Blue Collar Workers Add AI to Their Toolboxes

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To help you understand the trends surrounding AI and other new technologies and what we expect to happen in the future, our highly experienced Kiplinger Letter team will keep you abreast of the latest developments and forecasts. (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Letter or subscribe.) You'll get all the latest news first by subscribing, but we will publish many (but not all) of the forecasts a few days afterward online. Here’s the latest…

AI isn’t just coming for white collar jobs. It’s also quickly being adopted in blue collar fields, taking on administrative tasks to save time, score more sales and boost customer satisfaction.

Many home service contractors have already tried AI for work, especially as it gets integrated into popular trade-specific business software. There’s a growing number of HVAC pros, electricians, plumbers, landscapers, painters, cleaners and home remodelers who use AI regularly.

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Tradespeople who are AI users are saving four hours per week on average, according to a recent survey by Housecall Pro, a software platform for trade professionals. The survey found that 40% of their customers are actively using AI, with workers under 35 especially likely to use AI daily. Both big and small companies are part of the trend, even solo operations.

“Our customers are used to using tools in their business and see AI as another tool, like any other tool in their tool bag,” says Roland Ligtenberg, senior VP of innovation at Housecall Pro.

Back-office work
Top uses today include marketing, customer service, scheduling and paperwork. AI tools can automate marketing content for websites or online ads. Housecall Pro’s “Write it for me” tool helps craft website copy, customer responses and emails, simply by providing a short prompt. An AI voice assistant can answer calls 24/7, book a job and put it in the calendar. Customer emails can get automated responses and suggested appointment times. AI-generated reminders, sent via text or email, can help secure a job after giving an estimate.

AI can also help with data entry and financials, such as automated invoices or pricing recommendations. Need to know how many water heaters Joe installed last month, so you can pay him? Just ask an AI chatbot.

Expect AI to soon become standard for many home services companies. Vendors are looking carefully at what may spark more adoption. Some businesses want more information before they trust and understand AI, waiting to see detailed case studies and clear examples of a good return on investment.

A 'one-stop shop' for trades
Besides Housecall Pro, other software vendors with AI include Jobber and ServiceTitan. Housecall Pro’s basic package for one user starts at $59 per month and includes tools for scheduling, quotes, booking, invoices and more, plus access to their AI tech. ServiceTitan has a personalized AI assistant dubbed FieldAssist to answer questions related to your company’s data.

Ligtenberg notes that using AI with Housecall Pro’s cloud platform means companies don’t have to pay attention to confusing and constant AI updates at leading tech companies. As AI models improve, Housecall Pro can swap in any underlying AI tech upgrades to improve voice assistants or other tools. “Our customers just want everything in one place,” says Ligtenberg.

Trade businesses are often experimenting with low-risk tasks first, such as writing marketing copy, where mistakes wouldn’t be costly to fix. Soon, more will shift to more important work, such as scheduling and dispatching, which needs to be highly accurate, to AI tools.

AI can be used for old-school media, too. Housecall Pro’s AI can come up with pithy text for a 4-inch by 6-inch printed postcard mailed to prospective customers, a tried and true marketing practice that local and national trades companies still rely on.

This forecast first appeared in The Kiplinger Letter, which has been running since 1923 and is a collection of concise weekly forecasts on business and economic trends, as well as what to expect from Washington, to help you understand what’s coming up to make the most of your investments and your money. Subscribe to The Kiplinger Letter.

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John Miley is a Senior Associate Editor at The Kiplinger Letter. He mainly covers technology, telecom and education, but will jump on other important business topics as needed. In his role, he provides timely forecasts about emerging technologies, business trends and government regulations. He also edits stories for the weekly publication and has written and edited e-mail newsletters.

He joined Kiplinger in August 2010 as a reporter for Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, where he wrote stories, fact-checked articles and researched investing data. After two years at the magazine, he moved to the Letter, where he has been for the last decade. He holds a BA from Bates College and a master’s degree in magazine journalism from Northwestern University, where he specialized in business reporting. An avid runner and a former decathlete, he has written about fitness and competed in triathlons.