In this episode of Lifted: The Garage Door Podcast, I spoke with Roland Ligtenberg, cofounder of Housecall Pro, about how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape the way home service companies operate.
Housecall Pro has grown into one of the most widely used platforms in the trades, serving more than 50,000 service businesses and supporting hundreds of thousands of technicians across the United States and Canada. With more than 100 million completed jobs processed through the platform, Roland and his team have a unique perspective on what’s actually happening inside service companies every day.
Our conversation focused on the intersection of AI, operations, and missed opportunities inside the trades.
One of the surprising realities Roland pointed out is how many contractors are still running their businesses with disconnected systems. Schedules split between paper notes and Google Calendar, customer information scattered across spreadsheets, and phone calls that go unanswered when the team is out on jobs. Individually, those problems seem small, but collectively they create a lot of lost revenue.
Missed calls alone represent one of the biggest leaks in most service businesses.
If a customer calls and nobody answers, that job often disappears. Roland explained how new AI voice technology is beginning to solve that problem by allowing businesses to capture jobs automatically, even when the office is closed or technicians are busy in the field.
We also discussed the idea of unused calendar capacity, something Housecall Pro sees across thousands of service companies. Many contractors assume their schedule is full, but when you analyze the data, there are often gaps where additional work could be booked. AI tools are starting to identify those openings and help companies fill them automatically.
Another major shift happening in the industry is the use of automation for follow-up and customer communication.
Instead of manually tracking every quote or invoice, modern service platforms can now trigger reminders, review requests, and follow-up messages automatically. This helps businesses stay in front of their customers without adding more work to the office staff.
Roland also shared how financing and flexible payment options are becoming increasingly important in home services. For larger repair or replacement jobs, giving customers the ability to spread payments over time often makes the difference between winning the job and losing it.
While a lot of the conversation focused on technology, the bigger theme was really about efficiency and opportunity.
Many service businesses already have the demand they need to grow. The real challenge is managing calls, scheduling work efficiently, following up with customers, and collecting payments in a consistent way. AI and automation are starting to help contractors solve those operational challenges.
One line from Roland captured the moment we’re in right now:
“Everything you see today is as bad as it’s ever going to be.”
In other words, the tools available today are just the beginning.
For contractors paying attention, the next few years are likely to bring some of the biggest operational changes the trades have ever seen.
This conversation offers a clear look at what’s coming and how service companies can begin thinking about automation, AI, and efficiency as part of their long-term growth.
About Roland Ligtenberg
Roland Ligtenberg is the cofounder of Housecall Pro, one of the fastest-growing software platforms serving home service businesses. Housecall Pro helps contractors manage scheduling, dispatching, payments, marketing, and customer communication through a single platform.
About Lifted: The Garage Door Podcast
Lifted is hosted by Blair Witkowski, SEO expert and founder of Garage Door SEO Experts. The podcast features conversations with garage door professionals, contractors, and industry leaders about building better businesses and navigating the future of the trades.
Garage Door SEO
If you’re in the garage door industry and want to generate more calls and booked jobs from Google, learn more about the work we do at
https://garagedoorseoexperts.com