Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow this Groundhog Day, but spring is still just around the corner, bringing the promise of sunshine, flowers, and hopefully, more customers for your facilities maintenance company. Read on to learn what your company can do to prepare for the busy season ahead.

Prep for preventive maintenance

Spring is a perfect time for plumbing and HVAC inspections. Make sure all of your technicians know what to check during a maintenance inspection and are touting your preventive maintenance programs at each service appointment. Create brochures or other materials your employees can leave behind at appointments to let customers know the benefits of signing up for a preventive maintenance plan.

Get organized for tax season

If you work with an accounting firm, touch base with them to make sure you have all the documentation in order that they will need for this year’s taxes. If you do not work with an accountant, which is the case for 46 percent of small business owners, carve some time to go over your documents for the year. Remember to send out the required forms to any independent contractors your company uses. You need to fill out form 1096 and 1099 for any contractor you paid $600 or more to during the year.

Offer spring savings

 Beat the competition by offering some sort of spring discount or special. After a slow winter, anything to bring in new customers helps. If you are able to, incentivize your technicians to make certain sales. This can be with commission, bonuses or even non-financial rewards.

Train your techs

If you are hiring more technicians for the busy season or bringing back employees who did not work over the winter, offer training to get them up to speed on any technical tasks. This is also a good time to give some positive reinforcement and pump your employees up for a new season.

Spring forward

The above tips are a great recipe to spring your business into a success summer and year. All that is left to do is enjoy the sun rays. Happy spring!