As artificial intelligence (AI) advances, it is critical to recognize that it cannot replace the importance of emotions, interpersonal communication, or human interaction—all of which are critical components to the success of the home services industry. However, in the face of the digital revolution, our industry must evolve to stay relevant and keep up with client expectations.
So, how can AI help our franchise owners realize operational efficiencies to meet the unshakable demand for the services we so proudly deliver? Let’s start by identifying the skills we possess that cannot be so easily replaced by AI, so we can then determine how to maximize the impact of those skills through more intelligent technology.
Drivers for the Home Services Sector
The success of any job in home services is driven by five key proficiencies:
- Adaptability: Technicians must account for complex and unpredictable scenarios that often arise in home service jobs. When a Restoration 1 technician works on a job, especially after natural disasters like floods or hurricanes, unexpected problems like structural issues and electrical problems often come up. During the restoration process, it’s important for the technician to be flexible, keep the lines of communication open with the homeowners, and put safety first.
- Unforeseen Challenges: More often than not, home service tasks often involve unexpected challenges. Maybe there’s a delay. Maybe there’s a secondary issue that wasn’t originally accounted for. Maybe the work is actually headed in a completely different direction than expected because the customer changed their mind. Home services work often requires creative problem-solving.
- Emotional Intelligence: Home service professionals can empathize and understand the emotional needs of homeowners, which can be crucial in stressful situations. Whenever we communicate with customers, we address the complex emotions that result from negative situations like water damage, fire damage, and property destruction, as well as celebrate positive changes like the aesthetic improvement of a home due to new flooring or how installing a new water heater ensures peace of mind.
- Physical Problem Solving: Many tasks in the home services industry require physical dexterity and the ability to navigate tight or complex spaces, like installing pipes for plumbing. Consider a situation where a bluefrog Plumbing + Drain expert is needed. A homeowner tells them about a leak in a tricky plumbing system behind a small utility closet. To fix it, the expert needs both technical knowledge and physical skills. They might have to use tools in different ways and get into tight spots, all without making things worse. This hands-on job and the ability to handle space’s challenges show how human expertise shines. But AI can’t do these things – it can’t handle complex real-world situations like humans can.
- Building Trust: Professional home services really have one end goal: customer satisfaction. Trust leads to customer satisfaction— trust that the technician can solve the issue, and trust that the brand will stay consistent with its service. This trust is established when the technician demonstrates expertise and authority and then follows through with a job well done.
It would be easy to rest our laurels on the fact that these skills that make our industry what it is are nearly impossible to replicate with AI. But having such advanced technology at our fingertips and not taking advantage of it in some way is a surefire way to make ourselves obsolete.
How AI Helps Us
Many industries are highly impacted by AI—think retail, e-commerce, healthcare, and advertising/marketing. The ones who work with AI versus working against it are rising to the top. In home services, we use AI as a tool for improving our service model in four key areas:
- Marketing: customer prospecting, creative services
- Finance: billing, accounting
- Manufacturing: job scheduling, parts procurement, construction deliveries
- Systems: leak detection, water flow usage, mold identification
Customers are impressed by the efficiencies AI can deliver, and franchise owners are inspired by how AI can automate and streamline their operations. While technology will never replace the need for highly trained and hard-working professionals, its benefits are undeniable when used properly.
An Exciting Time for the Home Services Industry
For home services, AI will never replace humans. While the future of AI is constantly being redefined, what we offer in our industry is not. But that doesn’t mean AI cannot be a valuable tool to us. We will always provide the services necessary to take care of homes and buildings—and the people who live and work there. And if we remain open to the prospect of incorporating AI into our processes for delivering those services, the future is even brighter for us. As we look to the future, the lives of our customers and franchise owners will continue to be impacted by technology. When you’re selecting a new business venture, consider that our home services business stands the test of time regardless of where technology takes us. Together, we guide our teams and our franchise network toward growth and stability. By embracing change, we’re positioning ourselves for continued success in the future.
Sherry Rose
Sherry Rose is the Chief Executive Officer of Stellar Service Brands, an umbrella company uniting Restoration 1, bluefrog Plumbing + Drain, and Softroc under one multi-branded service organization where her focus is to provide exemplary services and outstanding results for Stellar with continued growth for long-term success and new opportunities. During Sherry’s time as Chief Operating Officer of Stellar Service Brands from 2020 to 2022, her expertise in operations, strategy development and customer experience helped the company rapidly expand to more than 480 franchise locations awarded across the U.S. today combined. Prior to joining Stellar Brands, Sherry worked for ServiceMaster, a billion-dollar global business consisting of company-owned locations and franchised multi-unit organizations where she served in various leadership and support roles for brands including Terminix, ServiceMaster Restore and Merry Maids.
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