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Hand Them the Gauge
Format: Post-call
Runtime: ~8 minutes
Source: Clinical psychology , control as anxiety management; Ellen Langer's perceived control research (Harvard, 1975)
Just got back. Washed up. Sitting here thinking about a call that went fine, where the customer was perfectly pleasant, and where I still felt watched every single second I was in that house.
He met me in the driveway. That's not unusual. What was unusual was what he said before I had both feet out of the truck. He said: I want to walk you through what I think is happening first, before you start.
He'd written notes. On actual paper.
He'd documented the last six days of system behavior. Times it turned on. Duration of each cycle. Temperature differential at the supply vent versus the return. He'd looked up how to check that. He'd written it down in a column.
I looked at the notes. They were actually useful. He'd caught a pattern. The system was short-cycling more in the afternoons, which tracked with the refrigerant issue I found an hour later. He'd done real observation work.
He said: I figured I should know what was going on with it.
He stood about four feet behind me for most of the repair. Not hovering, exactly. Positioned. Every time I reached into the toolbox he watched what I took out. Every time I made a reading, he asked what it meant before I'd had time to think about it.
When I went to the truck to get the replacement Schrader valve, he followed me to the truck.
Not to help. Just to watch.
I've had customers like this over the years. The kind where the call never quite relaxes. Where you can feel a second pair of eyes on every decision. Some people read it as distrust. I don't think that's quite right. Distrust has an edge to it. This didn't have an edge. It had vigilance. The same way a person driving through an unfamiliar city watches the road slightly harder than usual. Not because they think the road is lying to them. Because they don't have a map and things can go wrong quickly.
Ellen Langer at Harvard spent years researching what people do when they feel like they have no control over an outcome that matters. The short version of what she found is that the brain hates genuine uncertainty. It will generate the illusion of control when real control isn't available. You'll see it in small rituals , lucky socks, specific patterns, a need to understand exactly what's happening in real time , because the feeling of having a hand in the outcome, even a fictional hand, reduces the anxiety that comes from pure helplessness.
Give Us A Shout
Thanks for tuning in to Hartzell's Heat & Air, your trusted HVAC experts in Oklahoma and beyond. From Kingfisher to coast-to-coast consulting, we design, install, and maintain smart, efficient systems that deliver year-round comfort.
We're employee-owned, family-run, and powered by 45+ years of experience. Whether it's AI-powered thermostats, geothermal systems, or classic tune-ups, we deliver upfront pricing, expert care, and warranties that back it all up.
🛠️ Book Online:
https://book.housecallpro.com/book/Hartzells-Heat--Air/4a569038b3dc460daf2d5f6497b18351?v2=true
🌐 www.hartzellsheatair.com
📞 (405) 375-4822
🚛 Trane Comfort Specialist • Mitsubishi Diamond Dealer • ClimateMaster Elite
🛡️ VIP Comfort Club • Remote Monitoring • Extended Warranties
📲 Follow us for tips, updates, and real-world installs:
YouTube: @hartzellsheatair6003
X: https://x.com/HartzellsHVAC
Facebook: facebook.com/hartzellsheatair
LinkedIn: Dave Hartzell
Built on trust. Backed by warranty. Designed for comfort.
View all episodes
By Dave Hartzell's Heat & Air - Kingfisher,OKFormat: Post-call
Runtime: ~8 minutes
Source: Clinical psychology , control as anxiety management; Ellen Langer's perceived control research (Harvard, 1975)
Just got back. Washed up. Sitting here thinking about a call that went fine, where the customer was perfectly pleasant, and where I still felt watched every single second I was in that house.
He met me in the driveway. That's not unusual. What was unusual was what he said before I had both feet out of the truck. He said: I want to walk you through what I think is happening first, before you start.
He'd written notes. On actual paper.
He'd documented the last six days of system behavior. Times it turned on. Duration of each cycle. Temperature differential at the supply vent versus the return. He'd looked up how to check that. He'd written it down in a column.
I looked at the notes. They were actually useful. He'd caught a pattern. The system was short-cycling more in the afternoons, which tracked with the refrigerant issue I found an hour later. He'd done real observation work.
He said: I figured I should know what was going on with it.
He stood about four feet behind me for most of the repair. Not hovering, exactly. Positioned. Every time I reached into the toolbox he watched what I took out. Every time I made a reading, he asked what it meant before I'd had time to think about it.
When I went to the truck to get the replacement Schrader valve, he followed me to the truck.
Not to help. Just to watch.
I've had customers like this over the years. The kind where the call never quite relaxes. Where you can feel a second pair of eyes on every decision. Some people read it as distrust. I don't think that's quite right. Distrust has an edge to it. This didn't have an edge. It had vigilance. The same way a person driving through an unfamiliar city watches the road slightly harder than usual. Not because they think the road is lying to them. Because they don't have a map and things can go wrong quickly.
Ellen Langer at Harvard spent years researching what people do when they feel like they have no control over an outcome that matters. The short version of what she found is that the brain hates genuine uncertainty. It will generate the illusion of control when real control isn't available. You'll see it in small rituals , lucky socks, specific patterns, a need to understand exactly what's happening in real time , because the feeling of having a hand in the outcome, even a fictional hand, reduces the anxiety that comes from pure helplessness.
Give Us A Shout
Thanks for tuning in to Hartzell's Heat & Air, your trusted HVAC experts in Oklahoma and beyond. From Kingfisher to coast-to-coast consulting, we design, install, and maintain smart, efficient systems that deliver year-round comfort.
We're employee-owned, family-run, and powered by 45+ years of experience. Whether it's AI-powered thermostats, geothermal systems, or classic tune-ups, we deliver upfront pricing, expert care, and warranties that back it all up.
🛠️ Book Online:
https://book.housecallpro.com/book/Hartzells-Heat--Air/4a569038b3dc460daf2d5f6497b18351?v2=true
🌐 www.hartzellsheatair.com
📞 (405) 375-4822
🚛 Trane Comfort Specialist • Mitsubishi Diamond Dealer • ClimateMaster Elite
🛡️ VIP Comfort Club • Remote Monitoring • Extended Warranties
📲 Follow us for tips, updates, and real-world installs:
YouTube: @hartzellsheatair6003
X: https://x.com/HartzellsHVAC
Facebook: facebook.com/hartzellsheatair
LinkedIn: Dave Hartzell
Built on trust. Backed by warranty. Designed for comfort.