Mike Andes argues that AI search tools will soon funnel customers to just a few top local contractors, squeezing out the rest. He shows three underused features in HomeWorks that can protect margins: an upsell toggle that boosts revenue per member by over 25%, mass texting with 98-99% open rates, and in-app video recording that cuts unnecessary site visits.
In 2020, we saw an explosion of the chuck in a truck in home services. AI and the push to online will reverse that trend and consolidate a limited supply of leads to the top contractors in your local market. When you ask ChatGPT or Gemini for contractors in your area, it does not give you pages of options and blue links. It gives you 2 to 3 recommendations. Those businesses will win. There are a few features inside HomeWorks that I consistently see underutilized, and in an environment where ad costs are rising and margins matter more, these features represent immediate immediate leverage. The first is upsells. When you toggle on upsells inside the Field Force mobile app and train your crews to use it consistently, average revenue per member at HomeWorks increases by over 25%. Most businesses are leaving thousands of dollars in additional revenue on the table each month simply because they're not systematically offering additional services to customers who already trust them. The upsell feature now works offline, so there's no excuse for not spending an hour setting up your top service upsells. The second is mass text texting, another underutilized feature. Text messages have open rates between 98% and 99%. Email might sit between 30% and 40% open rates. Send seasonal offers, reactivate dormant customers, promote recurring services, fill slow weeks, upsell enhancements, sell during your off season. Your contact database is one of your most valuable assets, so use it. The third underutilized feature is video inside the Field Force mobile app. Crews can now record high-definition video, compress it automatically inside the app, and attach it directly to the property for the visit. That video becomes institutional memory. It prevents drive-bys. It improves communication between the crews in the office. It reduces the estimator visits, the estimator going back to the property. It improves professionalism with customers when shared inside the customer portal. This single feature eliminates friction that many owners simply accept as normal.
