70%+ of home service professionals now use AI to cut admin work, not field jobs, Housecall Pro report finds
Business owners across all trades are embracing AI to boost productivity and reclaim time — while keeping the skilled, hands-on work human-first.
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Housecall Pro released its 2025 AI Adoption in Home Services Industry Report, revealing that artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the trades — not by replacing skilled workers, but by enhancing their efficiency and accelerating business growth.
The survey of over 400 home service contractors across the U.S. finds that over 70% have tried AI tools in some capacity, and about 40% are now using AI actively in their businesses. This swift uptake comes shortly after AI tools like ChatGPT burst onto the scene, signaling a watershed moment where even traditionally hands-on industries are going high-tech.
According to the report, 54% of business owners under 35 are already using AI to automate parts of their operations, roughly twice the rate of those over 65. Notably, AI adoption is consistent across business sizes. From solo owner-operators to 50+-person companies, small shops are embracing AI nearly as much as large ones.
The study makes clear that home service pros are using AI to offload back-office tasks, not field work. The most common uses of AI are automating marketing, customer service, scheduling and paperwork.
“In other words, AI is handling the busywork while the pro handles the wrench work,” said Roland Ligtenberg, Housecall Pro co-founder and senior vice president of innovation and growth. “Our industry is built on human skill and trust. Fixing a furnace, rewiring a house, comforting a customer, that remains the domain of people. What's changing is that now every contractor can have AI team members to tackle the tedious stuff in the background. It's making the one-person shop as efficient as a larger company.”
Over 80% of contractors using AI say the tools met or exceeded their expectations. On average, AI adopters reclaimed over four hours per week from admin tasks like writing emails, data entry and follow-ups.
“Time is money in the trades, and AI is giving time back,” Ligtenberg said. “Think of a plumber who normally spends hours a week on invoices and scheduling. If AI frees up those hours, that's a few more service calls he can take or a few more hours of hard-earned rest and family time. Skilled tradespeople do what AI can’t.”
According to the report, 57% of AI-using contractors say it's helped their business grow. It does so mainly by capturing more leads and jobs (through faster response times and never missing a call) and boosting marketing reach with AI-generated ads and content.
The report portrays an optimistic future where AI becomes standard in the trades but remains in a supporting role.
“We're at a tech inflection point in an industry that's traditionally been all analog,” Ligtenberg said. “What we're seeing is not a takeover by robots, but an augmentation of human workers. We believe the future trades professionals will use AI as naturally as a power tool or a smartphone, just like any other tool in their toolbelt.”
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