Sam Reeves
Modern Operations Contributor
Millennial electrician who left a 40-person commercial shop to start his own residential service company. Writes about CRMs, online reviews, AI tools, and the operations side most older guys roll their eyes at.
Your Automated Customer Texts Are Generating Callbacks
Automation should reduce friction, not create it. Here's why your job confirmation texts may be undermining your techs — and how to fix it.
Your Intake Process Is Leaking Revenue Before the Job Starts
Calls answered isn't the same as jobs won. Here's what your intake process is actually costing you — and how to find the leaks.
Your Techs Are Billing 6 Hours on an 8-Hour Day
If you've never calculated your techs' actual billable hours vs. clocked hours, you're probably losing $80K+ a year without knowing it.
Your Software Has the Data — You're Just Pulling the Wrong Report
Your field service software is full of reports you never use. The one that actually drives profit decisions? It probably isn't set up yet.
Your Bad Reviews Start at the First Phone Call — Not the Job
Bad reviews aren't a tech problem — they're an intake problem. Here's how fixing your first 90 seconds of customer contact changes everything downstream.
Your Software Isn't the Problem — Your Process Is
Buying Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan won't fix broken intake, dispatch, or follow-up. Here's why process-first beats software-first every time.
Your Missed Calls Are Closed-Lost Jobs — Start Tracking Them
If you're not tracking your call answer rate, you're not tracking your actual close rate. Here's why missed calls are a revenue metric, not a courtesy one.
Your Repeat Customer Rate Is the Number That Actually Matters
High NPS and great reviews feel like loyalty — but they're not. Here's why repeat customer rate is the metric your shop should actually track.
Your Second Truck Scaled Fine — Your Third One Is Breaking You
Adding trucks shouldn't get harder each time. If your third or fourth truck is bleeding margin, the problem isn't the hire — it's your systems.
Your 5-Star Reviews Are Hiding a Retention Problem
A great review score doesn't mean customers are coming back. Here's the retention metric most small shops never track — and why it matters more.
Your Tech Onboarding Is a Revenue System — Not a Formality
Most shops onboard new techs by shadowing. That just clones bad habits. Here's how a real onboarding process protects your margins.
Your Dispatch Order Is a Revenue Decision — Not a Puzzle
Routing jobs by who's closest is costing you real money. Here's how intentional dispatch sequencing changes your margins.
Your Follow-Up Automation Isn't Converting — The Copy Is
Your CRM is sending follow-ups but estimates still go cold. The problem isn't your software — it's the generic message inside it.
Your After-Hours Calls Are a Policy Problem — Not a You Problem
Still taking late-night customer calls yourself? That's not hustle — it's a broken system. Here's how to build an actual after-hours policy.
Your Software Stack Was Built for a Bigger Shop Than Yours
Copying your field software from a 30-truck operation is quietly breaking your workflow. Here's what a 5-truck shop actually needs — and what to skip.
Your Techs Should Know Exactly What Jobs Cost — All of It
Hiding your flat-rate pricing from your own techs is tanking your close rates and your NPS. Here's why full price transparency wins.
Your Field Software Isn't Broken — Your Rollout Was
Your techs aren't using the app you're paying for. That's not a them problem. Here's the 90-day rollout fix that actually sticks.
Your Intake Process Is Losing You Jobs Before Trucks Roll
Bad intake doesn't just lose bookings — it wrecks your NPS, average ticket, and tech efficiency. Here's how to build one that actually works.
Your Field Software Knows More Than You Do — Use It
You're paying for Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan every month. Are you actually using the data? Here are the 3 numbers that change how you run jobs.
Your Unsold Estimates Aren't Dead — You Just Stopped Asking
Most contractors send an estimate and wait. Sam Reeves explains why one follow-up sequence recovers 30-40% of jobs you thought were gone.
Answer Your Own Phones for 90 Days — Then Fix Everything
90 days on your own phones will expose more broken systems than any audit. Sam Reeves rebuilt his entire intake this way — and it shows.
Your Techs Don't Know Why Jobs Are Priced — and It Shows
Hiding your pricing from techs isn't protecting your margins — it's killing your upsells. Here's what to share, what to lock down, and why it matters.
Your Google Rating Isn't Why You're Losing Leads
Stop chasing 5.0 stars. Review count and recency convert customers — not a perfect average. Here's what your review data actually tells you.
Your Call-to-Book Rate Is Broken — You Just Don't Know It Yet
More leads won't fix a leaky intake. Learn what call-to-book rate actually is, how to measure it, and why fixing it beats buying more ads.
Your Flat-Rate Book Has an Expiration Date — Do You Know It?
Built your flat-rate price book and forgot it? Your costs moved. Your prices didn't. Here's why a stale book is worse than winging it.
Your NPS Is a Phone Problem, Not a Field Problem
Bad reviews aren't about your techs — they're about your intake. Here's how to audit the first 90 seconds before it kills your reputation.
Your Dispatch Order Is a Revenue Decision — Not a Logistics One
Dispatching by proximity feels efficient. It's costing you real money. Here's what your dispatch order is actually deciding without you knowing.
Your On-Call Rotation Is a Retention Problem in Disguise
Most shops treat on-call as a scheduling fix. It's actually driving turnover in your best young techs. Here's what to do instead.
Stop Outsourcing Your Phones Before You Fix Your Intake
Hiring someone to answer calls sounds like freedom. But if your intake process is broken, you're just paying someone to do the damage faster.
Your Software Stack Is Only as Good as Your Worst User
You bought the right tools. But if your techs use them wrong, you've just automated your chaos. Here's how to fix that.
Your Intake Process Is Broken — And You Built It By Accident
If you've never intentionally designed how a customer enters your business, you haven't built a process — you've built a liability. Here's how to fix it.
Your Reviews Are Great. Your Lead Response Time Isn't.
Five stars aren't booking jobs if your response time is slow. Here's what's actually breaking between your reputation and your revenue.
Your Post-Job Follow-Up Is Too Late and Too Generic
The 48 hours after a closed job determines whether that customer calls you next time. Most shops blow the window entirely. Here's what to do instead.
Your Customer Texts Look Good — But They're Creating More Calls
Your arrival texts and job updates feel professional. But if your inbound call volume didn't drop after you turned them on, your automation is broken. Here's why.
Your Job Notes Are Garbage — And It's Costing You
Logging that you did a job isn't the same as logging what you found. Bad job notes cost you on every return visit. Here's how to fix it fast.
Maintenance Plans Sound Great. The Math Is Harder Than You Think.
Recurring revenue memberships can trap small shops in low-margin callbacks. Here's how to price and run a maintenance plan that actually works.
AI Call Summaries Are Hiding Your Real Intake Problems
AI-generated call notes feel like a time-saver. They're actually filtering out the friction that tells you where your operation is broken.
Your Dispatcher Role Doesn't Exist Yet. That's the Problem.
Running dispatch out of your own head is capping your revenue. Here's when and how to make it a real role — before you think you need to.
Your Follow-Up Automation Is On. It's Also Not Working.
Automated texts after job close feel like customer care. They're not. Here's why your sequence is broken and how to fix the logic.
Your Scheduling Software Isn't the Problem. Your Logic Is.
If your dispatch board stays a mess no matter what software you try, the problem isn't the tool — it's the scheduling logic you never built.
Stop Using Multiple Phone Numbers to Track Your Marketing
Call tracking numbers hurt your Google rankings and confuse customers. Here's how to track lead sources without fracturing your phone presence.
Your Intake Process Is Losing You Jobs (Not Your Reviews)
Ads and reviews get customers to call. A broken intake process makes them hang up and call your competitor. Here's how to fix the leak.
Don't Add a Second Truck Until You Fix Your First One
Adding crew before your systems are solid doesn't scale your business — it scales your problems. Here's the checklist Sam used before truck #3.
Your Techs Are Losing 90 Minutes a Day in the Truck
Windshield time is killing your margins and you're not tracking it. Here's how to measure it, price for it, and cut it with smarter scheduling.
Stop Quoting Jobs Over the Phone Before You've Seen Them
Phone quotes feel helpful but they're killing your close rate. Here's the intake script that stops price shoppers without losing real customers.
Your Field Service Software Has a Customer Portal. Use It.
Stop ignoring the customer portal sitting in your field service app. It's already paid for — and it's losing you jobs every week you leave it blank.