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What manual work costs a service business.

Real numbers from named sources, with the year on every one. When a figure comes from a company selling something, we say so.

71%

of AI users report higher productivity Federal Reserve Banks, 2026 (self-reported)

What AI really does for a small business

The honest version, including the numbers that don't flatter the sales pitch.

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calls over 15 seconds to home service companies don't reach a person Invoca, 2026 (vendor call data, company averages, approximate)

What an unanswered call really costs

Some missed calls are spam. Some are jobs. Here is what the numbers say.

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of 466 home service companies never answered a web inquiry in a five-day test Valve+Meter, about 2021 (agency test of web forms, not phone calls)

The first to reply gets the first shot

When a customer fills out a form, a clock starts. Many companies never answer at all.

Read it95%

of homeowners say they get more than one bid ArcSite with ResearchScape, 2022 (vendor survey of over 1,000 homeowners)

The estimates that go quiet

You paid to get that estimate in front of them. Then it sits.

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of work at residential service contractors came from repeat customers ServiceTitan with Thrive Analytics, 2023 (vendor survey of over 1,000 contractors, 2022 data)

The customers you already won

Repeat customers are a big part of the work. Your old list is worth a look.

Read it64%

of firms that bill after the work is done say customers are slow to pay Federal Reserve Banks, 2024 (2023 survey; firms paid after delivery)

Slow payment is a loan you never agreed to

You did the work and paid your crew. Now you wait.

Read it$21.64

median hourly wage for a general office clerk U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025 (national, all industries, before benefits)

What manual work really costs

Office time feels free because you already pay for it. It isn't.

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