How Do You Roll Back a Major Change?
Have you guys ever made a major organizational change then needed to go back? This last year I tried to help buy back some of my time and created a Project/ Operations manager position so I could focus on sales and marketing. It's been a bumpy road to say the least. I first tried to hire two guys from outside the organization, I really thought I did my due diligence but it didn't work out with either of those guys. One guy I learned after a week (lol) the other took me a month and a half. On our third guy, I promoted from within and it seemed like it was working but here we are almost two full quarters in and we have less capacity because I haven't been successful in finding a replacement for him in the field, and we are making less money on jobs because ... well it's a combination of things but he might not be a fit for the position. I'm thinking I need a more decentralized approach since essentially we are at the same revenue number as last year when we didn't have his big overhead position. So the question is - how do you roll that back? Is it possible to make a change like that without alienating the person I'm demoting? Would it be easier to demote if I'm citing financial and structural changes for the company? What's ya'll take on that.How Are Home Service Businesses Preparing for AI Search Visibility?
Search is changing fast. We’ve already seen Google test online estimates and AI-assisted pricing in local search. Now, AI tools are helping homeowners decide who to call, sometimes before they ever visit a website. Scorpion Marketing published a report with the following stats: 22% of homeowners are already using AI tools to research services or get recommendations 80% of business owners say they don’t know how to prepare for AI-driven search visibility We’d love to hear what you’re seeing👇 Have you noticed changes in how customers find you or ask questions? Are you doing anything intentionally today to prep for AI-driven search? If AI search on your radar but still confusing, what question do you have? This space will continue to evolve. Sharing what’s working (or not) across different trades helps everyone get ahead of it!AI in Home Services — What’s Actually Working for You?
I’ve been testing a few tools in my tree care business and wanted to get real feedback from others in the field. Recently switched from Ooma Office to Quo (formerly OpenPhone), and one feature that’s been working well is automatic text follow-up when a call is missed. Instead of voicemail, it asks for the address and service needed. It’s helped keep leads engaged and reduced missed opportunities. Also using different call flows based on business hours, which has improved response consistency. That said, AI voice receptionists still don’t feel fully there yet. Most customers can tell, and in this industry people usually expect to speak with a real person—especially for larger or safety-related jobs. Curious to hear from others: What AI tools are you actually using in your business? What have you stopped using? What are the top 3 reasons you’ve kept a tool long-term? Looking for real-world experience, not hype.How Fast Do You Pick Up a Phone Call or Call Someone Back After a Missed Call?
Curious how everyone here handles this, because a new Jobber survey of recent homebuyers turned up a stat that stuck with me: 15% had to follow up repeatedly just to get a response from a contractor 9% never heard back at all Losing potential business due to something that is not a pricing problem or a skill problem should be a wake up call. In a world where 75% of new homeowners hire a pro within their first two years of buying, being the one who calls back first might be the easiest job you win all week! So, what's your business standard? Do you answer within a certain time frame or let it go to voicemail and call back same day? Are there systems set up so nothing slips through the cracks? 👉 Recent Homebuyer Report: It's got homeowner quotes on what made them trust (or ditch) a contractor, plus a breakdown of how each generation actually finds a pro.Has Anyone Tried Using AI for Mock Jobs Scenarios/Simulations?
As a new entrepreneur without clients yet, I've been using AI to run mock business scenarios and simulations to build experience and sharpen my processes. I've used it for logistics coordination, compliance reporting, project management, administrative support, client communications, scheduling challenges, and document management. It's been a useful way to practice decision-making, identify gaps in my systems, and gain confidence before working with actual clients. Just thought I'd share the idea. If you haven't tried using AI for business simulations yet, it may be a useful exercise while you're building your company and preparing for future opportunities.What ai/automated workflows do you use for your home service business?
I want to better implement AI into my landscaping business out in Arizona. What workflows do you use to better help everything run smoothly or save time? Here's what I have going so far: Field crew uses ChatGPT or Claude to troubleshoot issues I use it for rough calculations of the material and time it will take for the job writing specific contracts for customers Handling mistakes on projects when it comes to client communication Training manuals and internal SOP creation Captions and storyboards for social media posts Ad copy for marketing Financial analyzation for profit and growth Finding gaps in my business for course correctionI built an AI assistant that runs my office
A few weeks ago I shared how I built a one-step enrollment system for my lawn care program — client enters their info, credit card goes on file, and they're enrolled. No quote approval, no back-and-forth. Automated sequences handle the welcome email, welcome text, and contact setup. One step, done. Coming from a background as an electrician, I tend to look at everything as a circuit. If there’s a break in communication or a 'loose wire' in my lead flow, the whole system fails. I decided to stop fighting the mess and started 'wiring' my office the same way I would a complex panel. I built an AI operations system that runs alongside Jobber. Every text, phone call, email, voicemail, missed call, and website form submission automatically gets logged to a centralized database through a series of Zaps. Every client has one record, one timeline, and one clear next action at all times. Every morning before I head out, I run a 5-minute briefing with an AI assistant. It reads the full client database through an MCP server — which basically means the AI has live access to every client interaction in real time. It tells me who contacted me overnight, who's waiting on a response, who's going cold, and what I should do next for each person. It drafts the messages. I review, edit if needed, and send. I also set up an AI receptionist on my business phone line. It answers calls, can answer common questions about services and pricing, takes client information, and transfers calls when needed. It can also send texts to the caller during or after the call — like a direct link to the enrollment page or the resources section on my website. It handles multiple calls at the same time. No more missed calls going to voicemail. The tools: Jobber for jobs, scheduling, and service history. An MCP-connected database for the client timeline. Zapier to connect everything. An AI assistant for daily briefings and client communication. An AI receptionist for inbound calls. Jobber stays at the center — it's my source of truth for every job, every visit, every quote. The AI layer sits on top and makes sure nothing falls through the cracks between Jobber and everything else. I'm planning my first hire this season. Not because I'm behind — because the systems are handling the admin load well enough that I can focus on growing. The AI doesn't replace a person. It replaced the office work I used to do at 10 PM after a full day in the field. If anyone's curious about how any of this works, happy to answer questions. I'm not selling anything — just sharing what I've built because this community helped me think through a lot of it.
