Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service

AI is not coming for your techs. It is coming for the busywork, the missed calls, and the guesswork that quietly eats your margin.

In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett sits down with Chris Plunkett, a Tucson HVAC owner who has been in the trade since he was eight years old, to talk about what using AI in an HVAC business actually looks like day to day.

They get into how Chris turned home inspections from a loss leader into one of his highest paying jobs, why his AI voice agent books calls so well that customers swear they were talking to a person, and the simple pay change that made after hours emergencies fair to his technicians again.

If you run an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical company and you are tired of AI hype with nothing to show for it, this one is built for you.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Breezy, the AI voice agent Chris uses for his after hours and overflow calls. See how many calls you are missing at https://getbreezyapp.com and use code SBM for 500 dollars toward Breezy.

CHAPTERS

0:00 – Why AI Won't Replace HVAC Techs
1:45 – Welcome to Service Business Mastery
2:37 – Fix Your Processes Before You Automate Anything
3:44 – Meet Chris Plunkett: From 8 Year Old Tech to HVAC Owner
7:33 – Where Chris Actually Uses AI in His HVAC Business
8:21 – Letter Grade Diagnostics Customers Understand
10:28 – The Real Way AI Is Changing the Trades
11:49 – Turning Home Inspections Into a High Ticket Profit Center
15:37 – Presenting Diagnostics So Customers Say Yes
18:04 – AI Voice Agents for After Hours and Overflow Calls
20:31 – The Call Nobody Could Tell Was AI
27:07 – Trigger Words and On Call Routing That Keep Owners Out of the Mix
29:41 – The Late Night Call Policy That Protects Your Techs
32:06 – Why Emergency Rate Beats After Hours Rate
35:02 – Nobody Wants to Work for YOU: Hiring the Next Generation
37:32 – Trade Culture, Mentorship, and Bringing Young Techs In
46:24 – Where to Find Chris and His Whiskey Side Hustle

ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY

Service Business Mastery is where home service owners come to run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch talk through the real operations, technology, and leadership decisions behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators and experts actually doing the work.

More episodes and resources:

https://servicebusinessmastery.com/
https://linkin.bio/servicebusinessmasterypodcast   

THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

BREEZY
About 30 percent of inbound calls in home services go unanswered, and those are customers ready to book with whoever picks up first. Breezy puts AI agents on every call, books the job, and follows up instantly, so you wake up to booked jobs instead of missed calls.
See how many jobs you are losing right now at https://getbreezyapp.com and use code SBM for 500 dollars toward Breezy.

UPFROG
Upfrog is the OG of pricing transparency online. They find hard to reach system replacement leads through paid ads, then nurture and book them into sold systems before your team even arrives.
Learn more: upfrog.com

MARKET STORM
Market Storm works with home service companies across the country, using AI to catch early buyer intent and put your brand in front of homeowners before they ever search. So when they do search, your name already feels familiar.
Visit https://marketstorm.ai/

CALLRAIL
CallRail assigns a unique tracking number to each of your marketing efforts, so you know exactly which channels bring your best leads and which ones to cut.
Try it free at https://callrail.com/sbmpod.

PHONETAP
Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo 

COMPANYCAM
Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at: https://companycam.com/

CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS AND GUEST

Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/
Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/
Chris Plunkett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-plunkett-11613385/

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

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#ServiceBusinessMastery #HVAC #AIinTheTrades #HomeServices #HVACBusiness

Most home service companies do not have a lead problem.

They have a missed-call problem.

In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Chris Nelson, Senior Manager of Vertical Marketing at CallRail, to talk about why home service leads disappear, how missed calls turn into lost revenue, and what contractors can do to better understand what is happening inside their call flow.

This conversation is not just about answering the phone faster. It is about understanding where your leads come from, how they move through your business, and where good opportunities get lost before they ever turn into booked jobs.

Chris breaks down how call tracking, call routing, CRM integrations, AI voice assistants, and conversation intelligence can help contractors see the real story behind their marketing spend and customer calls.

They also discuss:
Why missed calls are one of the most expensive leaks in a home service business

How call routing helps contractors get the right calls to the right people

Why attribution is harder now that homeowners use Google, social media, AI search, referrals, and other touchpoints before calling

How AI voice assistants can support CSR teams with overflow, after-hours calls, and basic call handling

Why call data and conversation intelligence help owners coach their teams and make smarter marketing decisions

If you are spending money on marketing but still missing calls, losing track of leads, or struggling to understand which channels are actually creating revenue, this episode will help you see why better call visibility matters.

Timestamps

00:00 Pre-show conversations with Chris
04:11 Introducing Voice Assist for Contractors
06:40 Integrating AI in Job Interviews
12:48 Introducing ChatGPT integration with Call Rail
15:18 Understanding Data and Attribution
18:18 Troubleshooting marketing and spending issues
23:07 Boosting Average Repair Tickets
26:08 Managing customer service team
27:07 Managing Incoming Calls and Coverage
31:32 Training and fine-tuning voice assistants
35:12 Using AI for data analysis
37:54 Tracking summer special calls
41:08 Home renovation challenges
43:40 Offering product assistance

Follow the Host and Guest
Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/
Joshua Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/
Chris Nelson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-nelson-205588140/
CallRail: https://www.callrail.com/

Connect with Us
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/service-business-mastery
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@servicebusinessmasterypodcast
• Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/servicebusinessmasterypodcast
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/servicebusinessmasterypodcast

This episode is kindly powered by:
UpFrog: upfrog.com 
MarketStorm is an AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/
Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail!: https://www.callrail.com/sbmpod
CompanyCam: https://companycam.com/
Breezy: Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code "SBM" to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo
PhoneTAP: Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo

Most contractors want more leads, more booked calls, and more revenue.

But if your sales process is inconsistent, more leads will only expose the problem faster.

In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Josh Martin, Director of Revenue Strategy at 3Four Labs, to talk about how service businesses can grow by building a stronger sales framework, improving technician coaching, and using AI-powered tools the right way.

Josh explains why AI and automation are only useful when your company already knows what "good" looks like. If your technicians, comfort advisors, or salespeople do not have a clear framework, the software cannot magically make them better. It needs to understand the questions you want asked, the information you want collected, and the way your company expects customers to be served.

The conversation also breaks down why recording field conversations should not be seen as "Big Brother," but as a coaching tool. Just like athletes watch game film, technicians and salespeople can use call and visit recordings to improve their communication, tone, positioning, and close rate.

They also discuss:
Why every growing company needs a repeatable sales framework

How AI ride-along tools help coach technicians and salespeople

Why technicians act differently when a manager is physically in the truck

How recording customer conversations can help your team improve

Why "sales" feels uncomfortable for many technicians

The importance of teaching technical experts how to communicate value

Why companies need clean data before they rely on AI

How AI can create noise when it is used without a clear outcome

Why automation must be monitored instead of set and forgotten

How to avoid overwhelming your team when adopting new technology

Why sales tools must be customized to your company's process

How asking for the sale is often the missing step in the home


If you are trying to grow your service business, improve close rates, coach your team better, or make AI useful instead of confusing, this episode gives you a practical look at how sales process and technique create scalable growth.

Timestamps

00:00 Clarifying platform's role and use case
05:22 Getting started in the industry
09:22 AI ride along software discussion
10:53 Optimizing service call efficiency
16:07 Watching sales recordings for improvement
18:37 Identifying AI-generated resumes
21:01 Efficiency with Technology Tools
24:08 Understanding mismatched business language
29:17 Demo: Claude's PowerPoint integration
31:10 Human oversight in automation
35:23 Challenges of Team Growth
39:35 Understanding customer communication skills
42:31 Introducing Execconnect tool
43:31 Explaining the 34 Labs name

Follow the Host and Guest
Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/
Joshua Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/
Josh Martin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrenmartin/ 
3Four Labs: htps://www.linkedin.com/company/3fourlabs/ 
 
Connect with Us
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/service-business-mastery
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@servicebusinessmasterypodcast
• Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/servicebusinessmasterypodcast
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/servicebusinessmasterypodcast

This episode is kindly powered by:
UpFrog: upfrog.com 
MarketStorm is an AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/
Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail!: https://www.callrail.com/sbmpod
CompanyCam: https://companycam.com/
Breezy: Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code "SBM" to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo
PhoneTAP: Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo

Most contractors think they need more leads.
But what if the real problem is that you're already missing the jobs you paid to generate?
In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Shaun Ritchey from Breezy to talk about Moneyball for home services and how contractors can use AI, better data, and smarter systems to uncover the jobs hiding inside their existing business.
Just like Moneyball changed baseball by finding overlooked value in the data, this conversation shows how contractors can find overlooked revenue in missed calls, slow follow-up, poor booking processes, weak web conversion, and underused customer lists.
Shaun explains why the biggest opportunity is not always spending more money on marketing. Sometimes the fastest path to growth is fixing the leaks already inside your sales funnel.
They also discuss:
How Moneyball applies to home service businesses
Why contractors often lose the most money during their busiest seasons
How missed calls create major revenue leaks
Why speed-to-lead can make or break a booked job
How AI agents help contractors answer more calls and book more jobs
Why AI should support CSRs, not replace them
How web visitors and younger homeowners are changing the booking process
Why low-value tune-ups can block high-value replacement opportunities
How call tracking, transfer rules, and better data improve lead handling
Why AI needs training, monitoring, and human oversight
How contractors can use AI to analyze pricing, inventory, and operations
Why bad data creates bad AI output
If you're spending more money on leads but still missing calls, losing web visitors, or struggling to understand where revenue is leaking, this episode will help you think differently about growth.

Timestamps
00:00 Explaining the Moneyball strategy
05:29 Challenges of manual call analysis
08:10 Helping contractors book more jobs
11:00 A CRM for the trades industry
14:23 Integrating AI with CRM Tools
17:18 Discussing AI's role in customer service
20:14 Discussing AI's strengths and limitations
21:57 Issues with AI voice providers
27:40 Using CRM for cost analysis
31:42 Using call tracking for marketing
33:09 Overbooked with low-margin appointments
36:10 Using AI for Business Transparency
41:52 Evaluating Client Booking Efficiency
43:52 Recognizing trends in social media marketing
48:40 Updating and trusting sales data
51:31 Getting help with my project
54:00 Pricing strategy for offers
 
Follow the Host and Guest
Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/
Joshua Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/
Shaun Ritchey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-ritchey/ 
Breezy: https://getbreezyapp.com
Connect with Us
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/service-business-mastery
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@servicebusinessmasterypodcast
• Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/servicebusinessmasterypodcast
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/servicebusinessmasterypodcast

This episode is kindly powered by:
UpFrog: upfrog.com
MarketStorm is an AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/
Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail!: https://www.callrail.com/sbmpod
CompanyCam: https://companycam.com/
Breezy: Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code "SBM" to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo
PhoneTAP: Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo

Most service business owners are chasing the next lead source.
Google Ads. Facebook Ads. AI. SEO. Automation.
But sometimes the fastest way to grow is still the most old-school strategy in the book: getting out into your community, shaking hands, building trust, and making sure people remember your brand.
In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Chuck Worley, owner of Worley's Home Services, to talk about branding, networking, reputation, and the real-world grind behind building a service business people know, trust, and refer.
Chuck shares his journey from struggling in school to building a career in HVAC sales, starting and losing a business, rebuilding from bankruptcy, paying back debts he was no longer legally required to pay, and eventually growing Worley's Home Services into a $17 million company.
He also breaks down why branding is not just about a logo, why standing out matters, and how his orange and green jackets became a memorable part of his local brand.
They also discuss:
How Chuck went from HVAC technician to top-performing comfort advisor
Why sales changed his life and gave him a path forward
The painful lessons from bankruptcy and rebuilding from zero
Why reputation matters more than almost anything in business
How Chuck used networking to grow his company without relying only on digital marketing
Why your brand needs to be memorable, even if people think it looks ridiculous
How local chambers, BNI groups, and business events can generate real relationships
Why referrals still matter in a world obsessed with AI and ads
How Chuck used small acquisitions and owner financing to grow
Why being the "power connector" in your market can create long-term growth
How service business owners can start networking even if they feel uncomfortable
If you are a service business owner who wants to build a brand people remember, generate more referrals, and grow through real relationships, this episode is a practical, no-BS playbook.
Timestamps
00:00 Old-school networking advice
03:36 Challenges with AI voice calls
08:48 Struggling through high school
11:48 Quitting shipyard job for family
13:32 Quitting jobs due to drug use
18:42 Friend's Offer During Divorce
22:18 Early business struggles and trust
25:11 Growing HVAC Business from Dorm Room
27:03 CallRail for tracking marketing calls
30:37 Networking as an Introvert
32:51 Growing the sales team
36:55 Personal branding and first impressions
41:10 Joining a Chamber of Commerce
45:13 Networking and local referrals
48:41 Networking with industry professionals
52:26 Overcoming networking anxiety
52:58 Networking event experience
56:57 Importance of referrals and relationships
59:38 Wrapping up and subscribing encouragement

Follow the Host and Guest
Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/
Joshua Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/
Chuck Worley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckworley757/ 
Connect with Us
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/service-business-mastery
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@servicebusinessmasterypodcast
• Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/servicebusinessmasterypodcast
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/servicebusinessmasterypodcast
This episode is kindly powered by:
UpFrog: upfrog.com
MarketStorm is an AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/
Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail!: https://www.callrail.com/sbmpod
CompanyCam: https://companycam.com/
Breezy: Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code "SBM" to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo
PhoneTAP: Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo