What has improved customer retention the most in your business?
One thing I underestimated early on was how much customers pay attention to consistency. I’ve had customers mention things I never thought they were noticing: whether the gate was fully latched whether we showed up around the same time how quickly we responded to a text whether communication felt organized That we would clean up some trash debris in the yard or bring their garbage cans from the curb A lot of customer trust gets built in the small operational details. For us, a few things helped reduce complaints and cancellations: sending “on the way” texts before arrival taking gate photos after service documenting issues immediately instead of waiting in our Job Forms having clear onboarding expectations from the start We also stopped assuming customers understood our process automatically. Most don’t. Any time confusion showed up repeatedly, we tightened the process around it. I’m curious what other owners have noticed. What specific change improved retention or customer trust the most in your business?How Are You Handling AI-Generated Advice From Clients?
Has anyone else noticed clients using AI more during the estimating phase lately? We’ve had clients show up with ChatGPT-generated scopes, pricing expectations, code information, material recommendations, etc. Sometimes it’s actually helpful (rare lol). Other times it creates a ton of confusion because the information is partially correct but missing important context specific to local code, existing conditions, permits, sequencing, structural requirements, and so on. Feels like part of the job now is separating general internet information from what’s actually applicable to a real project. Curious how other contractors are handling this because sometimes it's hard to reason with someone who spent hours in a supportive AI echo chamber.Are you using AI in your business yet or still “just curious”?
Where are you at with AI right now? A) Not using it at all B) Using it for basic stuff (e.g., emails, replies) C) Using it for ops (e.g., estimating, training, reporting) D) “We run everything through AI” level—share below how you’re using it! In this episode of Masters of Home Service, PhilRisher and ryaantuttle share real-world ways home service pros are using AI to: Speed up estimating and hiring processes Create ready-to-use marketing content Prep for the shift from traditional SEO to AEO and GEO Want to put these tips into action? Download our free AI starter toolkit (includes scripts and pro tips). Never miss an episode of Masters of Home Service. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Have you ever had to let go of customers because they no longer fit your service area?
This has been one of the harder operational decisions I’ve had to make as our business has grown. When we first started, we said yes to almost everything. A new customer 35–45 minutes away? Sure. One random stop completely outside our main routes? We took it. At the beginning, it felt worth it because every customer mattered and we were trying to grow. But over time, I started realizing some of those decisions were quietly costing us a lot: extra drive time fuel route inefficiency employee hours schedule pressure less availability for denser areas A few isolated customers may not seem like a big deal individually, but collectively they can eat hours out of your week. And the hardest part is some of those customers have been with you for years. I recently had to let go of one of our original clients after 4+ years because her area simply no longer made operational sense for us. Honestly, I procrastinated that conversation for over a year. Part of it was guilt. Part of it was loyalty. Part of it was knowing she had supported us early on. She was really sad about it, which made the conversation harder, but she also understood why we had to make the decision. That conversation reminded me that scaling sometimes requires protecting the overall health of the operation, even when individual decisions feel emotionally uncomfortable. We’re trying to build tighter route density now instead of constantly expanding outward. Less windshield time has improved a lot: scheduling profitability technician morale flexibility capacity for growth inside our strongest areas. Still not an easy part of business though. Do you keep long-term customers outside your core area out of loyalty, or eventually redraw the boundaries as the business grows?What's the best thing you've automated in your business?
Think scheduling, lead follow-ups, and customer reminders. What’s the best automation(s) you’ve set up that's made running your business easier? In this episode of Masters of Home Service, PhilRisher and WiringByron get into: The two automations every business should have How to automate estimates, follow-ups and billing to save 20+ hours/week Why "build the system once, benefit forever" is the real win Want to put these tips into action? Download the 10 automation moves checklist for this episode. Never miss an episode of Masters of Home Service. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
How do you simplify your operations to reduce overhead and grow faster?
I was watching a video on youtube last night that was talking about how Chick-Fil-A is the most successful restaurant group in the country. Per capita, Chick-Fil-A makes way more money than McDonalds, Starbucks, etc. And their success boils down to the fact that their menu is super simple. This speeds up the ordering process, the making of the food, and cuts down on overhead. So I'm curious: what are ways that you use the KISS (keep is simple, stupid) method in your business?
