- 1
A plumbing business owner who doubted AI helped shape an AI company for contractors
Broccoli sells AI agents that answer calls, book jobs into the scheduling software a contractor already uses, follow up on open estimates, and renew service memberships. It raised $52 million in two rounds led by Khosla Ventures and says more than 1,500 businesses use it, including Ace Hardware Home Services, Mr. Electric, and Any Hour Group. Fortune reports its first customer was Marcelle Flowers, 62, owner of Armstrong Plumbing in Sacramento, who was "really opposed to AI." She signed up after hearing a demo of an automated appointment reminder call, right after she lost the employee who made those calls. She now works with the company.
Source: Fortune
Read the source →What to try: Write down the one office job that falls through the cracks when someone quits or the office closes at 5, like reminder calls or estimate follow-ups, and test an AI tool on just that job first.
- 2
simPRO adds an AI phone agent that books jobs and sends emergencies to a person
simPRO, field service software used by trade contractors, launched Pulse, an AI agent that answers inbound calls around the clock, recognizes existing customers, creates the job with the trade type and urgency, and puts a provisional hold on the live schedule for your team to confirm. Calls about gas, carbon monoxide, flooding, or electrical fire go to your on-call staff, and every call is logged with a transcript and summary.
Source: simPRO announcement
Read the source →What to try: Before you turn on any AI phone agent, call it yourself three times: once with a routine request, once with a confusing one, and once with an emergency. Check that the emergency reaches a real person fast.
- 3
QuickBooks adds AI that spots late invoices and follows up for you
At its Intuit Connect event, Intuit announced AI cash flow and invoicing tools in QuickBooks that point out aging invoices, compare your business with similar businesses, and automatically follow up with customers. Intuit said the features roll out to U.S. businesses starting October 27, along with built-in bill pay and a redesigned sales tax report that flags problems before you file.
Source: Intuit press release
Read the source →What to try: Open QuickBooks this week, pull your list of invoices more than 30 days past due, and turn on automatic reminders for them instead of making those calls yourself.
- 4
CompanyCam's AI assistant can now write a first draft of your proposal
CompanyCam, the jobsite photo app many contractors use, added a button inside its proposals that has its AI assistant draft the proposal from what is already in the project, or from a walkthrough note you add. The option only shows up when the project has enough information for the assistant to work from.
Source: CompanyCam product update
Read the source →What to try: On your next estimate visit, record a quick walkthrough note while you are still on site, then let the assistant draft the proposal. Check the prices and scope yourself before it goes out.
- 5
Report: Google's AI chat for Business Profile messages is reaching more businesses
This is a report, not an official Google announcement. Search Engine Roundtable reports that Google is expanding AI messaging for Google Business Profiles. Customers message you from Search and Maps in their phone's regular texting app, and a Google AI agent answers routine questions for free and hands off what it can't answer. You can take over a conversation at any time. It only works for customers whose phones support RCS texting, and early reports mention restaurants, so it is not clear yet when home services businesses will see it.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable report
Read the source →What to try: Open your Google Business Profile and look for a red dot on Messages. If the AI option is there, check your hours, services, and service area first, because that is what the AI will answer from.
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https://agenticsolutions.biz/brief/2026-11-02