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AI Is Here for Plumbers and Electricians. Will It Transform Home Services?
The startup Netic launched a platform that helps skilled trade companies book appointments and generate new sales using artificial intelligence
A number of startups are offering AI services to home-services operators like HVAC specialists.
The next time you book a plumber, artificial intelligence might be taking your call or returning your message. Or, it might reach out because it knows your air conditioner needs an upgrade well before the summer.
Netic, a startup based in San Francisco, is selling an AI-based platform that helps home-services firms automatically reach out to clients in need of maintenance or upgrades, and takes calls and messages on their behalf.
Founded in 2024, Netic is part of a growing crop of startups looking beyond the saturated white-collar market and toward home-services operators like electricians, plumbers, roofers and HVAC—which stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning—specialists.
The startup Monday said it has raised $20 million with funding from venture-capital firms including Greylock and Founders Fund.
While Netic’s mission to automate sales and business operations seems simple, it can be a challenge to actually integrate AI into services businesses that run on manual labor—and it certainly can’t replace the work of skilled human technicians.
The rise of AI in skilled trades is getting a boost from private-equity firms, which have invested heavily in the area and are now injecting the technology into their portfolio companies—hoping for productivity gains and hefty returns. Netic’s customers are mostly private-equity-owned home-services companies, as well as some larger owner-operated firms, the startup said.
Asheem Chandna, an investor at venture-capital firm Greylock who served as lead investor in Netic’s seed round, said home-services businesses often have “underutilized capacity,” or staff who aren’t being put to work most efficiently. The point of AI, then, is to optimize the pairing of technicians with customers when they need help, and to reach them before they do, Chandna said.
Netic’s platform, which uses generative AI models and fine-tuned language models, is designed to use a certain AI model for each technology function, from customer verification to urgency and priority analysis, said Melisa Tokmak, the startup’s founder and chief executive..
Founded in 2024, Netic is part of a growing crop of AI startups targeting home-services operators. Melisa Tokmak, the startup’s founder and chief executive, is in the middle. Photo: Netic
For instance, Netic’s algorithms pick up on signals from customer calls, bumping a regular maintenance call to lower priority or escalating repairs for weather and emergencies. Or, a customer who has a quote from a rival firm might be pushed to the top. To help drive sales, Netic’s AI creates marketing campaigns that predict when customers might need a maintenance call based on data like an impending storm, the region and property type.
The platform also works with various customer management software for the trades, Tokmak said, and is meant to minimize the amount of integration between software that businesses have to deal with.
One customer, Chris Hoffmann, CEO of St. Louis-based home-services company HB Solutions Group, said that many startups are automating the work of booking appointments over the phone through AI voice agents. Hoffmann gets so many pitches for AI products, he said, that he’s often turning down vendors hawking their wares.
But Netic’s AI platform, along with taking calls and answering messages with more accuracy and recall than humans can, helps Hoffmann Brothers plan and prioritize which of the firm’s hundreds of technicians should take appointments and when, he said.
“I have to match my capacity with my customer demand on a daily basis,” Hoffman said. “And that’s really hard, because I don’t always get to choose how many people’s air conditioners are going to break when they call me.”
Still, even with the amount of AI that Hoffmann has put into his firm, only 20% of customer calls are being answered by Netic’s AI platform.
How AI is Revolutionizing the Trades: HVAC, Plumbers, Electricians, and More
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often associated with large enterprises and tech startups, but its potential for small businesses in the trades—such as HVAC technicians, plumbers, electricians, and property inspectors—is equally transformative. Traditionally, these industries rely on manual labour and experience-based decision-making, but AI offers tools that can enhance efficiency, improve customer satisfaction, and reduce operational costs. Here’s how AI is making a difference for businesses in the trades and why adopting these technologies can future-proof your operations.
1. Streamlined Scheduling and Dispatching
Managing appointments and dispatching staff efficiently is a logistical challenge for many service businesses. AI-powered tools like Nyckel can help automate job assignments by classifying and prioritizing work orders based on urgency, technician skills, and availability. This reduces downtime and travel time, ensuring customers receive timely service while maximizing staff productivity.
2. Predictive Maintenance
AI's data analysis capabilities allow businesses to predict when maintenance is needed before a system fails. For HVAC and electrical professionals, predictive tools like WatsonX can forecast equipment failures, enabling proactive maintenance that saves time and money. This approach prevents unexpected breakdowns and helps avoid costly emergency repairs, improving overall customer satisfaction.
Property inspectors, for example, can use AI to predict when a building system may need upgrades, helping owners avoid major repairs by budgeting for preventive maintenance.
3. Auto Costing and Proposal Generation
Creating accurate quotes and proposals is time-consuming, but AI can automate this process with precision. Tools like Nyckel can analyze the scope of work, material costs, and labor requirements to generate accurate cost estimates automatically. This saves businesses in the trades—such as electricians or plumbers—valuable time while ensuring customers receive detailed, transparent quotes. Auto proposal generation also enables small businesses to quickly send professional, tailored proposals, improving the chances of winning new clients and enhancing the customer experience.
4. Virtual Assistants and Customer Support
One challenge service businesses face is responding to customer inquiries quickly, especially outside of business hours. AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants like OpenAI Assistants can provide immediate answers to common questions, assist in booking appointments, and even follow up on customer requests. This frees up human staff for more complex issues and ensures round-the-clock service, improving the overall customer experience.
5. Automated Invoicing and Billing
Trades professionals often spend significant time on administrative tasks like invoicing, tracking payments, and following up on overdue bills. Zoho offers a cloud-based CRM solution that automates these processes, reducing human error and ensuring payments are processed on time. By integrating AI into financial operations, invoices can be automatically generated after a job is completed, helping small businesses focus more on their trade rather than paperwork.
6. AI-Enhanced Inventory Management
Keeping the right parts in stock is crucial for electricians, HVAC technicians, and plumbers. AI tools like Nyckel can forecast inventory needs by analyzing historical data and upcoming jobs, helping businesses maintain optimal stock levels. Automated reordering ensures you always have the right parts when needed, avoiding shortages or overstocking.
7. Customer Personalization
AI can help small businesses in the trades offer more personalized services by analyzing customer data. For instance, Mindstamp allows businesses to create interactive, personalized videos for customers—like maintenance tips for HVAC systems or how-to guides for home electrical safety. These personalized insights not only improve customer engagement but also open opportunities for upselling relevant products or services.
8. Efficient Marketing with AI
Targeting the right customers with the right message is key to successful marketing, and AI tools make this easier. Tools like SlickText can automate SMS messaging campaigns, allowing plumbers or HVAC technicians to send reminders for seasonal maintenance or promotions based on previous service history. AI can also optimize these campaigns by analyzing engagement data, ensuring messages are personalized and timely.
9. Data-Driven Decision Making
For trades professionals, AI can provide insights into every aspect of their business. WatsonX can analyze historical data like job completion times, revenue trends, and customer satisfaction to help you make better decisions on pricing, hiring, and services offered. For property inspectors, AI-driven data analysis can reveal market trends, helping adjust services based on forecasted demand.
10. Safety Monitoring and Compliance
In trades like HVAC and electrical services, safety is critical. AI-powered safety monitoring tools, such as those offered by Claude Image Analysis, can detect anomalies or safety risks in real-time, preventing accidents before they happen. AI can also help businesses stay compliant with local regulations by automatically updating safety checklists and reminding technicians of necessary inspections or protocol changes.
Future-Proofing the Trades with AI
AI is no longer reserved for large companies; it’s a game-changer for small businesses in the trades, including HVAC technicians, plumbers, electricians, and property inspectors. From improving operational efficiency to enhancing customer experiences, AI offers a competitive advantage by saving time, reducing errors, and allowing businesses to focus on what they do best—serving their customers.
By integrating AI tools like Nyckel, Unify, and OpenAI Assistants, trades professionals can streamline operations, provide better customer service, and increase profitability. Whether through AI-powered scheduling, predictive maintenance, or automated invoicing, the benefits of AI are clear: it helps businesses run more smoothly and serve their customers better. With solutions like Contextual.io already making AI integration easier by including these tools in their service catalogue, now is the perfect time for businesses in the trades to explore these technologies.
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