Seasonal reactivation texts for HVAC and plumbing
You have 1,200 past customers in your invoicing software and you haven’t texted any of them. Each one is a tune-up, a water-heater flush or a referral waiting for a reason. Here’s the three-text spring and fall campaign, the scripts, the numbers, and the consent rules so it’s legal in Texas.
What is a seasonal reactivation campaign?
Three short texts, sent two weeks apart in April (before summer) and October (before winter), to every past customer who gave you consent to text: a check-in with a specific offer to book, a reminder with a reason, and a last call with a slot. A well-run list of 1,000 past customers typically books 3–8% of them within a month, which for an HVAC company is 30–80 tune-ups at $100–$350 and a share of the system replacements that follow. It costs about $30 in messaging and an afternoon.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Best send windows (Texas) | Mid-April (pre-summer AC) and mid-October (pre-winter heat / pipe freeze) |
| Texts per campaign | 3, two weeks apart |
| Typical booking rate from a clean consented list | 3–8% within 30 days |
| HVAC tune-up ticket | $100–$150 single visit; $200–$350 annual plan |
| Water-heater flush / plumbing inspection ticket | $100–$250 |
| Messaging cost for 1,000 contacts × 3 texts | about $30 |
| Legal basis in Texas | Prior consent on file; 9 a.m.–9 p.m.; opt-out honoured |
Why do past customers book from a text?
Because they already trust you, and because nobody else is asking. A homeowner who had you replace a capacitor in 2025 doesn’t think about her AC until it fails; a text in April that says “summer’s coming, want the tune-up before the rush” is the only prompt she’ll get. The same owner on r/ProHVACR asking how big companies “get hundreds of reviews within a couple of months” is seeing the output of this: steady contact with the existing list produces the reviews, the referrals and the repeat jobs. The list is the asset most small shops own and never use.
What do the three texts say?
Under 300 characters, from a named person, one offer, one action. Spring HVAC version; the fall and plumbing versions follow.
Text 1 (mid-April): the check-in
“Hi Maria, it’s Dave at Comfort Air. We looked after your AC last summer. Before the heat hits, want us to do the tune-up? $129, about an hour, we’ve got slots the week of the 21st. Reply YES and I’ll book you. Reply STOP to opt out.”
Text 2 (two weeks later): the reason
“Maria, Dave again. Quick one: last July our emergency calls ran 3 days out. A tune-up now is how you skip that line. Still have a few slots the week of the 5th. Want one?”
Text 3 (two weeks later): the last call
“Last one from me, Maria. Summer rush starts in two weeks. If you want the tune-up before it, reply with a day that works and I’ll fit you in. Either way, thanks for having us out last year.”
Fall HVAC version
Swap “tune-up before the heat” for “heating check before the first cold snap,” and the July line for “the first freeze is when the furnace calls stack up.”
Plumbing version
“Hi Tom, it’s Luis at Lone Star Plumbing. We did your water heater in 2025. A flush now adds years to it: $149, 45 minutes. Want a slot next week? Reply YES. Reply STOP to opt out.” Fall: insulate hose bibs and check the pressure valve before the freeze.
Replacement-age customers
For systems 12+ years old, text 1 offers a free system check instead of a tune-up: “Your system’s at the age where a check before summer saves a July emergency.”
What results should you expect?
From a list of 1,000 past customers with consent, cleaned of duplicates and dead numbers:
| Step | Typical result | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered | 92–97% | Number cleaning; A2P registration done |
| Replied (any reply) | 8–15% | A named sender, a specific price and date |
| Booked within 30 days | 3–8% (30–80 jobs) | Replying to YES within 5 minutes; an AI or workflow that books on reply |
| Opt-outs | 1–3% | Normal; remove them the same day |
| Replacement leads from 12+ year systems | 1–2% of the segment | Offering a check, not a sale |
A 5% booking rate on 1,000 contacts is 50 tune-ups at $129, or $6,450, plus the replacements and reviews that follow, for about $30 in messages. The campaign fails when texts come from a short code, when nobody answers the YES replies for a day, or when the list hasn’t been cleaned and half the numbers bounce.
Is this legal? (Texas and federal)
- Consent first. These texts sell a service, so they’re marketing. Federally (TCPA) you need prior express written consent for automated marketing texts; in Texas, since 1 September 2025, SB 140 treats marketing texts as telephone solicitations and the November 2025 settlement confirmed consent-based programmes are exempt from state registration. Keep the consent record: a checkbox on your intake form, a signed work order, or a text reply saying yes.
- No consent on file? Don’t text. Call or email instead, and collect text consent on the next job.
- Hours. 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday–Saturday, noon–9 p.m. Sunday, in the customer’s time zone.
- Opt-out in every text and honour it the same day.
- Your real number, A2P registered. Carriers filter unregistered bulk texts; registration takes a week.
- Texas No-Call list. Consent from an existing customer covers them, but scrub the list anyway if you’re unsure of consent.
Detail on our Texas texting rules and SMS consent rules pages.
How do you run it without doing it by hand?
Export past customers from ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber with the consent field and the last-service date. Import to your CRM, tag by season and system age, and load the three texts as a workflow with 14-day waits that stops on any reply. YES replies go to a booking step (an AI receptionist or your office) within five minutes. In GoHighLevel that’s one workflow and an afternoon; we run it for clients twice a year and the second season is a button press.
Questions owners ask
How many past customers do I need for this to be worth it?
Two hundred. At 5% that’s ten tune-ups for $30 of texts and an hour of setup.
Can I text customers who never agreed to texts?
Not for marketing. Call or email them, and collect consent on the next visit.
What if I don’t have consent records?
Start collecting now: a line on the work order and the intake form. Run this campaign on next year’s list.
Do I need to register with Texas?
Not for consent-based texting, per the November 2025 settlement. Texting without consent brings registration and liability back.
Should I offer a discount?
A price, not a discount. “$129 tune-up” books; “20% off” sounds like spam.
How fast do I answer the YES replies?
Within five minutes, or the reply goes cold. Have an AI or a person on the inbox the day the text goes out.
Email or text?
Text for the campaign; email the same offer the day after to the people who didn’t reply.
What about customers who had a bad experience?
Tag them out. A reactivation text to an unhappy customer produces a one-star review.
Can I do this for roofing or landscaping?
Yes: roofing after storm season (“free inspection before winter”), landscaping in late February (“spring slots”).
How often is too often?
Two campaigns a year, three texts each. Monthly texts to past customers burn the list.
Next pages
Sources
- Nixon Peabody, “Texas Telemarketing Update: No Registration for Consent-Based Text Messages,” 10 Dec 2025: nixonpeabody.com
- Built on Tenth, “Average HVAC Ticket Size by Job Type,” 29 Apr 2026 (tune-up and plan prices): builtontenth.com
- Owner thread: r/ProHVACR
Want the spring campaign set up and sent for you?
Thirty minutes on Central Time. We check your consent records, clean the list, write the three texts in your voice and wire the YES replies to a booking. You see the bookings land.