How AI assistants choose who to recommend for heat pump repair

1. What people actually asked
2. What your heat pump repair page has to explain
3. What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone
4. Your heat pump repair page checklist
5. Questions owners ask
6. How we got these numbers
7. See it on your own website

What people actually asked

We asked for heat pump repair in three different ways. Here is each one, word for word, with how many of the 287 answers it produced between September 6 and October 14, 2026:

• “Heat pump repair near me — I'm in 33755. Who do you recommend?”104 answers
• “Who should I call for heat pump repair in St. Petersburg, FL?”103 answers
• “I need heat pump repair tomorrow morning — I'm in 34689. Who can actually come out?”80 answers, asked with five different timings: tomorrow morning, within the next few hours, tonight, first thing tomorrow and today

Together, the 287 answers covered eight towns in Pinellas County: Clearwater, Dunedin, Largo, Palm Harbor, Seminole, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs and Pinellas Park. Each town came up in 35 to 36 answers. By assistant: ChatGPT 112, Claude 111 and Google AI Mode 64.

Customers also call it “heat pump not heating”, “heat pump not cooling” or “heat pump troubleshooting”, so use those words on the page as well.

The question underneath all of them

“Can you investigate a heat pump that works differently in heating and cooling modes?” Describe the symptoms and equipment supported without diagnosing a fault from a website form.

What your heat pump repair page has to explain

Most HVAC pages talk about air conditioning, and assistants often could not tell whether a company repairs heat pumps at all. Several said a company's page did not mention heat pumps and told customers to ask. Many also said to ask whether the technician works on the customer's brand. A page about heat pump repair, with a real heat pump job rather than a generic AC photo, settles that.

A heat pump heats and cools, so customers described problems in both modes: cold air in heating, weak cooling, or a unit that will not switch. Answers named failures customers should ask about, such as a reversing valve, a refrigerant leak, defrost trouble or the compressor. The page can list the symptoms the company investigates without trying to diagnose a fault from a form.

Large repairs raised the question of replacement. Assistants told customers to get a second quote on a big repair, and to be careful if the first visit turns straight into a replacement pitch. Some said to check whether a part is still under the manufacturer warranty. A page that explains how the first assessment and the repair are quoted separately gives the customer room to decide.

What the assistants looked for before recommending anyone

We read all 287 answers to see what the assistants looked for before naming a company for heat pump repair, what they told the customer to ask, and what they said they couldn’t find.

What the assistants told customers to ask

Most common first:

What does the first assessment cost?

Most answers told customers to ask for the diagnostic or service-call fee before anyone comes out. Many added that customers should ask whether it is credited toward the repair if they go ahead.

48% of the answers (137 of 287) brought this up.

Ask about the diagnostic or service-call fee, and whether it's credited toward the repair.

Does the company work on heat pumps and this brand?

Assistants often could not confirm that a company repairs heat pumps specifically, because its pages talked only about AC. They told customers to ask whether the technician works on heat pumps and on their brand.

21% of the answers (61 of 287) brought this up.

Ask if the tech works on heat pumps and on your brand.

Which heat pump problems does the company handle?

Some answers told customers to ask whether the company handles failures common to heat pumps, such as reversing valves and refrigerant leaks. Customers often described a unit that worked in one mode and not the other.

18% of the answers (52 of 287) brought this up.

Ask whether they handle refrigerant leaks and reversing valves, which are common heat pump failures.

Is the repair covered by a warranty?

Assistants told customers to ask whether the repair warranty covers parts and labor. For newer heat pumps, some said to ask whether the failed part is still under the manufacturer warranty before paying full price.

13% of the answers (36 of 287) brought this up.

Ask whether the warranty covers parts and labor.

Will the company repair before pushing replacement?

For a big repair such as a compressor, assistants told customers to get a second quote and ask whether replacement would cost less. Some warned customers to be cautious if the first visit becomes a replacement pitch.

12% of the answers (35 of 287) brought this up.

Ask for a diagnostic-only visit and the service-call fee up front, and be cautious if the first visit turns immediately into a full replacement pitch.

Is the failed part named in a written price?

Answers told customers to get a written repair price before approving work. Some said it should name the exact failed part, so the assessment and the repair stay separate decisions.

11% of the answers (31 of 287) brought this up.

Ask for the diagnostic fee, the exact failed part, and a written repair price before authorizing work.

What the assistants couldn’t find

In 41 of the 287 answers, the assistant said it couldn’t find or confirm something it needed about a company. By assistant: Claude in 36 of its 111, ChatGPT in 5 of its 112 and Google AI Mode in 0 of its 64. As we asked it, Claude usually says what it couldn’t confirm; ChatGPT and Google AI Mode seldom do, so these counts mostly show what Claude couldn’t find. Most often:

• A phone number or other way to reach the company: 22 answers
• When the company could do the work: 15 answers
• Reviews it could check: 10 answers
• A price or how the job is priced: 4 answers

Assistants most often could not find a phone number, and many could not confirm that a company does heat pump work at all. A page that names heat pump repair, the brands served and a working number answers both.

I couldn't verify any company's heat pump work specifically, so treat these as well-rated candidates and not a guaranteed best.

Where the assistants sent people

Each answer linked to the pages the assistant relied on. Of the 223 ChatGPT and Claude answers about heat pump repair, this is how many linked at least once to each kind of site:

• A contractor’s own website: 97% (216 answers)
• A directory or review site such as Yelp, Angi or the BBB: 51% (114 answers)
• A manufacturer or home-improvement guide: 20% (44 answers)
• An official license lookup: 5% (11 answers)

A contractor’s own website was the page linked most often, so your site is usually what the customer is sent to read.

Google AI Mode works differently. In 86% of its 64 answers, the links opened Google’s own listing for a business rather than a website. There, your Google Business Profile is the page the customer sees, so it needs the same facts as your site.

The checks behind every recommendation, applied to heat pump repair

Can the customer reach a person?

Phone numbers were what assistants most often could not find. Some found pages that advertised round-the-clock service but showed no number.

22 of the 287 answers about heat pump repair, 22 of them from Claude, said the assistant couldn’t confirm this. In our July–August study across eight trades, it cost a business its place in 147 of the 290 conversations where it came up.

Can you schedule the job when the customer needs it?

Customers often needed someone today or first thing tomorrow. No answer could see a free technician, so assistants told customers to ask for a specific arrival window.

15 of the 287 answers about heat pump repair, 14 of them from Claude, said the assistant couldn’t confirm this. In our July–August study across eight trades, it cost a business its place in 185 of the 657 conversations where it came up.

What do recent customers say?

Assistants often found only directory ratings and no reviews about heat pump repairs, and told customers to check Google before booking.

10 of the 287 answers about heat pump repair, 10 of them from Claude, said the assistant couldn’t confirm this. In our July–August study across eight trades, it cost a business its place in 139 of the 569 conversations where it came up.

Source: How we research what AI assistants recommend.

Your heat pump repair page checklist

Work through this list on your heat pump repair page. Each item answers something the assistants looked for above.

1. Use “heat pump repair”, “heat pump not heating” or “heat pump not cooling” in the page title, the main heading and the first paragraph.
2. State the diagnostic fee for a heat pump visit, or how it is set, and whether it is credited toward the repair.
3. Say that you repair heat pumps, list the brands you service, and show a real heat pump repair.
4. List the heat pump symptoms you investigate in heating and cooling modes, and say a technician confirms the cause on site.
5. State your labor warranty on heat pump repairs, and explain how you check and handle manufacturer part warranties.
6. Explain when you recommend repair and when you suggest replacement, and that the customer gets both prices in writing.
7. Say that after the assessment the customer receives a written price naming the failed part, and approves it before work begins.
8. Put a working phone number on the heat pump repair page, and say who answers it after hours.
9. Say how same-day and next-morning heat pump visits are booked, and when the customer hears the arrival window.
10. Link to your recent reviews and point to ones where customers describe a heat pump repair.

Going further: let assistants see real openings

For planned work like heat pump repair, a useful opening says whether it is for an assessment or the job itself, and whether the customer’s address is covered.

Merchant Context builds custom integrations with scheduling software so customers and AI assistants can read your current availability. Where your system records the job type, service area, duration and crew capacity, the integration can show those details with each opening, so an assistant can match it to the request instead of guessing.

We scope each connection to the software and data you actually have. A displayed opening is not a confirmed booking: the customer still confirms through your normal booking process, and the information is only useful while it is fresh.

Source: Merchant Context: custom integrations in the AEO service · checked 2026-10-14.

Questions owners ask

Why does my heat pump heat but not cool, or cool but not heat?

Customers often described a heat pump that worked in one mode and not the other. Assistants told them to ask whether the company handles heat pump failures such as reversing valves and refrigerant leaks. The page should list the symptoms it investigates, and say a technician confirms the cause on site.

Is the heat pump diagnostic fee credited toward the repair?

It depends on the company, so assistants told customers to ask. Many answers said some companies credit or waive the fee if the customer approves the repair. A page that states the fee and when it is credited answers this before the call.

Should I repair or replace my heat pump?

Answers did not give one rule. For a big repair, assistants told customers to get a second quote and ask whether replacement would cost less. They also said to check the manufacturer warranty. The page should explain how the company makes that recommendation.

Which AI assistants did you test?

ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Mode. Between September 6 and October 14, 2026, they answered 287 questions about heat pump repair: ChatGPT 112, Claude 111, Google AI Mode 64.

Will these changes guarantee a recommendation?

No. Nobody can promise that. These changes supply what the assistants were looking for in our research. Whether they move recommendations for your business is something to measure after they go live.

See it on your own website

Send us your website address and we’ll make a free preview of your homepage, rewritten so customers and assistants can find your heat pump repair answers. You pay only if you accept it: $2,000 a month, month to month, with no build fee.

Get your free homepage preview

Source: Merchant Context: the current website offer · checked 2026-10-14.

Keep reading

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