped lunch.
• Whether it is Friday at 4:47 p.m.
• Whether the customer is watching.

The standard is the standard.

OPERATING PRINCIPLE

Do it correctly when nobody is watching.

That principle applies to workmanship.

It also applies to honesty.

1.5.1 Friday at 4:47 P.M.

For purposes of this manual, Friday at 4:47 p.m. shall not constitute an emergency modification to company standards.

The following remain required:

• Proper diagnosis.
• Proper repair.
• Proper testing.
• Proper cleanup.
• Proper documentation.

The fact that the technician has dinner plans does not alter Ohm’s Law.

1.6 Professional Judgment

This manual does not replace professional judgment.

HVAC systems vary.

Homes vary.

Customers vary.

Field conditions vary.

Florida, in particular, appears committed to producing new circumstances faster than this manual can be revised.

Technicians are expected to use reasonable professional judgment when circumstances fall outside written procedures.

1.6.1 Required Judgment Sequence

When encountering an unusual situation:

1. Stop and evaluate the condition.
2. Determine whether a written procedure applies.
3. Consider safety.
4. Consider manufacturer requirements.
5. Consider applicable codes.
6. Consider the customer’s property.
7. Consider whether assistance is needed.
8. Make a reasonable decision.
9. Document significant circumstances when appropriate.

1.6.2 Prohibited Judgment Sequence

1. “I’ve never seen this before.”
2. “Whatever.”
3. Proceed.

1.6.3 Additional Prohibited Diagnostic Method

The statement:

“It’s probably fine.”

shall not be considered a completed diagnostic procedure.

This remains true if the technician says it while:

• Nodding.
• Looking thoughtful.
• Tapping the component.
• Taking a picture of it.
• Asking the apprentice what he thinks.

If the apprentice responds:

“Looks fine to me.”

no additional diagnostic evidence has been obtained.

1.7 Technician Responsibility

Every field employee is responsible for the work they perform and the statements they make to customers.

The phrase:

“That’s just what I was told.”

does not automatically transfer responsibility to another employee.

Neither does:

“That’s how we’ve always done it.”

Neither statement is recognized as a manufacturer installation instruction.

1.7.1 The Previous Technician

Employees shall exercise caution when attributing unexplained conditions to:

“The previous technician.”

Klein Cooling recognizes that The Previous Technician is apparently responsible for an extraordinary percentage of all known HVAC deficiencies.

Before assigning responsibility, employees should determine:

1. Who actually performed the previous work.
2. When the work was performed.
3. Whether Klein Cooling performed the work.
4. Whether the technician currently criticizing the work personally performed the work.

If Item 4 applies:

Stop talking.

Further guidance is available in Section 13 — Previous Technicians & The Last Guy.

1.8 Supervisory Assistance

Technicians are encouraged to ask for assistance when necessary.

Requesting help is not considered a failure.

Acceptable reasons for requesting assistance include:

• Unfamiliar equipment.
• Conflicting diagnostic information.
• Unusual system operation.
• Safety concerns.
• Manufacturer-specific controls.
• A repair that has developed beyond the original scope.
• A situation in which the technician simply does not know.
• A situation in which the technician has already called three other technicians and received four different answers.

In the final situation, manufacturer technical support should be considered.

1.8.1 Approved Statement

“I don’t know. Let me find out.”

This is an acceptable sentence at Klein Cooling.

There will eventually be an entire section devoted to it.

Apparently we felt strongly about this.

1.8.2 Unapproved Alternative

The following is not equivalent:

“Let’s replace this first and see what happens.”

Parts shall not be used as diagnostic instruments.

Customers generally prefer this policy.

1.9 Customer-Facing Publication

Unlike most internal operations manuals, this manual is available to customers and the general public.

This is intentional.

1.9.1 Reason

If Klein Cooling tells customers that we:

• Diagnose carefully.
• Respect their homes.
• Price consistently.
• Train our people.
• Admit uncertainty.
• Own our mistakes.
• Perform work correctly when nobody is watching.

then customers should be able to see what those statements mean operationally.

We would rather publish the standard than ask customers to take our word for it.

1.9.2 Customer Enforcement

Customers reading this manual are permitted to hold Klein Cooling accountable to the standards contained herein.

This includes pointing out a section to a technician.

Technicians shall not respond:

“Why are you reading that?”

We put it on the internet.

This outcome was foreseeable.

1.9.3 Customer Knowledge of Section Numbers

If a customer references a subsection by number from memory, the technician shall assume the customer has read significantly more of this manual than anticipated.

Proceed carefully.

They have receipts.

1.10 Interpretation

This manual should be interpreted according to its purpose:

Perform good work.
Treat people well.
Tell the truth.
Protect the customer’s home.
Use good judgment.
Ask for help when necessary.
Take responsibility for your work.

If an employee discovers a technical loophole that would permit behavior clearly inconsistent with those principles:

Congratulations.

You have found a loophole.

You still may not do it.

1.10.1 “Technically”

The word:

“Technically…”

shall not be used to justify conduct that obviously violates the purpose of this manual.

Management recognizes that technicians are exceptionally talented at explaining why something is technically acceptable.

Use these abilities for diagnostics.

1.11 Revision of This Manual

This manual will be revised as:

• Company procedures improve.
• Equipment changes.
• New circumstances arise.
• Employees identify better methods.
• Experience demonstrates that additional clarification is necessary.

1.11.1 Additional Clarification

If a future version of this manual contains an extremely specific rule that seems unnecessary, employees and customers should assume:

Something happened.

No further explanation is guaranteed.

1.11.2 Requests for Background Information

Employees are not required to explain what happened.

Customers may ask.

Management may remember.

The employee responsible may have a substantially different recollection.

The policy remains in effect regardless.

1.11.3 Evidence of Prior Incidents

The existence of a subsection titled something similar to:

“Goat on Service Vehicle”

should be considered sufficient evidence that additional clarification became necessary.

See Section 5.

1.12 Final Standard of Authority

No manual can anticipate every situation encountered in residential HVAC work.

When no specific policy applies, field personnel shall return to the basic standard:

Would we be comfortable explaining exactly what we did, why we did it, and what we charged for it to the customer standing beside us?

If yes:

Proceed.

If no:

Stop.

Something is wrong.

If you’re still unsure:

Ask.

If nobody knows:

Figure it out.

If three technicians disagree:

Read the manual.

If the manual doesn’t know:

Call the manufacturer.

If the manufacturer doesn’t know:

Congratulations.

You have found an interesting afternoon.

And if the dog gets out:

TREAT.

END OF SECTION 01