Powering an HVAC Management Platform with Data and Back-Office Services

THE CLIENT

A Commercial Property Management Firm

This mid-sized commercial property operator manages assets across multiple U.S. states. The firm handles the day-to-day operations of commercial buildings, including maintenance, tenant coordination, and vendor management. By leveraging Ravti, they streamline HVAC equipment tracking, schedule preventative maintenance, and ensure tenants meet HVAC-related lease obligations, resulting in fewer compliance delays and improved lease execution timelines.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

Back Office Support for CRM Data Management, Compliance Verification, and HVAC Data Digitization

The client approached us in 2016 seeking reliable back-office support to streamline their HVAC data management and tenant compliance processes as their operations rapidly expanded. Their key requirements included:

Digitization of HVAC Inventory: Convert thousands of HVAC unit images stored in the client’s CRM into structured digital inventories. Extract critical equipment details, including model numbers, serial numbers, and manufacture dates, and accurately calculate tonnage.
Maintenance History Transcription: Validate the maintenance history and related service documents uploaded to their CRM system, and transcribe key details (Service Date, Vendor, Description) into the system.
Tenant Compliance Verification: Track service document validity and maintain accurate compliance status across multiple property portfolios.
HVAC Data Analysis: Analyze HVAC nameplate data to identify refrigerant type (R-22 or R-410A) and document electrical requirements, including voltage, phase, and frequency details.
Vendor and Property Data Management: Enrich vendor contact lists with accurate contact details and email IDs through web research. Update unique property IDs in Prism software to ensure correct linkage between properties and CRM systems.

PROJECT CHALLENGES

Data Quality, Compliance Complexity, and Multi-System Integration

Apart from the vast data volume, tight deadlines, and strict guidelines, several other aspects made this project challenging, including:

Inconsistent Data and Poor Image Quality: Many HVAC unit images had unclear, inconsistent, or hard-to-read nameplate details, making it difficult to accurately extract model numbers, serial numbers, and technical specs.
Subject Matter Expertise Requirement: Extracting correct specifications from damaged or ambiguous nameplate images demanded domain experts with specialized knowledge of HVAC equipment manufacturers and their model numbering systems.
Data Quality and Accuracy: Ensuring 100% accuracy in equipment specifications was critical, as errors could cause improper maintenance, compliance violations, or equipment failures. The challenge was compounded by variations in image quality, different manufacturer formats, and the need to decode complex tonnage calculations from model numbers.
Multi-Platform Integration: Managing data flow across multiple CRM systems (Ravti, Streak, and Prism) required careful coordination to avoid silos and maintain synchronized, error-free records.
Complex Tenant Compliance Verification: Tenant compliance verification involved understanding various service requirements, maintenance schedules, and regulatory standards that varied by property type and location. Determining compliance status required careful analysis of service documents and maintenance histories.
Vendor data research and verification: Building a reliable vendor contact database involved targeted web research combined with strict adherence to data privacy rules and website terms of service, ensuring data integrity while respecting privacy and legal standards.

OUR SOLUTION

Implementing a Layered Framework for Data Cleansing, Classification, and Validation

To address the complexity and scale of this project, we deployed a dedicated team of 6 data specialists with relevant HVAC domain expertise. We established structured workflows to tackle the project’s complexities and ensure high data accuracy, quality, and compliance. The comprehensive suite of services delivered to the client included data extraction services, CRM data entry services, data management services, and web research services.

1

HVAC Inventory Digitization

Accurate Data Extraction from HVAC Unit Images: We developed a 3-step verification system where data specialists first extracted visible details from nameplate images, then cross-referenced details with manufacturer databases using Google Search, and finally validated manufacturing dates using industry coding standards before entering structured data into Google Sheets.
Tonnage Calculation Process: We created custom lookup tables in Google Sheets that matched manufacturer model codes to BTU ratings and tonnage values. This allowed us to accurately identify the capacity of HVAC units, even when the nameplates were partially obscured. The final data was then imported into Ravti's inventory system for tracking.

2

Maintenance Data Transcription & CRM Data Entry

To ensure an accurate and complete record of all maintenance activities for each HVAC unit, we used a dual-layer approach to data processing. First, trained data analysts carefully transcribed key details from diverse source materials into the Ravti CRM. These entries were then thoroughly cross-checked against service logs and vendor records, minimizing errors and maintaining a reliable maintenance timeline.

3

Tenant Compliance Verification

Our team carefully reviewed all service documents uploaded to the CRM to ensure they were complete and included all necessary information. We verified the validity of each document by cross-checking service dates and maintenance types. Once verified, we updated the tenant compliance status in Streak CRM as either "Compliant" or "Non-Compliant."

4

HVAC Data Interpretation and Classification

We developed detailed reference guides to identify and classify refrigerant types (R-22 or R-410A), ratings, and electrical specifications (voltage, phase, and Hz) from HVAC labels and nameplates. This process was supported by quality checks with HVAC technicians’ feedback for optimized maintenance planning.

5

Vendor Contact Data Enrichment

Through targeted Google searches and ethical web research, we validated contact details of HVAC service providers across company websites, industry directories, and social media platforms. The outdated or incomplete details (email IDs or contact numbers) were replaced with current, reliable data. We also verified email IDs and phone numbers and enhanced client outreach by building a reliable, nationwide database of HVAC service providers with an above 95% accuracy rate.

6

Integrated Data Management in Prism

Managing Property IDs required precise matching between old records and current CRM data. Our data management team leveraged Prism’s API and careful manual checks to reconcile records and eliminate duplicates. We also provided data enrichment services to update outdated property IDs in Prism software, ensuring data reliability and streamlined property management.

7

Cross-Platform Data Mapping & CRM Synchronization

To solve integration challenges, we engineered custom data mapping workflows that aligned fields between Ravti CRM, Streak CRM, and Building Engines’ Prism. Using a combination of automated import/export routines and manual cross-checks, our team regularly synchronized property, compliance, and asset data across platforms. This ensured all critical updates—such as lease status, equipment inventories, and compliance events—were seamlessly reflected in every system, eliminating data silos and maintaining a unified, up-to-date digital ecosystem for property managers.

Assured Data Security at Every Stage

Given our direct access to the client’s CRM systems, data security was a top priority throughout the project. We followed strict ISO 27001–certified protocols to protect sensitive data, which involved:

Limited, role-based access to the client’s CRM (Ravti, Streak, and Prism)
CRM logins and data transmission through encrypted, VPN-secured networks
Strict adherence to NDAs by everyone involved in this project
Zero data leakage policy – Data stayed within client systems—no local storage, downloads, or copies.
Regular security audits, activity logs, and compliance monitoring

Project Outcomes

Our web research, data verification, data enrichment, and data cleansing services yielded remarkable results for the client. As a result of these consistent outcomes, they extended the engagement into a long-term partnership and continue to rely on our team for ongoing data management services.

As a result of these consistent outcomes, the client extended the engagement into a long-term partnership, continuing to rely on our team for ongoing data management services.

99.8% accuracy in digitizing over 25,000 HVAC units across 800+ properties

60% reduction in compliance-related lease delays through accurate tenant compliance tracking

25% faster lease approval timelines with 40,000+ maintenance events accurately transcribed and updated

33% increase in vendor response rate due to an accurate and enriched vendor contact database

70% reduction in data retrieval errors following synchronization of clean, updated property data across multiple CRM platforms

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Streamlining HVAC Maintenance for Commercial Real Estate with End-to-End Data Management Services

A Commercial Property Management Firm

Back Office Support for CRM Data Management, Compliance Verification, and HVAC Data Digitization

Data Quality, Compliance Complexity, and Multi-System Integration